NBC News Cuts 40 Employees as Part of Strategy Realignment

TVNewser has confirmed that NBC News trimmed its staff count on Thursday, laying off around 40 people across various departments.

According to sources, these cuts affect close to 3% of its 1,500-employee headcount. NBC News also has 50 open positions and is looking to add more than a dozen new positions in the coming weeks as it looks to enhance its digital operation.

The NBC Digital NewsGuild and The NewsGuild of New York have condemned the layoffs. “NBC News execs are living in a fantasy where federal law doesn’t apply to them and the newsroom just rolls over without a fight,” the groups wrote in a social media post.

“We are evaluating all options and expect NBC management to bargain in good faith on these proposed layoffs as they are required by law,” added Susan DeCarva, president of The NewsGuild.

“@NBCNews execs are living in a fantasy where federal law doesn’t apply to them and the newsroom just rolls over without a fight. It’s time to wake up.” Read on for more details about layoffs of our @nbcnewsguild members in violation (again) of labor law https://t.co/HtLl0SP9kE pic.twitter.com/RamHqyG7oZ

— NewsGuild of New York (@nyguild) January 24, 2025

NBC News’ layoffs occurred at the same time that CNN announced that it was laying off 6% of its workforce, amounting to 200 people. Those cuts were also part of a larger pivot to a digital-first strategy.

In announcing the CNN cuts, network chairman and CEO Mark Thompson said: “The changes we’re announcing today are part of an ongoing response by this great news organization to profound and irreversible shifts in the way audiences in America and around the world consume news.”

Thompson noted that despite the cuts, CNN will be adding 100 new digital-focused roles during the first half of 2025 after receiving $70 million from its parent company, Warner Bros. Discovery.

NBC News is currently in the process of splitting itself away from its cable siblings MSNBC and CNBC as its parent company, Comcast, is looking to exit the linear cable business. This recent round of layoffs is not part of that reorganization but rather a realignment of business strategy.

Corporate restructuring has impacted both NBC News and CNN as they pivot their businesses. NBCUniversal is spinning off many of its cable assets into the newly-created SpinCo, while WBD is creating two new operating divisions, with CNN joining the Global Linear Networks division alongside TNT, TBS, TLC, and Discovery.

More changes likely lie ahead for NBC News in the coming months as SpinCo prepares for its expected launch in late 2025.

—This post has been updated to include the statement from The NBC Digital NewsGuild and The NewsGuild of New York