Martha Stewart's TV Show on 'Hiatus' A

New York, May 19--Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, preparing for the possible imprisonment of its founder, will suspend programming of its daily syndicated television show after the conclusion of this season. The company described the suspension as a "hiatus" for its 12th season, leaving the door open for a return of the show, which built a loyal audience around Ms. Stewart's expertise as a cook, gardener and craft maker. The show is distributed by King World Productions to 52% of local U.S. television markets. A spokeswoman for Martha Stewart Living said the company will lay off around 53% of the workers in its television unit, or 40 people. To pay for the layoffs and other related expenses, the company plans to take a restructuring charge of $2 million in this year's second quarter. The announcement comes one month before the June 17 sentencing of Ms. Stewart, who in March was convicted of conspiracy, obstruction of justice and lying to federal investigators in an insider-trading case. Ms. Stewart's legal travails and the possibility that she won't be available to continue taping her program after her sentencing, have forced the company to rethink its television business, which has been struggling of late. The biggest blow came in March after the Martha Stewart Living television program was dropped from 13 of Viacom Inc.'s CBS-owned television stations, covering about 31% of the country. Anticipating the trial, the company increased production of Ms. Stewart's show last fall and winter. The company also sped up production in the spring after the trial concluded.

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