The layoffs at the Warner Bros Discovery-owned\u00a0network\u00a0will amount to 6% of CNN\u2019s\u00a0 workforce \u2013 mainly producers, editors and other non-air talent vital to the TV operation.<\/p>\n
Thompson, the former New York Times executive who pushed the Gray Lady toward a digital future, laid out his vision for a revamped CNN in an internal memo obtained by The Post.<\/p>\n \u201cOur objective is a simple one: to shift\u00a0CNN\u2019s gravity towards the platforms and products where the audience themselves are shifting,\u201d\u00a0Thompson wrote.<\/p>\n As part of the overhaul, Thompson confirmed reports earlier in the week that veteran anchor Wolf Blitzer will be moved from his afternoon slot to host a morning show with Pamela Brown at 10 a.m. \u2013 a decision that will cost frequent Donald Trump critic Jim Acosta his morning gig.<\/p>\n Acosta is expected to be exiled to a midnight shift, a decision that has left\u00a0him\u00a0fuming and reportedly threatening to quit<\/a>.<\/p>\n With the job cuts,\u00a0CNN\u00a0seeks to streamline its cable TV lineup and enhance its digital subscription offerings to better align with evolving viewer trends.<\/p>\n Thompson said\u00a0CNN\u00a0has started development on a new streaming service for news programming similar to its TV product.<\/p>\n CNN\u00a0also plans to launch a new lifestyle-oriented product this year, the memo said, adding that\u00a0CNN\u00a0is looking to open up and fill at least 100 new posts in the coming months as part of the shift to digital.<\/p>\n \u201cSome of today\u2019s announcements mean significant new job opportunities at CNN, but others will lead to the loss of some valued colleagues,\u201d Thompson wrote in the memo. \u201cThat too is an unwelcome but inevitable part of the change process.\u201d<\/p>\n CNN declined to comment.<\/p>\n In October,\u00a0CNN\u00a0introduced a digital paywall requiring some users to pay $3.99 per month for access to its content. The move aimed to create a new digital revenue stream as the network looks to offset the decline in TV.<\/p>\n The digital efforts were financed by a $70 million investment from WBD, Thompson added.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is a moment where the digital story feels like an existential question,\u201d\u00a0Thompson told the New York Times<\/a>. \u201cIf we do not follow the audiences to the new platforms with real conviction and scale, our future prospects will not be good.\u201d<\/p>\n Warner Bros Discovery is undergoing significant restructuring and said last month that it plans to split its cable TV networks from its streaming and studio operations, forming two separate units.<\/p>\n Under the new structure, the cable TV business \u2014 including\u00a0CNN, TNT and Animal Planet \u2014 will be consolidated into a unit named Global Linear Networks.<\/p>\n \u201cIn the end, this is about CNN being \u2014 as it has been in its history \u2014 an indispensable way in which many, many millions of people get their news,\u201d Thompson told the Times.<\/p>\n The shakeup comes as CNN \u2013 which has attempted to tack toward the center since WBD acquired the network in a merger in 2022 \u2013 lags far behind cable rivals Fox News and left-leaning MSNBC.<\/p>\n CNN\u2019s viewership has only gotten worse since Trump won the election and its web traffic has also suffered, hitting a two-year low in December, according to analytics firm Comscore. The network recorded 90.5 million unique visits that month \u2013 down from a peak of 175.5 million in March 2020, at the start of the pandemic, the firm said.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is a moment where the digital story feels like an existential question,\u201d\u00a0Thompson told the New York Times<\/a>. \u201cIf we do not follow the audiences to the new platforms with real conviction and scale, our future prospects will not be good.\u201d<\/p>\n Warner Bros Discovery is undergoing significant restructuring and said last month that it plans to split its cable TV networks from its streaming and studio operations, forming two separate units.<\/p>\n Under the new structure, the cable TV business \u2014 including\u00a0CNN, TNT and Animal Planet \u2014 will be consolidated into a unit named Global Linear Networks.<\/p>\n![\"Mark](\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/01\/mark-thompson-chairman-ceo-cnn-93712164_29f73c.jpg?w=1024\")
3<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>![\"Donald](\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/01\/president-elect-donald-trump-takes-97022823_588a51.jpg?w=1024\")
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