NBC News has released several identity-based news teams that cover sexuality- and race-focused stories.
Not only were dozens of employees laid off, but the cuts seemingly came as a surprise.
‘Not their first gay rodeo.’
NBC News reportedly made the announcement early on Wednesday, and according to insiders, the bomb was dropped by Executive Vice President of Editorial Catherine Kim. At around 10 a.m., about 150 NBC News staffers were told they were no longer employed during a brief meeting that was described by one source as a “difficult day for a lot of us.”
LGB-free
The Wrap reported that the cuts completely eliminated teams who superficially covered news for black, Asian, Latino, and various gay identities. This includes NBC BLK, NBC Asian America, NBC Latino, and NBC OUT.
NBC OUT, for example, describes itself as content driven toward “the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer community.”
Recent coverage included, “Queer art faces widespread museum censorship,” and “Not their first gay rodeo: Celebrating 50 years of queer cowfolks.”
NBC BLK recently published a piece on how a “new exhibit highlights LGBTQ legacy of Harlem Renaissance.”
The bizarre content will still live on, but in a less dedicated format.
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Photographer: Michael Nagle/Bloomberg via Getty Images
The Wrap noted that the specific pages will still have stories published regarding the identity groups, but the content will come from a group of just five news team members who will contribute to the pages across the board. Another alleged inside source said the cuts were not meant to target the diversity teams, but rather were driven by budget concerns and a desire to “streamline its editorial efforts.”
Ruffled feathers
The shift in personnel comes after Comcast announced a realignment of its networks in August. As reported by Reuters, USA Network, CNBC, and MSNBC will branch off into a new company called Versant. MSNBC will also change its name to “MS NOW” and lose its peacock logo.
The new name is an acronym for “My Source News Opinion World.”
MSNBC was launched in 1996 and represented a partnership between Microsoft and the National Broadcasting Company. Microsoft left the venture in 2012, however.
CNBC will keep the same name, which stands for Consumer News and Business Channel.
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Photographer: Michael Nagle/Bloomberg via Getty Images
Divesting diversity
NBC News’ total reductions make up about 7% of its 2,000 staffers. The move comes as several companies shift away from their divisive verticals, which haven’t always been amicable departures.
In April, Paramount agreed to terminate its diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives, which included racial quotas for staff and writers, after it was sued by a white writer who said he was discriminated against.
Then-president and CEO of CBS George Cheeks had said publicly that he set a goal for CBS writing rooms to have 40% non-white staff members, with 17 of 21 networks allegedly meeting or exceeding that target.
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