It is not only the tech sector that is going through industrywide layoffs and hiring freezes. A growing number of media outlets are firing staff and implementing a broad array of cost-cutting measures in response to recession fears, falling advertising revenue, and annual losses. From CNN to Gannett, the owner of USA TODAY, more businesses are expected to announce a reduction in headcounts in the coming months.
Overhauling CNN Heading Into 2023
Since Chris Licht took over from Jeff Zucker as CEO following the merger between Discovery and WarnerMedia this past spring, there has been buzz surrounding CNN’s editorial direction. Licht has dismissed suggestions that he wants CNN to be “vanilla” and “centrist.” In an early memo to employees this past summer, he noted that CNN is “focused on informing, not alarming, our viewers.” Licht has employed various personnel and programming changes over the last several months.One of his first decisions involved terminating network personalities John Harwood, Brian Stelter, and Jeffrey Toobin. He would later announce the departure of Michael Bass, a top programming executive at the news network.
