CNN en Español is leaving Atlanta for Mexico City.
Only a handful of journalists will remain in Atlanta, reducing its presence here from about 80 to seven people. It will also shrink staff in Los Angeles, New York, Washington, D.C., and Miami.
Atlanta CNN en Español employees will start leaving in July.
CNN has posted about 45 jobs in Mexico City, which will likely be a lower-cost option for the network.
The 24/7 Spanish language version of CNN launched in Atlanta in 1997 as an offshoot to CNN International. It started with 4 million households but grew to 49 million by 2017 in Latin America and the United States. It currently has about 9 million households stateside.
In November, during a town hall, CNN president Chris Licht said management had considered eliminating CNN en Español completely but he decided to keep it going. “I believe in CNNE, and more broadly, our presence in LatAm. And I know we can be an even bigger player in the region,” he said.
According to a story in Variety, executives will focus more on content for digital viewers to reach viewers that skew younger than the old-school TV audience.
This move is part of Warner Bros. Discovery’s general budget reductions across the board as it seeks to trim debt and reduce costs as more consumers cut the cord in favor of streaming.
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