CNN lays off staffers from podcast team, to focus on audio biz

San Francisco, Sep 29

CNN has laid off some employees from its podcast team as the media company refocuses on strengthening its audio business.

CNN said in a statement that audio is an important growth area for the company.

"Over the last several years we've learned a lot about the topics and productions that most resonate with our audiences. As a result, we've refined our strategy to focus our resources more specifically in those areas," said the media giant.

It, however, did not comment on how many staffers were laid off or which shows will be cut, reports The Verge.

Alexander McCall, who worked as a product manager at CNN Audio, said in a tweet late on Wednesday that he and other podcasting staffers had been laid off.

"Realising I'm joining the My company invested heavily in podcasting, and then realised it's expensive and then didn't want to pay for that anymore," he tweeted.

"My biggest question: What will become of our team's work? All the data we recorded, all the things we learned," McCall added.

Most of CNN's podcasts are related to its own shows and hosts. However, the network announced a few new series earlier this year.

"It's just a bummer to watch companies pull the plug on or disinvest from business units that are so young...especially when you've seen firsthand the work of so many people to make it profitable, to reach the goal," McCall further tweeted.

In April, CNN announced to shut its paid news streaming service within one month of its launch, as it did not generate enough demand in the news consuming world.