Credit: Rodney Ho
Credit: Rodney Ho
The forecast was gloomy today at Atlanta-based Weather Channel, where management trimmed 40 jobs on top of 40 layoffs last month.
Here was the statement from the company:
After a careful analysis of our business, we made the difficult decision today to eliminate roles across all functions and levels at The Weather Channel. The television business is shifting and in order for us to compete in the future, we need to reallocate and better focus our resources on what we know our audiences want. The changes we are making today are necessary, difficult and the responsible way for us to move forward. Though it is hard to say goodbye to our friends and family, this action concludes that process and we are working closely with those affected through this period of transition.
Compared to Turner Broadcasting, which cut more than 10 percent of its staff recently, these trims are not as severe on a percentage basis. About 1,475 people were given early retirement or were laid off there, with about 1,000 in Atlanta.
For Atlanta media professionals, this has been a brutal one-two punch.
The Weather Channel's two sets of cuts amount to about 6 percent of staff. A spokesman said this completes a reorganization within the company.
The company trimmed about the same number of employees in 2012 but have hired some since then.
Currently, the Weather Company (the corporate name) has 1,300 employees, about 750 based locally. Most of the cuts were here in Atlanta as well.
The Weather Company is owned by two huge venture capital firms and NBCUniversal. While the network (like CNN) has done well on the digital front, it has had a tough time finding more viewers on its cable network since consumers of news and weather have navigated to their smartphones and tablets.
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