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Warner Bros. purged 250 to 300 profit-killing money-pits employees from its Burbank lot yesterday, and is ready to drop the ax on a hundred more from its international operations. The LAT reports:

Warner spokeswoman Sue Fleishman, who confirmed the layoffs on the Burbank lot, did not provide a breakdown of the cuts except to say that they affected all divisions, including Warner Bros. Pictures and its specialty film unit, Warner Independent Pictures. The company's television, home video, consumer products and corporate operations also were hit.

"We had to take some difficult measures to position the company for the future," Fleishman said. "We acknowledge that these decisions have affected people's livelihoods and to that end we examined every aspect of our business in order to cut costs responsibly and to keep staff reductions to a minimum."

As former members of the WB family pack their belongings into cardboard boxes and tearfully begin filling out their COBRA forms, they can take solace in the warm, parting words of a company flack, knowing that their pain has has been officially acknowledged. And maybe, just maybe, the noble sacrifice of their paychecks may have helped the studio meet Steve Guttenberg's quote for the new Police Academy movie.