It could be getting lonelier soon at the Republican National Committee's communications shop. Three more staff members have apparently left or are in the process of doing so.

LeRoy Coleman, RNC director of media affairs, RNC press spokeswoman Sara Sendek and director of surrogate operations Amber Lyons are moving on, according to a well-placed Republican source.

Repeated efforts to reach RNC press officers for confirmation and comment over the past two days have been unsuccessful.

Coleman, at least, isn't out the door yet; he picked up his line Wednesday afternoon, then immediately begged off with a promise to call back in 30 seconds. We're still waiting for that call.

Lyons and Sendek couldn't be reached.

Communications has been a particularly difficult place to work during Republican National Chairman Michael Steele's roller-coaster tenure at party headquarters in Washington.

His initial hire as communications director, Trevor Francis, left in November. He was supposed to be replaced, at least in part, by GOP media consultant Alex Castellanos.

But Castellanos' stint as an unpaid Steele communications adviser didn't work out. Castellanos became disillusioned and parted company with the chairman. By last month, he was publicly calling for Steele to be replaced.

RNC National Press Secretary Gail Gitcho left in January to become communications director for newly elected Republican Sen. Scott Brown of Massachusetts.

She was replaced by Doug Heye, a Republican campaign veteran, who took over as RNC communications director in February.

Heye, a spokesman in Steele's 2006 Senate campaign in Maryland, did not respond to a request for comment about confirmed the latest departures.