CNN Axe Falls: On-Air Correspondents FIRED — Who's In, Who's Out In Cost-Cutting Bloodbath
CNN’s newest boss, Chris Licht, has once again ravaged the struggling news network by firing a number of on-air correspondents while simultaneously gutting CNN’s sister network HLN, RadarOnline.com has learned.
Licht’s latest round of layoffs came earlier this week via a memo he sent to CNN staffers.
But not only did Licht axe at least five on-air correspondents like Alison Kosik, Martin Savidge, Alex Field, Mary Ann Fox and Chris Cillizza, but the 51-year-old CNN chairman and CEO also reportedly gutted HLN of all its live programming.
“In some areas, we will rely more on our CNN journalists,” Licht said in a memo issued on Thursday in which he targeted CNN’s paid contributors and staffers working on “longform storytelling.”
“Overall, we will engage contributors who are subject-matter experts that expand and diversify the viewpoints we bring our audience,” he continued. “Our goal throughout the strategic review process has been to better align our people, processes and resources with our future priorities, strengthen our ability to deliver on CNN’s core journalistic mission and enable us to innovate in the years ahead.”
“At the highest level, the goal is to direct our resources to best serve and grow audiences for our core news programming and products.”
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As RadarOnline.com previously reported, Licht has shaken CNN up extensively ever since the former newsman and producer took over for Jeff Zucker in May following Zucker’s unceremonious departure from the network.
In October, Licht warned his CNN staffers that more layoffs were imminent as he worked to slash upwards of $100 million from the network’s budget at the behest of CNN’s parent company, Warner Bros. Discovery.
“There is widespread concern over the global economic outlook, and we must factor that risk into our long-term planning,” Licht wrote in another memo in October.
“All this together will mean noticeable change to this organization. That, by definition, is unsettling,” he continued at the time. “These changes will not be easy because they will affect people, budgets, and projects.”
So far, prominent CNN talents like Brian Stelter, Jeffrey Toobin and John Harwood have been fired from their respective roles at the struggling third-place network.
Other talents, such as Wolf Blitzer, Chris Wallace and Jim Acosta, are reportedly fearing for their fates at the network as Licht continues to axe more and more talent.
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