NBC News has recently announced significant job cuts, affecting around 100-150 employees, or approximately 7-8% of its workforce. The layoffs have primarily targeted staff from ‘diversity verticals,’ which are culture-focused subsections of the network, including NBC BLK, NBC Asian America, NBC Latino, and NBC Out. These sections have historically provided news, features, and content from the perspectives of African American, Asian American, Latino, and LGBTQ+ communities, respectively. The decision has been met with criticism from various voices, including Substack writer Wajahat Ali, who expressed disappointment at the move. Former NBC News staffer Saloni Gajjar also expressed concern about the loss of such platforms, highlighting the significance of these initiatives in covering critical years for minority representation in media.
The layoffs form part of a broader corporate restructuring as NBC News distances itself from its sister network, MSNBC. This separation is part of a larger corporate move by Comcast, which has announced the spin-off of its cable networks into a separate company, now known as Versant. Versant will house MSNBC, CNBC, USA Network, Oxygen, E!, SYFY, and the Golf Channel. The separation presents an opportunity for MSNBC, which has long relied on resources from NBC News. The network is now preparing to stand independently, including a planned name change to ‘My Source News Opinion World,’ or MS NOW, which will further distance it from the NBC brand. However, the exact date for the name change has not been revealed.
The restructuring has sparked discussions on media representation and the future of corporate media in the U.S. The NewsGuild of New York, representing 6,000 media workers, has criticized the cuts, arguing that the move prioritizes corporate profits over the hard work of its members. NewsGuild President Susan DeCarava voiced concern about the impact on workers, stating,