Media companies - and their interactive divisions, in particular - are in a state of churn. Have you updated your database lately? Here are the latest (downward)
adjustments in the media work force.
MARCH 2001
CondeNet (Advance Publications)
12% of Internet staff (18 of 147 employees) due to declining ad sales and delayed Web site roll-outs
CNET
10% of staff (200 of 1,900 employees) due to revenue shortfalls in the wake of the merger between CNET Networks, Inc. and ZdNet
FEBRUARY 2001
Disney/ABC
135 jobs at Walt Disney Internet Group (mostly at ABC.com and ABCnews.com)
Industry Standard
(Standard Media International)
17% (69 of 400+ employees, 18 of them editorial)
Imagine Media
(U.S. Division of British-based Future Network PLC)
120 U.S. employees after closure of six U.S. publications, including Revolution, Digital Foto and Dreamcast Sega. There were no editorial layoffs at sister pub Business 2.0,
although the publisher is reportedly considering putting it up for sale.
JANUARY 2001
CNN
9% (400 of 4,300 employees). One third from CNN Interactive, another third in programming and the rest company-wide in the wake of the AOL Time Warner merger.
NBCi
30% (150 of 500 staffers) due to weakened ad sales
New York Times Digital
17% of workforce, 69 positions
Fox News Corp.
225 jobs following consolidation of Fox.com, FoxNews.com and FoxSports.com with network operations and dismantling of News Digital Media, the U. S. Internet subsidiary of News
Corp.
Viacom
35% (125 staffers), mostly casualties of the reinvention of TNN as "The National Network" (from "The Nashville Network) and subsequent relocation of the network's operations to
New York to join forces with sibling MTVNetworks.
Space.com
9 employees canned in tandem with senior management changes. The layoffs follow the earlier dismissal of 22 staffers (20% of the company's workforce) in September 2000.