paidContent.org - Forbes Shuts Down Auto Site; Layoffs Hit Forbes Travel, Conference Group; TheStreet Closes SF Office

ForbesAutos.com is being shuttered and its entire staff is being let go, a company rep said, confirming earlier reports on SAI and Gawker. The rep wouldn't say how many individuals worked on ForbesAutos. Separately, most of ForbesTraveler's staff is also being laid off. The site will limp along with three staffers. Forbes is also getting rid of its conference group. The Forbes rep said that the publisher will still host conferences, but all planning will be handled by its marketing department.

SAI also reported that TheStreet.com was closing its San Francisco office and laying off an unspecified number of staffers.

-- Another week of pink slips: The Forbes.com cuts cap a week of non-stop layoff announcements at media companies, including Dow Jones' planned cuts at its Enterprise Media Group; six at CBS' forthcoming music site; Time Inc.'s buyout solicitation at its mag properties; and CondéNet's across-the-board, which came on the heels of scaling back at Condé Nast's Portfolio and Men's Vogue titles.

-- Laying off and hiring: As for Forbes, the company denies this is the first wave of a larger set of cutbacks. The business mag has actually been hiring lately, including bringing former Viacom (NYSE: VIA) exec Ty Ahmad-Taylor over in the new post of chief product officer, last month. And in September, WSJ vet Carol Hymowitz was hired as editorial director of the ForbesLife Executive Woman group.