After 36 years of operation, MTV News is closing down following a wave of layoffs, as reported by The Hollywood Reporter, Pitchfork, and Variety. Approximately 25% of employees across MTV Entertainment Studios, Paramount Media Networks, and Showtime were let go on Tuesday, marking another round of significant job cuts for MTV since 2017.
Chris McCarthy, the president of Showtime/MTV Entertainment Studios and Paramount Media Networks, sent a memo to the staff explaining the decision. McCarthy stated that MTV execs, in collaboration with their HR division, had “made the very hard but necessary decision to reduce [the] domestic team by approximately 25%.” He emphasised that this realignment was a strategic move aimed at streamlining the group, eliminating certain units, and reducing costs. “Today we will notify employees whose positions are being impacted with leaders communicating the news directly to those teams/or individuals,” the memo continued. “These meetings will be followed by individual 1:1s with our HR partners.”
Making its debut in 1987, MTV News provided coverage spanning music, politics, sex, pop culture, and more. The outlet played a particularly influential role in the 1990s and early 2000s, even breaking the news of Kurt Cobain’s death in 1994. MTV News reporters went on to receive awards for their coverage of topics like natural disasters and the Iraq War. In 2017, MTV News underwent restructuring, resulting in layoffs as the company shifted its focus to video and short-form content.
