STUDIO TO CLOSE DEC. 28 CHATSWORTH FACILITY NO MONEYMAKER.

Byline: Greg Hernandez Staff Writer

CHATSWORTH - West Valley Studios, a production facility where scores of television commercials, videos and other programs are produced, will be shut Dec. 28, owner Time Warner Cable said Thursday.

Time Warner Cable spokesman Deane Leavenworth said the 12-year-old studio has only been breaking even and is being closed because it is not a core business of parent company AOL Time Warner.

``We are streamlining the focus of our business,'' said Leavenworth, who added that none of the other Time Warner Cable divisions in the country have a commercial production studio.

The decision to close the Chatsworth studio was made by Tom Feige, president of Time Warner Cable-Los Angeles division. Feige could not be reached for comment Thursday. Employees at the studio declined to comment on the impending closure.

West Valley Studio has a handful of permanent employees, but about 100 free-lance workers were used at the facility each day. They would be called upon by studio staff who were responsible for setting up crews for various production companies.

``It's primarily used by production companies,'' Leavenworth said. ``The production companies will continue to produce, but they will produce elsewhere.''

Leavenworth said the company is actively looking for other positions within the company for displaced workers or helping them in their job searches. He said the impact on ancillary businesses in the area such as restaurants and dry cleaners should be minimal.

``From an economic standpoint, it's not like we're closing down a facility with 100 employees,'' Leavenworth said. ``Our operations will continue in that location, and that additional space will make our operation smoother.''

Jack Kyser, chief economist for the Los Angeles Economic Development Corp., said the timing of the Dec. 28 closure is unfortunate for those left without a job.

``Now is not the best time to be looking for a job in the motion picture industry,'' Kyser said. ``We're still wrapped in the throes of the de facto strike, and we don't look for much of an upturn in production until the second quarter of next year. It will be tough for these people to try and find new opportunities.''

With a 10,000-square-foot production area, West Valley Studios provides production companies with the facilities to shoot, digitize, edit or 3-D animate their projects. It also has a 3,700-square-foot sound stage with audience risers where television specials and infomercials are filmed. Post-production work has also been done at the facility, including high- definition effects for the television program ``ER'' and such feature films as ``Cats and Dogs'' and ``Just Cause.''

Among the television programs filmed there were a Kenny Loggins Christmas special with Olivia Newton John and Clint Black, the ``Next Door With Katie Brown'' home improvement show and ``Reel Classics.''

Various fitness videos were also shot at the facility, including ones by model Kathy Ireland, fitness guru Kathy Smith and the top-selling ``Body Works Workout'' videos. Such Time Warner audio books as ``Star Wars'' have been recorded there.

But the studio is most used for television commercial production for such clients as Six Flags California's Magic Mountain and La Victoria salsa as well as various infomercials and music videos.