CNN Layoffs Are Under Way

CNN said it is laying off employees and paid contributors, the latest shake-up for the cable network after Warner Bros. Discovery Inc. WBD -1.12%decrease; red down pointing triangle

took ownership of it from AT&T Inc. earlier this year.

“It is incredibly hard to say goodbye to any one member of the CNN team, much less many,” Chris Licht, chief executive at CNN, wrote in a memo to staff on Wednesday that was viewed by The Wall Street Journal. “I recently described this process as a gut punch, because I know that is how it feels for all of us.”

He said the company would notify “a limited number of individuals, largely some of our paid contributors, as part of a recalibrated reporting strategy.” He added that he would notify affected employees on Thursday and follow up with more details.