CNN boss Chris Licht has gutted sister community HLN, terminating all stay programming as a part of ongoing layoffs and finances cuts.
Licht slashed HLN’s “Morning Specific with Robin Meade,” in addition to “Weekend Specific,” he introduced in a memo to CNN’s remaining workers on Thursday.
Meade and HLN’s stay information programming staffers will likely be amongst these fired.
Additionally getting their pink slips Thursday had been outstanding CNN correspondents Alison Kosik, Martin Savidge, Alex Area, Mary Ann Fox, and Chris Cillizza, based on Selection.
CNN declined to touch upon the general variety of job cuts when reached by The Publish.
However Licht has additionally focused staffers engaged on long-form storytelling, in addition to paid contributors.
“In some areas, we are going to rely extra on our CNN journalists,” Licht stated within the memo. “Total, we are going to interact contributors who're subject-matter consultants that develop and diversify the viewpoints we convey our viewers.”
Licht, who introduced he’ll maintain a city corridor Tuesday, defined the restructuring in his memo.
“Our aim all through the strategic evaluate course of has been to raised align our individuals, processes and sources with our future priorities, strengthen our capacity to ship on CNN’s core journalistic mission and allow us to innovate within the years forward,” Licht wrote in his memo. “On the highest stage, the aim is to direct our sources to finest serve and develop audiences for our core information programming and merchandise.”
Licht can be anticipated to unveil particulars of a brand new daytime lineup for CNN within the coming days, as sources puzzled in regards to the futures of high-salaried anchors like Briana Keiler, John Berman, Chris Wallace, Kasie Hunt, and Audie Cornish.
A supply with data stated these anchors aren't on the chopping block however may discover properties in open programming slots.
Licht confirmed that starting Dec. 6, CNN would now not produce stay programming for HLN, formally often called Headline Information, and would as an alternative simulcast “CNN This Morning.”
HLN crime programming will transfer beneath the WBD Networks, led by Kathleen Finch, and will likely be merged with the ID cable channel.
As for CNN, one media insider stated Licht nonetheless faces monumental challenges even after the cuts. Not solely is he tasked with lifting the rankings of the third-place community, however he has to remake the daytime and primetime lineup and fill CNN’s necessary 9 p.m. slot nonetheless open after the firing of disgraced anchor Chris Cuomo in late 2021.
Licht, who grabbed the reins in Could after Jeff Zucker was ousted for not disclosing an affair with a co-worker, has additionally tried to disrupt CNN’s tradition of opinion-focused reveals to focus extra on middle-of-the-road reporting.
“Individuals ought to stroll in Chris Licht’s sneakers,” stated one media insider, who famous that Zucker “received off simple.”
“If Zucker was nonetheless round, he would have left city by now,” the supply added.
Licht’s search to slash prices comes as company mum or dad Warner Bros. Discovery promised Wall Avenue it might lower $3 billion in prices, after buying the belongings of the corporate previously often called WarnerMedia from AT&T.
Warner Bros. Discovery, which additionally owns HBO and Meals Community, just lately stated in a submitting with the Securities and Change Fee that it must spend between $1 billion and $1.5 billion to scrap programming already commissioned and pay out severance packages.
The media conglomerate additionally stated it anticipated to take write-downs of doubtless greater than $4 billion in pre-tax prices by means of 2022.
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