CNN staff ‘scared and frustrated’ about looming layoffs that ‘will target network’s most expensive shows’

CNN employees have become “scared and frustrated” after hearing that the struggling network will undergo cuts and layoffs.

Stars like Jake Tapper and Wolf Blitzer have reportedly been denied raises on their multi-million dollar salaries as the biggest names on the network fear for their futures.

Screen favorite Chris Wallace also left the network earlier this week, although he insisted he did so on his own terms.

A longtime CNN employee told it Fox News that after news of the redundancies spread, staff across the company are feeling ‘very sad and deeply frustrated’.

“Feelings that permeate throughout the organization among those who have been here for a long time and feel a deep personal connection to helping build the organization,” the anonymous employee added.

Stars like Anderson Cooper, seen during CNN’s town hall with Kamala Harris in October, could see their multi-million dollar salaries cut as staff fears the cuts could affect all levels of the network

News of the cuts and layoffs at CNN first spread after an explosive report from Puck News, which warned that network executives are about to take drastic action to save the company’s flagging reputation.

While there is no mention of who might be on the chopping block, there are fears the cuts could affect everyone from low-level staff to the likes of Cooper and his $20 million-a-year salary.

“Over the next several months, I am told, CNN will implement another round of layoffs that will impact hundreds of employees across the organization,” reporter Dylan Byers wrote Friday, referring to CNN’s recent layoff of 100 people during the summer.

The new round of layoffs will, say the insiders, be more focused on the production side of the business, but on-screen ‘talent’ will also be affected.

Sources added to Fox News that the layoffs would be implemented “in March” and that “very meaningful” names would be used for the rest of the company’s staff.

“It is a time of complete business model overhaul and chaos. Extremely difficult even under the best of circumstances,” they added.

While no major figures such as presenter Kaitlan Collins (pictured) have been named, insiders said the layoffs would include “very meaningful” names for the rest of the company’s staff.

A second CNN employee told the outlet that they blame CEO Mark Thompson for this move, after he took the helm of the company just over a year ago and was immediately clear in his intention to change their approach.

“I’m concerned because the sector is clearly in trouble… I’m sure there will be cuts,” the second insider said.

Amid rumors that the cuts will hit CNN’s most expensive shows, the staffer surmised that “more shows will be streamlined and produced out of Atlanta” to reduce costs.

Disgruntled employees fear they will be expected to pick up the slack from their fired former colleagues, and Puck News reported how on-air workers “will be asked to take on more responsibilities once handled by teams of producers and production assistants.” would be exercised.’

‘Unnecessary assignments are being abolished and various divisions are being reduced in size or even eliminated.

“Some on-air talent will likely also be affected,” the bombshell report warned.

Insiders said the move was driven by CNN CEO Mark Thompson, who took the reins at the company just over a year ago.

The Puck Report also cited Thompson as the driving force behind the move.

A former New York Times boss was brought in to lead the Warner Bros.-led network. Discovery parent company to review. Thompson has had a rocky start since last August, when ratings dropped more than 20 percent.

Under Licht — a tenure that lasted just over a year — the channel fell from the most-watched cable news channel on election nights to one of the least-watched.

In 2016, when it was led by now-ousted leader Jeff Zucker, it was the most-watched network overall — a distinction now held by Fox News.

At the time, CNN averaged 13.3 million viewers in primetime. Today there are only about 800,000.

Right-leaning Fox hosts like Laura Ingraham, Jesse Watters, Sean Hannity and Greg Gutfeld, meanwhile, average 2.8 million viewers in the same time slots — the most in a field currently impacted by streaming and other forms of media.

Making matters worse was CNN’s struggles on Election Day — a day when it would have scored a decisive ratings victory eight years ago.

However, after a Trump presidency and a Biden administration term, it lost to MSNBC in terms of ratings – something never seen before as it only drew 5.1 million sets of eyes that night.

MSNBC, meanwhile, pulled in 6 million — a number nearly twice as big as Fox News’ 10.3 million.

The numbers, which aired this week in the form of Nielsen statistics, appear to show a shifting field when it comes to cable news — one that will seemingly continue with Trump’s second term.

It comes after longtime host Chris Wallace did not have his $8.5 million-a-year contract renewed due to budget cuts

It was revealed on Monday that longtime host Chris Wallace would not have his $8.5 million-a-year contract renewed, with the 77-year-old confirming the development in an interview with the Daily Beast as he pondered a full-time podcast career.

“This is the first time in 55 years that I’ve been between jobs,” he said that same day. “That actually makes me excited and liberated.”

As for other highly paid figures like Cooper and Burnett, their fate remains uncertain.

Days earlier, The Ankler had reported that Tapper and Blitzer were denied raises and that officials were considering a pay cut for Wallace.

The newsletter also revealed how Tapper was instead released with a three-year contract – a contract that appears to have paid him the same $7 million annually as he had been making in recent years.