CNN begins layoffs as part of Warner Bros. Discovery cost-cutting plan
“It will be a difficult time for everyone,” CNN CEO Chris Licht told staff in an email Wednesday.
CNN will lay off employees on Wednesday and Thursday as part of parent firm Warner Bros. Discovery‘s ongoing cost-cutting efforts to combine heritage WarnerMedia businesses (such as CNN) and Discovery operations.
CNN CEO Chris Licht stated in a memo Wednesday morning that the channel will notify paid contributors on Wednesday as part of a new reporting approach, with full-time staff informed on Thursday.
“It will be a difficult time for everyone,” Licht wrote.
“Our people are the heart and soul of this organization,” the executive added. “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.”
The layoffs come as no surprise, as Licht informed employees in late October that the news business will be restructured due to “widespread worry about the global economic situation.”
They do, however, come at a time of declining morale at CNN, which has already witnessed major turnover this year as a result of the Discovery acquisition. One of the first actions taken after the merger was completed was the shutdown of the CNN+ streaming service, which resulted in the layoff of several hundred employees.
Since then, the firm has also made cuts at CNN Digital, and a number of high-profile on-air anchors and correspondents, including Brian Stelter and John Harwood, have left the organization. It has also begun to add new programs, most notably Don Lemon’s new morning show, Poppy Harlow, and Kaitlan Collins.
That being said, the CNN layoffs come amid a wave of cost-cutting across the media industry, with TV news operations in particular buckling down for 2023.
Licht’s full memo is below.
November 30, 2022
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 the 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