CNN’s Chris Licht outlines the changes in the wake of the network’s layoffs

CNN Worldwide Chairman and CEO Chris Licht outlined the changes to the network as the network went through a significant round of layoffs.

“At the highest level, the goal is to leverage our resources to best serve and grow audiences for our core news programs and products,” Licht wrote in a memo to employees Thursday.

“To achieve these goals, we will reduce vacancies, redesign our workflows and align our staff, investments and focus on three key strategic priorities: programming, newsgathering and digital. All decisions should strengthen the core of our company.”

Several hundred jobs were affected by the job cuts on Wednesday and Thursday, including white-collar and white-collar workers. Among those leaving are political analyst Chris Cillizza and moderator, correspondent Martin Savidge and HLN’s Robin Meade.

Some of the biggest changes will take place at HLN, the former Headline News channel. CNN will discontinue live programming for the channel and instead simulcast CNN this morning in the morning hours. The true crime series will Warner Bros. Discovery Networks will be led by Kathleen Finch and will be merged with Investigation Discovery, Licht wrote.

Other changes include a reorganization at CNN International, with a CNN simulcast replacing the 5 p.m. half-hour, while CNN en Español will seek to expand its audience “by diversifying the network’s programming beyond news, ” Licht wrote. He said a “much more robust” digital platform for this brand will be launched in 2024.

In the news conference, Licht mentioned a goal of providing “broader” coverage of the US. “We are reorganizing some of our Beats and reallocating resources to staff in some units and in additional areas across the country,” he wrote.

CNN will also change its approach to paid contributors, focusing on “experts who expand and diversify the perspectives we bring to our audiences.” He said they would rely more on CNN’s own journalists in other cases.

The programming staff will also be reduced, with combinations of crews in daily and weekend series.

Licht’s memo is below.

To my CNN colleagues,

As promised in my note yesterday, I will provide an overview of the changes we have made across the organization. Our goal during the strategic review process was to better align our people, processes and resources with our future priorities, strengthen our ability to deliver on CNN’s core journalistic mission, and position ourselves to innovate for years to come. At the highest level, the goal is to leverage our resources to best serve and grow audiences for our core news programs and products.

To achieve these goals, we will reduce vacancies, redesign our workflows and align our staff, investments and focus on three key strategic priorities: programming, newsgathering and digital. All decisions must strengthen the core of our company.

While it’s not possible to capture every role involved in an email like this, I want to quickly look at the broader changes we’re making:

HLN

As of December 6, CNN will no longer produce live programming for HLN and will instead air CNN This Morning. HLN crime programming is run under Kathleen Finch’s WBD Networks and merged with ID. I want to take a moment to thank Robin Meade – not only is she an extremely popular anchor, but also one of the longest-running morning anchors in history. I know HLN audiences will miss her and the other HLN talents.

CNN International

CNN International is reorganizing some of its teams and offices, and effective immediately, the 5:00 to 5:30 PM ET broadcast will be replaced with a CNN US simulcast during that half hour.

CNN and Spanish

CNNE’s linear network will seek to expand its audience by diversifying the network’s programming beyond news. We will continue to produce news for CNNE and over the next year we will look to develop a much more robust digital platform for CNNE with the aim of launching in 2024. News audience, and we’ll talk more about that in 2023.

American News Collection

We are reorganizing some of our rhythms and redistributing resources among employees in some units and in additional areas across the country. This will help us achieve our goal of broader coverage of the United States. Many of Newsgathering’s staff cuts will be offset by the addition of new roles to best serve our audience across platforms.

contributors

We are also shifting our approach to paid contributors. In some areas we will rely more on our CNN journalists. Generally, we will engage contributors who are subject matter experts who will broaden and diversify the perspectives we bring to our audiences.

computer programming

Our programming teams will see some cuts in show staff and in some cases the combination of teams for our daily and weekend lineups.

creative marketing

The overall creative marketing team will be downsized, internal production will be realigned and creative and strategic roles will be consolidated in New York. Roles will be added to support this work and expand our digital and growth marketing efforts.

research

Research will be reorganized to focus resources on CNN’s core business and streamline our newly integrated digital analytics and data science teams.

activities

Operations teams are restructured to reflect changes in other units of the organization.

CNNDigital

CNN Digital conducted an exercise earlier this fall to ensure they were optimally structured for the future. You then made changes and as a result there are no further consequences in this process.

The changes we make today are necessary and will make us stronger and better positioned to make big bets in the future without fear of failure.

I would like to express my gratitude to our departing colleagues for their dedicated and tireless service and for their many contributions to CNN. I would like to emphasize to all employees the importance of taking the time it takes to progress in the best possible way. Find resources to support you now. I’m holding a town hall on Tuesday to answer your questions that you can ask anonymously here.

I am proud of this CNN team and together we will ensure that CNN remains the world’s leading source of news and information.

Chris