CNN laying off hundreds of employees

[The Green Barbarian]

JUST IN: CNN Starts Laying Off Hundreds of Employees, Targeting On-Air Contributors First

CNN Chief Chris Licht announced that the network will start making layoffs as part of his budget cut strategy, and it is expected to target hundreds of CNN employees.

Oliver Darcy, CNN’s senior media reporter, released a letter that Licht sent out to the entire company on Wednesday. In it, Licht announced that the first round of layoffs will impact the network’s paid contributors, and the network’s remaining staff would be informed of these changes tomorrow.

From the announcement:

To my CNN colleagues,

Our people are the heart and soul of this organization. It is incredibly hard to say goodbye to any one member of the CNN team, much less many. I recently described this process as a gut punch, because I know that is how it feels for all of us.

Today we will notify a limited number of individuals, largely some of our paid contributors, as part of a recalibrated reporting strategy. Tomorrow, we will notify impacted employees, and tomorrow afternoon I will follow up with more details on these changes.

It will be a difficult time for everyone. If your job has been impacted, you will learn more through an in-person meeting or via Zoom, depending on your location. In those meetings, you will receive information specific to you about notice period or any severance that would apply, and your anticipated last day. I want to be clear that everyone who is bonus eligible will still receive their 2022 bonuses, which are determined by company performance.

I know these changes affect both our departing colleagues and those who remain, and we have resources designed to support you. I will include a link to those resources in my follow-up email tomorrow.

Let’s take care of each other this week.

Chris

Licht has been vocal about his interest in reorienting CNN’s editorial focus on straight news reporting. He has also signaled that the network’s ratings struggles and debt from the Discovery-WarnerMedia merger could necessitate dramatic cuts for the network’s projects, including hundreds of jobs losses.

Mediaite understands that today the layoffs mostly focus on paid contributors. It’s been known around the network that Licht is more interested in subject-specific experts less than broad generalists, which will be reflected in today’s cuts. Tomorrow, salaried employees will be told and some relatively visible names from behind the scenes are expected to hear bad news also.

https://www.msn.com/en-ca/tv/news/just- ... eb783bab8b

Here's what happens when you cut your own throat by lying about Donald Trump for four straight years. Trump wins in 2020 and CNN ratings stay up. Now it's just boring Biden defence. Yawn.

[TylerM4]

One can only hope this is the result of the mainstream public shying away from highly biased and politicized news/media sources.

Doubt it tho

[Jlabute]

I'd shy away from calling CNN mainstream at this point. CNN is now trying to bounce a little to the right, but all the remaining viewers are hard-core leftists who won't like that move, and there are no righties left to notice (?)

[TylerM4]

Intention was to reference mainstream public, not to identify CNN as a mainstream news/media outlet.

In other words: I'm hoping it's a result of the general/mainstream public choosing to switch to less biased and politically motivated news sources. It's my opinion that people watching the likes of CNN and Fox News actually get dumber while thinking they're getting smarter.

[normaM]

people like the News source they like
What, are none of these companies being visited by 3 ghosts?
Merry Christmas you are " employed challenged" bye bye
dick move

[TylerM4]

people like the News source they like

Many like their information sources because the content is purposely aligned to their established perceptions and values. It strokes their ego and re-affirms their opinions. To grossly oversimplify: it tells them they are right.

While it feels good to be told you're right and to have your feelings validated - it's not the best environment to promote growth and learning.

[seewood]

Fox, MSNBC, CNN are more of pick a topic and then discuss show. No shortage of talking heads on any of those espousing their opinion. Sometimes there is a minutia of news, but I don't see/hear it very often.
I can see them laying off some employees, advert revenue may well be down if their topics are not in line with the advertisers..

News, Al Jazeera or BBC for international news.

[GordonH]

Probably better off getting your News from National Enquirer then cnn.

[Drip_Torch]

News, Al Jazeera or BBC for international news.

... or, Deutsche Welle Broadcasting - DW News.

[Mazdatruck]

Low value Youtubers get 1000x the viewers that CNN and MSNBC does during primetime.

CNN and MSNBC are lucky to get just thousands of viewers of their programs of the under 30 crowd.

Without airport and bar TV's these companies would be non existent and unrecognizable.

NOBODY IS WATCHING but it's being pumped everywhere.

What is the difference :

Go to North Korea and watch "North Korea State News"

Go to USA and watch "CNN"

They are the same thing!

[captkirkcanada]

The way one of the on air reporters hosts explained it , cnn wants republicans and dems to feel comfortable going on the show so out with old , in with the new . Cnn clearly wants to engage a broader audience with msnbc on the left and fox on right .