AOL layoffs include DailyFinance, WalletPop staffs

TALKING BIZ NEWS EXCLUSIVE

The layoffs at AOL’s news operation on Thursday include staff members at DailyFinance.com, Luxist.com and WalletPop.com, sources confirmed to Talking Biz News.

The layoffs are due to AOL combining its editorial operations with The Huffington Post, which put Arianna Huffington in charge of the combined editorial operations.

At least four staff members per AOL Money & Finance site lost their jobs, according to one source. The layoffs include WalletPop executive editor Nicole Ridgeway, WalletPop consumer ally editor Mitch Lipka and WalletPop producer Willy Volk.

One of the few apparently remaining at DailyFinance is feature writer Bruce Watson.

Freelancers will still contribute to both sites, a source said. Survivors will hear more later today via conference call about future plans for the sites.

One contract staffer posted on Facebook that the job losses were a “bloodbath.”

The WalletPop masthead features a staff of at least 30, but many of those are freelance bloggers and editors who actually don’t work full time for the personal finance site. Those listed on the site include well-known personal finance guru Jean Chatzky, who also appears regularly on the “Today” show.

Ironically, WalletPop was named one of the top 25 finance blogs earlier this week by Time magazine. It launched in December 2007.

The DailyFinance.com masthead is smaller, with a staff of eight. It’s unclear who was let go from the general business news site.

There were also apparently layoffs at Luxist.com, another high-end personal finance site run by AOL, a source confirmed. It lists a staff of 18 on its site, with three editors and 15 bloggers.

Jamie Hammond is vice president and editor in chief of AOL Money & Finance’s sites, including DailyFinance, WalletPop, BloggingStocks, AOL Small Business and Luxist.

Hammond told Talking Biz News that he was out of the office on Thursday and could not comment on specific layoffs.