Bert and Ernie File for Unemployment

Bloomberg reports: ‘Sesame Street’ Producer to Reduce Workforce by 20%.

Sesame Workshop, the nonprofit organization that produces “Sesame Street,” is cutting 20 percent of its workforce because of the recession.

“After careful review, we have concluded that we will have to operate with fewer resources in order to achieve our strategic priorities,” New York-based Sesame Workshop said today in an e-mailed statement. The company said it eliminated 67 of 355 staff positions.

“Sesame Street,” featuring characters such as Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch, has been on the air since 1969 and is the most widely viewed children’s TV show in the world, according to the producers. Three months ago, Sesame Workshop Chief Executive Officer Gary Knell told Bloomberg Radio that while the company was “able to withstand” recessions, it was not “immune.”