By Bill Raack, KWMU
St. Louis, MO – St. Louis-based Charter Communications has fired two of its top executives.Chief financial officer Kent Kalkwarf and Chief operating officer David Barford were dismissed amid the backdrop of an unfolding federal grand jury investigation. Charter spokesman David Anderson could not say whether the action is in direct response to the probe. Charter is the nation's third largest cable television provider. Earlier reports indicated Charter plans to layoff more than one thousand employees by year's end.