LA Observed is reporting that the already beleaguered L.A. Times, amidst rumors of further layoffs, has decided to fold its local section into the front section, “which will be reconfigured to downplay national and foreign news — despite…unanimous and vocal objections of senior editors.”

Eliminating stand-alone local coverage was a decision, you may recall, that the New York Times made last October and considering this week’s dire news on the Times front one wonders what section may next be considered extraneous. The Style Section? Sunday Times devotees everywhere may shudder at the thought but Jack Shafer tells the (newly launched) The Wrap why not?

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More information about the bloodbath that took place over at Viacom yesterday — to the tune of 850 layoffs — is beginning to trickle down. We heard a rumor from an insider yesterday who said that most of the MTV News department had been let go, which appears to concur with an L.A. Times report that the “deepest cuts” came from MTV Newtworks.

MTV Networks, which includes cable channels MTV, Nickelodeon, VH1, and Comedy Central. Viacom’s Hollywood movie studio, Paramount Pictures, let go 140 employees — 100 in the U.S. and the remainder in its international operations. Cable channel BET is cutting about 50 jobs.

According to the New York Post the “The sheer size of the bloodletting that went down at Viacom yesterday has current and now-former employees referring to CEO Philippe Dauman alternately as ‘the undertaker’ and ‘the mortician’ around the company’s water coolers.” Have any further info you want to share? Drop it in the tip box or shoot us an email.

The news is bad from coast-to-coast. FishbowlLA is reporting that the deep cuts taking place at Tribune Co. papers have struck once again. L.A. Times EIC Russ Stanton announced via email this morning that the paper is laying off 75 people from editorial, about 10% of their total staff.

The growing economic downturn is forcing us to undergo another round of job reductions and cost cuts. I deeply regret to report that today, 75 of our friends, colleagues and capable staff members in Editorial will be told that they are losing their jobs. This is about 10% of our total staff and these cuts are comparable in scale to those made on the business side of The Times last week. The severance terms being offered to our colleagues are similar to those offered in the other reductions we’ve faced this year.

In further Tribune news FishbowlDC is reporting that Sam Zell has decided to combine the Chicago Tribune and L.A. Times Washington bureaus into one operation. The plan includes reducing the staff of 42 by 12 and eliminating duplicate beats.

Rumors were flying this morning that Los Angeles Times publisher and CEO David Hiller was about to be shown the door by Zell and Co. and now it’s official. Randy Michaels (he of the more words, less reporters doctrine) just announced Hiller’s departure, effective immediately. FishbowlLA has the memo. Hiller was presumably preparing to oversee the sweeping cuts that were made at LAT last month, and which are apparently being put into effect as we speak (again, FishbowlLA has details here) Perhaps a trip to India will be included in all the severance packages.

Elsewhere in Tribune land Ann Marie Lipinski, who began her tenure at the Chicago Tribune as an intern thirty years ago, and was named editor shortly before 9/11, has announced her resignation in a memo to staff today. Lipinski doesn’t directly reference the recent staff cuts at the Tribune as reason for her decision but does tells the staff that “your new owners should have their own editor, compatible with their style and goals” (also, the same line of thinking used by departing WaPo head Len Downie). Gerould W. Kern, Tribune Publishing vice president of editorial since 2003 has been named as her successor.