Oxygen Cuts Jobs in Online Unit

Oxygen Media, which was founded as a cable and Internet network targeting women, cut 35 jobs in its online division, becoming the latest media firm to trim its Web operations. The online-unit chief as well as the head of Oxygen.com, one of the media company’s four Web sites, are departing, company spokeswoman Laura Nelson confirmed. Nelson declined to comment on how many people were currently employed in Oxygen’s online unit but said 650 people worked at the media company started by Nickelodeon’s Geraldine Laybourne amid much fanfare and backed by Microsoft Corp. co-founder Paul Allen and talk show host Oprah Winfrey. New York-based Oxygen had slimmed down its Web operations in December, redirected resources and cut 10% of its total staff.

Several media operations are reassessing their Web strategies as they endure a violent dot-com shakeout, a deteriorating advertising climate and a slowing economy.