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Among those who were laid off from CNN today were Brian Lowry, its media critic, and senior tech writer Samantha Murphy Kelly.
CNN Worldwide CEO Mark Thompson said that about 100 people would be impacted by the job cuts, or about 2.9% of its 3,500 employee workforce.
Lowry has been a longtime critic and reporter covering television and the media, and previously worked for Variety and the Los Angeles Times.
PREVIOUSLY: CNN Worldwide CEO Mark Thompson unveiled more details of a “one newsroom” strategy to merge linear and digital newsgathering, while he announced that about 100 employees would be impacted by staff reductions.
The CNN workforce is about 3,500.
Thompson also announced that CNN.com will announce its first subscription product later this year.He said that the subscription offerings will be “want to use” content that will be anchored by lifestyle journalism, as part of a wider effort to build a $1 billion business.
He also announced the launch of additional FAST Channels, with CNN Originals and CNN en Espanol debuting later this year. They will be added to the CNN and CNN International FAST channels.
Thompson had signaled staff reductions in a previous memo as it restructures its operations.
He wrote, “Wherever possible, we’ve closed open positions rather than target currently occupied roles. However, some of our colleagues will learn today that their jobs are being eliminated or are at risk. The number of colleagues potentially impacted is around a hundred out of a workforce of more than 3,500, but I don’t underestimate the impact this news is likely to have on everyone affected and want to thank them for everything they’ve done for this great news company over the years.”
Thompson already had unveiled plans to integrate its linear and digital operations, what he referred to as “one newsroom.” In the memo, he wrote that the U.S. newsgathering, international newsgathering and global digital news would be one organization led by Virginia Moseley, and that they would serve all platforms.
“Domestic and international news desks will retain their domestic and international specialisms for now, but will work more closely together, and come together to share resources for big breaking stories,” Thompson wrote. “Those who previously worked as a digital news writer or editor, or news desk producer or editor, working in separate structures and performing often duplicative tasks, will join unified teams in the US and our main international hubs.”
There will be a new role of “story manager” to manage all aspects of a story from the beginning to publication or airing, Thompson wrote. Digital video team members also will be embedded throughout coverage, and work alongside editorial and deployment teams, he wrote. The fact-checking team also will be reporting to the news organization and will be an integrated part of the reporting process from the beginning.
Other announcements: CNN is creating a “TV Futures Lab,” which will develop and manage streaming and video on demand programming for Max. The lab also will develop new ways to migrate linear news to other digital offerings, which has been one of Thompson’s chief goals. The 5 Things series will be extended on Max and to an on-demand show on CNN.com.
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