JUST IN: Struggling CNN, ABC Slash Jobs And Major Departments

Two of the largest mainstream media outlets are slashing jobs and shuttering major departments in a bid to cut costs as viewers increasingly tune out from their liberal news coverage.

ABC and CNN, both of which have struggled with sluggish ratings in recent months, are putting some prime positions on the chopping block, according to The Hill and New York Post. ABC’s parent company Disney has ordered the news network’s “Good Morning America” show to find a stunning $19 million in savings however it can despite being one of its top-rated programs. That figure is up from an originally projected need of $17 million in savings and must be completed by the end of the fiscal quarter on September 30th, according to insiders who spoke with the Post.

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In addition, Disney is looking to pare back its staff at other cable networks NatGeo and Freeform by a combined 140 positions. The cuts may come as a slap in the face to low-level employees; sources say the eight-figure salaries of ABC’s top reporters — including Robin Roberts, Michael Strahan and George Stephanopoulos — aren’t expected to be touched. Instead, it’s behind-the-scenes bookers and producers who will be let go. “They all have contracts, so there will be no cut at that level,” a former ABC News exec said of the hosts, who are estimated to make between $17 million and $18 million each. “But they will have to cut jobs.”

Over at CNN, the once “most trusted name in news” will be winding down its entire opinion section. One opinion editor announcing the news wished his former colleagues the best and wrote down their hope that the team’s “paths cross elsewhere,” — a bittersweet farewell that portends more job cuts. “Just a quick note to let you know that unfortunately CNN has decided to shut down the opinion section,” an opinion editor sent in an email obtained by The Hill. “I hope our paths cross elsewhere!” CNN confirmed the shuttering of the section but did not elaborate on rumors of staff reductions. “We did make the decision at the beginning of the month to sunset the opinion vertical on CNN.com; as a result, we will no longer have a standalone Opinion section,” a spokesperson said in the statement.

Some of the CNN opinion pages’ most recent think pieces include hot takes on inclusivity at the Paris Olympics and a column titled “Project 2025 is coming for our kids, too” by Veronica Goodman, a progressive activist. CNN CEO Mark Thompson has asked his team to look for savings amid a devastating slump in ratings that has even included slashes to the seven-figure salaries of its top anchors and reporters. Earlier this month the network announced plans to lay off at least 100 employees and didn’t rule out the possibility of further cuts. Thompson, in a memo sent to staff on Wednesday, outlined his plan to shave down the company’s payroll, mostly through a merger of the television newsgathering and digital news divisions. The shift away from traditional TV will be painful, he added. “We recognize its potentially enormous impact on the individuals affected,” Thompson wrote to his 4,000 employees worldwide. He declined to provide the Journal with further details about his shift to digital but said the move would “be significantly built out of CNN.com.”

In May the network reported its lowest viewership levels in decades. Between May 13th and 19th, CNN nabbed an average of 83,000 viewers in the crucial 25-54 age demographic between 8 and 11 p.m., the lowest level seen in over 30 years. Across all demos, the network lagged far behind its peers in a news ratings race it no longer appears qualified to run. In the past period, CNN garnered 494,000 viewers compared to 2 million for Fox and 1.1 million for MSNBC. Thompson at the time attributed the sagging ratings to a holdover effect as his CNN transitions away from traditional news and directs more of its focus to pop culture topics.

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