CNN
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CNN is laying off about 6% of its workforce, the company announced Thursday morning, as it institutes sweeping new changes at the 45-year-old news network, including a new weekday show lineup and a new digital strategy .
CNN CEO Mark Thompson announced that CNN will soon unveil a new streaming service, a revamped digital footprint and new subscription services as well as a new show lineup. CNN’s parent company, Warner Bros. Discovery, is investing $70 million in CNN’s digital projects, Thompson said.
The layoffs mean about 200 jobs will be lost, although Thompson said in a memo to staff that there would be many new job openings, so the company does not expect a big drop in staff by the end of the year.
“The changes we are announcing today are part of an ongoing response by this great news organization to profound and irreversible changes in the way American and global audiences consume news,” Thompson wrote in a memo to the staff.
“Our goal is simple: shift CNN’s importance to the platforms and products where audiences themselves evolve, and in doing so, secure CNN’s future as one of the world’s largest news organizations. . America and the world need high-quality, unbiased, and trustworthy news sources more than ever. This difficult and sometimes painful process of change is the only way to ensure that we can always achieve this.
These reductions were long overdue as the network reorganizes and reshapes its news operations with a focus on digital growth. Nearly all major news networks are facing audience and revenue declines as they face growing headwinds from audiences dispersing to other platforms.
Last summer, CNN cut 100 positions, or about 3 percent of its staff, as it reorganized its news-gathering operations.
CNN has since launched a paid subscription service at $3.99 per month, for which readers are asked to pay after consuming a certain number of free articles, and some stories are placed behind a paywall. On Thursday, Thompson announced there would be other subscriber products, including CNN’s first digital lifestyle product.
Although CNN already has a streaming service with CNN Max, Thompson said there are plans to launch an additional streaming product, although he has not yet announced what type of programming the new streaming service will offer. would provide. Max, as it stands, “is not a complete answer to the future of CNN’s grand linear experiment,” Thompson wrote.
As part of the new weekday lineup, Wolf Blitzer’s “Situation Room” moves from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. and will now include Pamela Brown as co-anchor, replacing Jim Acosta’s hour. Audie Cornish, who hosted a podcast for CNN, will now host a new show at 6 a.m., while Kasie Hunt will move to 4 p.m. Rahel Solomon will also present a new show starting at 5 a.m.
A CNN spokesperson said they were “in active discussions with Jim about a new timeslot and will have more information to share soon.”
The new weekday programming, Thompson wrote, will bring “energy and a competitive edge” while putting “production costs on a sustainable footing to match the evolving economics of linear television platforms.” The new calendar will be launched in March.
This is a developing story and will be updated.