On Wednesday, CNN cut ties with 20 of the final members of the company’s failed attempt at a streaming service with CNN+. The fired members were part of the “Interview Club,” a project where subscribers could “connect directly with anchors, experts and special guests in live, interactive conversations.”
The Daily Beast reported that the workers were told on Wednesday morning that the network will not move forward with the project. Additionally, those impacted would be given an opportunity to apply for other open positions in the company.
“Leadership has spent the past several months evaluating our business to ensure it is best positioned for the future,” a CNN spokesperson said while confirming the recent layoffs.
“As part of that exercise, we will stop doing some things and start doing others. CNN has opened more than 300 new jobs since May and will continue to align our resources with our greatest opportunities for growth.”
“The network cut ‘a small number’ of people in its audio unit as it continues to refine its strategy for the division, a CNN insider confirmed to The New York Post on Wednesday as well.”
“Audio is an important growth area for the company. Over the last several years we’ve learned a lot about the topics and productions that most resonate with our audiences. As a result, we’ve refined our strategy to focus our resources more specifically in those areas,” a CNN rep told The Post.
New CNN CEO Chris Licht has made a series of ground-shifting moves in recent weeks as he makes his mark on the network. Most notably he moved primetime anchor Don Lemon to a new morning show he will co-host with Kaitlan Collins and Poppy Harlow.
He also shifted Jake Tapper to Lemon’s 9:00 p.m. slot for the midterms as he reworks the network’s primetime lineup.
“The world has come to rely on Jake’s no-nonsense approach to covering the news, especially during high-stakes election cycles,” Licht said in a statement.
Warner Bros. Discovery has said they are trying to cut $3 billion in costs by 2023. Roughly 300 CNN+ and other layoffs have come from HBO Max’s non-scripted division and TBS and TNT’s scripted units and sales teams.
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