Earlier this month, Paramount announced it would be laying off 25 percent of the staff at Comedy Central, Paramount Network, Nick, TV Land, Logo, Pop TV, CMT, and MTV, as well as MTV News. Now, the New York division of the Smithsonian Channel is the focal point of some more staff cuts.
The channel was founded on September 26th, 2007, and has since attracted millions of history buffs with video content inspired by the Smithsonian’s famed museum, research facilities, and magazines. From in-depth specials to recurring series, the Smithsonian Channel has won numerous awards for its content, such as Peabody Award-winning MLK: The Assassination Tapes.
Last week, Paramount Media Network President Chris McCarthy sent a memo to all staff members, stating:
“Despite this success in streaming, we continue to feel pressure from broader economic headwinds like many of our peers. To address this, our senior leaders in coordination with HR have been working together over the past few months to determine the optimal organization for the current and future needs of our business. As a result, we have made the very hard but necessary decision to reduce our domestic team by approximately 25%. This is a tough yet important strategic realignment of our group. Through the elimination of some units and by streamlining others, we will be able to reduce costs and create a more effective approach to our business as we move forward.”
Sources report the majority of the Smithsonian’s shows will be handed by executives at the channel’s headquarters in Washington. Staffers at both locations will be affected by these changes, including the Smithsonian Channel’s Vice President of Development, Rachel Watson.
Deadline also reported other senior executives would be impacted, such as “Jessica Zalkind, SVP, Talent and Series Development, MTV Networks, and Todd Radnitz, SVP of Original Unscripted Series at MTV Entertainment Group and Paramount+… East Coast casting is also being folded into the West Coast operation.”
The above-mentioned Paramount television networks will now operate under one division led by Chris McCarthy.