Massive Layoffs Rock Local Newsrooms Across New York

Another blow to local news landed this week.

The New York Post is calling it an "earthquake" after dozens of journalists were laid off

News 12 Guts Local Newsrooms

man in black suit standing on stage

News 12 reportedly carried out sweeping layoffs that gutted newsrooms across New York, according to reports. This move eliminated dozens of jobs, as the company made sweeping changes to its hyperlocal coverage that has made the network a fixture in New York for more than three decades.

At least three dozen people were let go. One laid-off employee told the New York Post said that figure is "probably even a low estimate."

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That employee personally counted 26 people on Tuesday's layoff call covering just the Bronx and Brooklyn operation, with at least six more cut in Westchester alone. Staff from Connecticut were also laid off.

The layoffs came with little to no warning. Workers received a text early Tuesday morning telling them to join a Microsoft Teams meeting. At that meeting, they were told their jobs were gone.

Why The Changes?

a room with a camera and equipment

Parent company Altice USA is dismantling News 12's standalone operations in the Bronx, Brooklyn, the Hudson Valley, and Connecticut. They will be replaced with separate local newscasts with a single shared regional broadcast that will feature only brief localized segments.

"If you were to turn on the TV in Westchester, you would start getting news from Connecticut and Westchester and the Bronx and Brooklyn kind of all in one half-hour show," one laid-off employee told The Post.

Long Island and New Jersey will both keep their independent broadcasts because they attract stronger ratings.

Reporters who kept their jobs will now be expected to shoot and edit their own stories without a field photographer.

man in white t-shirt and black pants holding black dslr camera

"There is a big amount of hopelessness," one employee said. "People are taking this layoff as, 'It's time for me to leave the industry.'"

This marks the third major round of cuts at News 12 under Altice's ownership. The company laid off roughly 70 people in 2017 and cut another 30 to 40 positions in late 2023.

An Altice spokesperson said, "Local journalism is changing, and News 12 is evolving with it."

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Earlier this month, iHeart layoffs also hit hard in New York State.

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