CNN Confirms Layoffs Coming Soon

CNN CEO Chris Licht told employees in June that there were no impending layoffs coming to the network.

It turns out that was false!

In a town hall with employees, Licht shared that the network is facing layoffs as early as December.

BREAKING: New CNN CEO Chris Licht confirms the network will see layoffs as early as December at all-hands company town hall

— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) November 16, 2022

Licht warned of this happening upon his hiring. ABC and NBC will be making cuts as well. https://t.co/w8Y6SJuJYX

— Joe Concha (@JoeConchaTV) November 16, 2022

Daily Mail reported:

CNN CEO Chris Licht had to speak to employees during a tense company town hall on Tuesday as the network faces layoffs by early December after he was tasked with finding ways to cut costs.

Licht, 51, addressed questions surrounding the cuts after he previously indicated during the summer that CNN would not face any need to fire staff.

At the town hall, Licht was unapologetic about his earlier indication that there wouldn’t be layoffs, but added that he felt he was being honest at the time.

Licht has overseen the shutdown of CNN+ in 2022 and a purge of company veterans such as Brian Stelter, Jeffrey Toobin and John Harwood.

He reportedly did not get into specifics about the layoffs but said teams that are not deemed essential to the network’s ‘core mission’ were on the chopping block.

‘As it relates to CNN, there are no layoffs per se. A layoff is a downsizing, where you are given a target, and that is not happening at CNN,’ Licht said at a staff-wide event in June.

Then, in October, he wrote a memo that stated ‘changes’ that affect ‘people, budgets and projects’ were coming and said there will be a ‘noticeable change to this organization.’

CNN has already made numerous staffing changes the past several months.

Brian Stelter was let go and Don Lemon was demoted to a morning show.

A recent business review of CNN has employees worried that widespread job cuts are coming following the formation of parent company Warner Bros. https://t.co/W9AL0fwOWy

— NEWSMAX (@NEWSMAX) October 27, 2022

The New York Post added:

Camerota also quizzed Licht on Tuesday about whether he was following through on Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav’s vision for the network.

“I own the vision for this place,” Licht responded. “I did not take this job to take dictation from anybody.”

NATIONAL POLL: Do You Still Have Trump's Back 100%?

Licht added that his boss, Zaslav, was a fan of CNN and that the two were on the same page, according to Insider.

Licht said the layoffs will be announced in early December. Those who will be cut will get 60 to 90 days’ notice while eligible executives would receive January bonuses and severance.

cont.

Licht also lamented that the network had experienced turmoil in the days and weeks leading up to his arrival and that there would be more in the coming period.

He said there would be no layoffs at CNN Digital, though there would be a reorganization of newsgathering operations.

CNN employs 4,600 people worldwide — 1,200 of whom are based in the US. When Licht arrived, he started slashing some of the 300 open positions at the network.