A biz reporter who covered layoffs is laid off

Robert Feder of Time Out Chicago writes about the layoff of “Nightly Business Report” Chicago bureau chief Diane Eastabrook, who lost her job after 20 years with the business news show.

Feder writes, “The loss last August of the production’s sole underwriter, Franklin Templeton Investments, only added to the unease among the decimated staff. So while the latest cutbacks didn’t come as a complete surprise, Eastabrook said she thought she might survive at least until the first quarter of next year.

“‘Obviously, I’ve seen what’s happened in the media world, the cuts that have gone on, not just with us but everywhere — at all the networks,’ she said. ‘I guess I’ve been very fortunate that I’ve had the long run that I’ve had.’

“A native of Pekin, Illinois, and journalism graduate of Northern Illinois University, Eastabrook worked for stations in Wausau, Wisconsin; Peoria, and Albany, New York, before joining Nightly Business Report in 1993. Traveling across the country, she covered a wide-ranging beat, including the auto industry, airlines, manufacturing, agriculture, commodities, housing and small business.

“Hudson called her ‘one of the most gifted storytellers and resourceful reporters in broadcasting.’ What he didn’t say was that without her — or any other full-time presence in the Midwest — there’s a risk the show will become even more myopically focused on New York and Washington.”

Read more here.