NBC News lays off nearly 7% of its workforce, hitting the diversity unit hard

NBC News has begun a new round of layoffs that will affect approximately 150 people, equivalent to about 7% of its workforce, as part of a restructuring process prior to the separation of its cable networks, MSNBC and CNBC, which will become part of the new company Versant, owned by Comcast.

The cuts are also due to the industry's complicated moment, with the country's main television networks experiencing a decline in audience and revenues.

In fact, NBC News has been experiencing clear drops in TV ratings and advertising revenues that are not being fully compensated by the growth of its digital business.

As confirmed by various sources to U.S. media, the cuts impact almost all areas of the organization, but the NBC News diversity unit was one of the hardest hit. However, some thematic portals, such as NBC Out (dedicated to the LGBT+ community) and NBC Blk (focused on the Black community), will continue to operate within the digital space.

In an internal statement, Cesar Conde, president of the NBCUniversal News group, explained that the layoffs are "necessary to remain strong as an industry leader." However, he admitted that "they are not easy and are never taken lightly."

According to reports, laid-off employees will receive 60 days' notice, severance and outplacement services, in addition to the possibility of applying for some 140 vacancies available within the group.

The measure, in addition to the pressure from losses, is framed in a deep restructuring of the traditional television business. Comcast is looking to focus its resources on NBC News and strengthen its digital bet with the launch of a new subscription service later this year, alongside the free-to-air NBC News Now channel.

Meanwhile, MSNBC and CNBC, now under the Versant umbrella, will establish their own newsrooms and cease sharing crews and correspondents with NBC News. MSNBC, moreover, will adopt a new name: MS NOW (My Source: News, Opinion, World).

The NewsGuild of New York union, which represents NBC journalists and producers, criticized the decision, claiming that the company "prioritizing corporate profits at the expense of our hard-working members, without whom there would be no NBC News."

The layoffs, which also account for about 2% of the NBCUniversal News group's total, join a wave of cutbacks across the U.S. media industry, marked by an accelerated transformation to digital content and several mergers.