The tumultuous year at CNN continues to unfold with new boss Chris Licht officially putting network employees on notice that many of them may soon not have jobs with it being likely that some will be getting pink slips in their stockings this holiday season as economic woes have made it necessary to make “unsettling” changes.
Licht – who took over for disgraced former president Jeff Zucker earlier this year – has been hard at work overhauling the self-proclaimed “most trusted name in news” in an effort to tone down its far-left political content, sending some of the network’s most polarizing personalities packing, including chief media correspondent Brian Stelter, notorious Zoom masturbator Jeffrey Toobin and anchor John Harwood as well as demoting race-obsessed Don Lemon from his customary primetime slot.
But that is only the beginning as the network which has been plagued by dismal ratings in the post-Trump era seeks to chart a course through the headwinds of the worsening economic climate and a diminished public appetite for its tarnished brand which was once the gold standard in cable news.
In a memo to CNN staffers that was posted to Twitter by senior media reporter Oliver Darcy, Licht said, ” have spent the last six months meeting so many of you and diving deep into every corner of the company to understand how you do the incredible work CNN produces every day, how we’re structured, and defining our top priorities. As many of you know, I have also spent much of that time doing formal business reviews with senior staff to identify areas where we should make changes, investments, and reductions to match our future priorities.”
Chris Licht just sent this note to CNN staff: "There is widespread concern over the global economic outlook, and we must factor that risk into our long-term planning. All this together will mean noticeable change to this organization. … These changes will not be easy…" pic.twitter.com/4eKUuitYFv
— Oliver Darcy (@oliverdarcy) October 26, 2022
“We have also begun to reduce or eliminate areas that aren’t core to our mission. All these moves are designed to keep CNN essential across platforms to ensure that wherever and however people get their news, they must have CNN,” wrote Licht.
“There is a lot more to be done. I am writing to you today to say that over the next several weeks, that work will accelerate. There is widespread concern over the global economic outlook, and we must factor that risk into our long-term planning. All this together will mean noticeable change to this organization. That, by definition, is unsettling. These changes will not be easy because they will affect people, budgets, and projects,” he wrote in words that sent a chill creeping up the spines of potential victims of the downsizing, many of whom will soon be without paychecks in a recession with the worst inflation in four decades.
According to a report by The New York Times, “CNN will have operating expenses of about $882 million this year, according to estimates from S&P Global Market Intelligence. Even a single-digit percentage cut from that budget would shave millions of dollars and potentially dozens of jobs from the network.”
“CNN’s profitability has sagged this year as its viewership declined and because of the costs of covering the war in Ukraine. The company is expected to dip below $1 billion in profit in 2022 for the first time in years. The network has lagged behind its chief competitors, Fox News and MSNBC, in total viewership this year, though it has notched wins over MSNBC in the coveted advertiser demographic of 25- to 54 year-olds, according to Nielsen data,” the nation’s “newspaper of record” reported.
One CNN employee who may or may not be among those who are packing up their belongings into a cardboard box is anti-Trump diva Jim Acosta with rumors of his impending demise being rudely dismissed as “Absolute bullsh*t.”
Rumors of Jim Acosta being next on CNN chopping block refuted by sources: ‘Absolute bullsh*t’ https://t.co/WQdHmZPmgW pic.twitter.com/7DZdnNP0sZ
— Conservative News (@BIZPACReview) October 17, 2022
While highly-paid top-level talent like anchors Jake Tapper and Wolf Blitzer among others are untouchable, Licht’s memo sends the message that, in the words of the legendary Bob Dylan, “the times they are a-changin'” at CNN.
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Chris Donaldson is an ordinary American who is concerned about rampant corruption as well as the ongoing attacks on our way of life by those who have contempt for our hard-earned freedoms. A Navy veteran, he has been a frequent contributor to conservative websites and resides in Florida.
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