How many employees media channels laid off in the year 2023?

08:15 PM Apr 28, 2023 IST | Ground report

Vice Media plans to lay off more than 100 employees and shut down its flagship cable show Vice News Tonight as part of the company’s restructuring, according to a Wall Street Journal report on April 27, 2023.

“In response to the current market conditions and business realities facing VMG and the broader news and media industry, we are moving forward on some painful but necessary reductions, primarily across our News business,” the company’s leadership wrote.

Based on the information, at least 1,862 employees were laid off in 2023. The layoffs spanned various industries and company sizes, from large media conglomerates like ESPN and News Corp to smaller, niche publications like Texas Observer and Fandom, adding to the current trend of closings and job cuts that will hit the media industry in 2023.

2023 Media Layoffs

April 27 Vice Media plans to lay off more than 100 employees, representing a significant portion of its workforce of approximately 1,500 people, and shut down its Vice World News brand, Wall Street Journal reported.

April 24 ESPN: ESPN president Jimmy Pitaro announced on April 24 that the sports news network would lay off an unspecified number of employees, with a focus on management positions. Those affected include vice president of communications Mike Soltys and Russell Wolff, who was in charge of the ESPN+ streaming platform.

April 20 Buzzfeed: Buzzfeed CEO Jonah Peretti informed Buzzfeed News staff that the online publication would be shut down. The company plans to focus its news efforts on HuffPost, which is profitable.

April 20, Insider Inc., formerly known as Business Insider, informed its staff that it would lay off approximately 10% of its employees as part of a plan to maintain the company’s competitiveness and financial health, according to a spokesperson.

March 30, Disney’s ABC News announced it was laying off 50 employees as part of the company’s ongoing round of job cuts, which CEO Bob Iger mentioned earlier.

March 30 Spotify: Spotify was reported to have laid off about 15 employees from its product knowledge team, according to Bloomberg. This followed a larger round of layoffs in January, affecting roughly 600 positions at the music-streaming company.

March 29 Salem Media Group: Salem Media Group, a Texas-based Christian radio station, would lay off approximately 3% of its 1,436 employees, according to RadioInsight.

March 27 Texas Observer: 17 Texas Observer staff members, who reportedly learned of the impending layoffs from Texas Tribune reporters, requested that the Texas Democracy Foundation board reconsider the decision to close the newspaper.

March 23 NPR: NPR announced the cancellation of four podcasts: Invisibilia, Louder Than a Riot, Rough Translation, and Everyone and Their Mom, and laid off 100 employees to reduce a $30 million budget deficit.

March 21 NPR affiliate New England Public Media: New England Public Media, an NPR affiliate, announced that it was laying off 17 employees, representing 20% of its staff, due to financial difficulties over the past three years.

March 19 Sea Coast Media and Gannett: The parent company of Sea Coast Media, laid off 34 employees and closed a print shop in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, as part of Gannett’s effort to prioritize digital platforms and reduce the number of operating print shops.

February 26 Alabama Media Group: Alabama Media Group President Tom Bates told NPR that three Alabama newspapers, The Birmingham News, The Huntsville Times and the Press-Register, laid off 100 people due to declining print circulation.

February 17 WNYC: New York public radio station WNYC cancelled The Takeaway radio show after 15 years on the air because it had become too expensive to produce amid declining audiences. This reportedly led to the loss of 12 jobs, including that of presenter Melissa Harris-Perry.

February 9 News Corp: News Corp announced plans to lay off 1,250 people across all of its businesses by the end of 2023 due to declining profits.

January 24 The Washington Post: The Washington Post stopped publishing its video game and children’s sections and laid off 20 people in an effort to stay competitive.

January 23 Adweek: Adweek laid off 14 people, according to employees.

January 21 Vox Media: Vox Media laid off 133 employees, or 7% of its staff, in anticipation of an economic downturn. Vox owns The Verge, SB Nation and New York Magazine.

January 19 Fandom: Fandom, an entertainment company and fan platform, laid off fewer than 50 people at affiliate outlets GameSpot, Giant Bomb, Metacritic and TV Guide, according to Variety, a few months after acquiring the four outlets for $55 million. Dollars.

January 13 The Mail Tribune: The Medford, Oregon-based The Mail Tribune shut down its digital publication due to hiring difficulties and declining ad sales, resulting in an unspecified number of layoffs.

January 12 NBC News: NBC News and MSNBC laid off 75 employees as part of a broader corporate reorganization.

January 4 Gannett: Gannett closed a printing press in Greece, New York, on January 4 as part of a greater focus on online journalism, resulting in the layoff of 108 people. Gannett laid off 50 employees at an Indiana printing company the same day to ‘adjust to conditions in the industry.