CNN set to begin round of lay-offs as Chris Licht cost-cutting intensifies

CNN has confirmed that it will begin making previously announced lay-offs this week.

Chris Licht

“Today we will notify a limited number of individuals, largely some of our paid contributors, as part of a recalibrated reporting strategy,” said CNN Worldwide CEO Chris Licht in a memo to staff on Wednesday.

“Tomorrow, we will notify impacted employees, and tomorrow afternoon I will follow up with more details on these changes.”

The cuts, which were known to be coming, are taking place around eight months after CNN moved under the Warner Bros Discovery umbrella following the merger between former owner WarnerMedia and Discovery.

Over the past two months, since the completion of Licht’s six-month strategic review of the news organisation, the changes have come rapidly.

In late October, Licht said CNN would cut back on third-party commissions and bring longform production in-house.

Last week, it was revealed that Michael Bass, exec VP of programming for CNN in the US, was leaving at the end of the year.

“Our people are the heart and soul of this organisation. 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,” said Licht.