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Long-term planned layoffs Officially arrived at CNN on Thursday, when roughly 6 percent of the network's workforce was let go.
CNN described the layoffs as a critical step toward securing the network's future, telling employees that “irreversible changes in the way audiences in America and around the world consume news” have affected its business model. As a result, about 200 jobs were eliminated.
CNN CEO Mark Thompson said in an interview: “Our goal is a simple one: to move CNN's appeal to the platforms and products where audiences themselves move, and in doing so, secure CNN's future as one of the Guarantee the world's largest news organizations. Internal note obtained by Fox News Digital.
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CNN laid off about 200 employees on Thursday. (Elijah Novelage/Bloomberg via Getty Images/Getty Images)
“More than ever, America and the world need high-quality, fair and reliable news sources,” Thompson continued. This difficult and sometimes painful process of change is the only way to ensure that we can still provide it.
On-air talent is not expected to be affected by these cuts.
CNN noted a $70 million investment by parent company Warner Bros. Discovery, which will ultimately lead to new job opportunities. Thompson said Thursday's cuts were “first and foremost about investing in the future,” and suggested that the total number of employees would not be reduced by much in 2025, when the plans are finalized.
“That's because of the $70 million we're investing in our digital programs, which will cost a lot of new jobs. Some of that money will go into product and technology, but a lot will go into journalism and stories. “High quality writing is what we stand for,” Thompson wrote.
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The long-planned layoffs officially hit CNN on Thursday, when roughly 6 percent of the network's workforce was let go. (Getty/Getty Images)
“It's also the heart of any successful digital news strategy. At the same time, I know that whatever the total number of job losses, the impact on the people involved can be enormous,” he continued. “The process of change is necessary if we are to make progress in the future, but I both accept and deplore the very real human consequences.”
Thompson called the decline “an unwanted but inevitable part of the change process.”
“We plan to reach out to all colleagues affected by these changes as soon as possible — and then we'll help and support them in any way we can,” Thompson wrote.
CNN has struggled in the ratings department for years and ended 2024 with it. The smallest audience in the history of the network among total daily viewers and among advertisers' target demographic of adults 25-54.
Vice President Kamala Harris speaks as CNN moderator Anderson Cooper looks on during a presidential town hall event at Sun Center Studios on October 23, 2024 in Aston, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Andrew Harnick/Getty Images) (Getty Images)
Fox News Digital previously reported in November that CNN would face major layoffs by March, and that the impact on the network would be “very significant.”
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Joseph A. Fox News Digital's Wolfson contributed to this report.