ABC shutting L.A. bureau

Boy, network officials weren't kidding when they announced a huge downsizing. With the exception of Washington, all domestic bureaus, including L.A., will be shuttered and the surviving staffers will be asked to work out of the affiliate stations. That could take a while because of existing leases, but job cuts would appear to be just around the corner. From the LAT:

The mood was grim in Los Angeles, the largest bureau outside of Washington. The 40-plus staffers were told this week that only a few producers would remain and only two correspondents would be assigned to cover the West, down from a total of six who work out of Dallas, Seattle, San Francisco and Los Angeles. Many functions that had been done out of the bureau will be handled by a "logistics desk" in New York. Demoralized employees, who did not want to be quoted by name for fear of losing their jobs, said the severity of the cuts would make it nearly impossible to swarm major stories such as the perennial wildfires in Southern California.

Network officials say they're hire freelance crews for big stories and also use reporters who can shoot and edit their own stories. J-school graduates, be prepared...