NBC News has dissolved a number of teams that were focused on reporting centered around topics like diversity, equity, inclusion (DEI) and culture as part of broader layoffs that saw nearly 150 journalists lose their jobs this week.
The cuts impact a number of DEI-focused news verticals within NBC, including teams assigned to produce television and digital stories for franchises like NBC BLK (focused on African-American news), NBC Latino, NBC Out (LGBTQ+ news) and NBC Asian American.
NBC News will continue to publish news under those brands, but won’t have dedicated teams that cover topics specific to them. Media reporter Corbin Bolies with The Wrap was the first to report on the matter.
Comcast, the parent company of NBC News, has maintained various diversity and equity initiative within its corporate environment over the past year, even after those policies and goals have come under assault from the Trump administration.
In February, FCC Chairman Brendan Carr sent a letter to Comcast CEO Brian Roberts with questions about the company’s DEI programs, suggesting the initiatives might violate federal anti-discrimination laws that cover workplace hiring and promotions.
Carr has not launched a formal inquiry against Comcast over its DEI programs — the letter was meant to “aid the commission’s broader efforts to root out invidious forms of DEI discrimination across all sectors that the FCC regulates,” he wrote. A spokesperson for Comcast told The Desk earlier this year that the company received Carr’s letter and would cooperate with the agency.
“For decades, our company has been built on a foundation of integrity and respect for all of our employees and customers,” the spokesperson said.
The winding down of NBC’s DEI-focused news teams came amid a broader restructuring of the broadcaster’s editorial operations ahead of a planned separation from CNBC and MSNBC, which are being spun out into a new company called Versant.
Journalists from other parts of NBC’s news operation were among those affected by the pink slips that went out this week, including reporters, producers, editors and news writers who collaborate with MSNBC and CNBC on editorial efforts. MSNBC and CNBC stopped using NBC News reporters on-air earlier this month; MSNBC is relying on international news reports from Sky News, while CNBC continues to use third-party wire services like Reuters to supplement its financial news reporting.
NBC News is part of NBCUniversal, which is owned by Comcast.
Nearly every major broadcast and cable network operation has laid off workers over the past two years amid business and consumer shifts. Like other TV networks, NBC News primarily generates revenue in two ways: Through the sale of advertising on TV and its websites, and from distribution fees collected from cable, satellite and streaming TV distributors. Both have been impacted by shifting ad budgets and cord-cutting.
In August, reports indicated CBS News owner Paramount would move forward with broad layoffs within all of its operations after merging with Skydance Media. The anticipated number of workers who could be laid off is somewhere between 2,000 and 3,000. CBS News also issued pink slips before the Skydance merger was complete, and Paramount wound down the operation of its MTV News division, leading to further job losses.
The Walt Disney Company’s ABC News and Fox Corporation’s Fox News Media have also laid off workers over the past several years. The Fox News Media layoffs took place during the coronavirus health pandemic, and were part of a broader restructuring of its business.
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