CNN has announced it will lay off 200 employees at its struggling TV division as part of CEO Mark Thompson's long-in-the-making restructuring plan to emphasize a digital future.
In a statement Thursday morning, Thompson warned that the future is still unclear. He told The New York Times that if CNN “doesn't follow audiences to the new platforms with real conviction and scale, [its] the future prospects will not be good.'
The layoffs were announced in the morning and will impact the network's traditional TV business. However, it remains unclear whether any big names have been affected.
Thompson — once the CEO of The Times — told the newspaper he is replacing Jim Acosta's 10 a.m. show with “The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer and Pamela Brown,” confirming reports that emerged last week.
At the time, the channel labeled these reports as 'speculation'. The network is now reportedly in talks with Acosta — a host who frequently clashed with then-President Trump — about a new role.
He also told employees that the future of the network is digital, giving people the news they want, when they want it – rather than expecting them to tune in to programs scheduled at set times.
CNN has had historically poor ratings in recent months.
The network has warned reporters and anchors not to fill the airwaves with anti-Trump tirades, as many did during President Trump's previous term.
CNN CEO Mark Thompson, pictured, announced 200 layoffs at the network's traditional TV operation Thursday morning
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