NBC News Cuts 150 Jobs, Ends Diversity Units in Major Shake-Up
October 16, 2025

NBC News has now laid off roughly 150 employees in its largest staff reduction in years, part of a sweeping reorganization aimed at separating the network from its cable counterparts MSNBC and CNBC. Executives said the move would “position the company for future success” as it pivots toward a more independent, digital-first identity.

The layoffs, which amount to about seven percent of the newsroom, were announced during a brief three-minute Zoom call early Wednesday. Catherine Kim, NBC’s executive vice president of editorial, informed staff that employment notices would follow immediately. “This will be a difficult day for a lot of us,” Kim said, acknowledging the emotional toll of the restructuring.

Cesar Conde, chair of NBCUniversal News Group, later framed the decision as a necessary step to sustain the company’s long-term competitiveness. “These decisions are necessary to remain strong as an industry leader,” Conde wrote, adding that such moves “are not easy and are never taken lightly.”

The cuts were broad, spanning several departments, but the most visible impact came in NBC’s digital diversity initiatives. The network’s specialized units — NBC BLK, NBC Asian America, and NBC Latino — were largely dismantled. Going forward, their coverage will be folded into the broader newsroom and overseen by two senior editors with assistance from a small number of reassigned journalists.

Executives portrayed the decision as part of a strategic shift rather than a political statement. The restructuring follows NBCUniversal’s decision to spin off its declining cable networks into a new company, Versant, which officials said will enable NBC News to “stand on its own” and focus on digital growth.
The company has struggled, like many traditional media outlets, with the economic pressures of declining viewership and advertising revenue amid growing competition from online platforms.

Still, the timing of NBC’s move has drawn attention given the broader political climate. Since returning to office in January, President Donald Trump has made dismantling diversity, equity, and inclusion (D.E.I.) programs across the federal government a top priority, calling such initiatives “radical” and “divisive.” That federal shift has rippled across corporate America, where companies have quietly scaled back or eliminated diversity programs introduced in the past decade.

The media industry, which has been among the most vocal defenders of identity-based initiatives, has not been immune to the trend. Earlier this year, Federal Communications Commission Chair Brendan Carr pressed major media companies, including NBC’s parent company Comcast, to disclose and reevaluate their D.E.I. policies. That scrutiny reportedly included a federal probe into Comcast’s diversity commitments, signaling increased regulatory pressure on large media conglomerates.

The decision to sunset NBC’s dedicated diversity verticals marks a notable departure from the network’s recent editorial priorities. NBC launched those digital brands during the mid-2010s, at the height of a corporate push to amplify underrepresented voices. While praised by progressive activists, those efforts often drew criticism from conservatives who argued the initiatives fostered political bias and fragmented coverage.

NBC executives now say the newsroom must adapt to “a new era of journalism” — one where economic sustainability, editorial coherence, and audience trust outweigh symbolic gestures. In that sense, the network’s reorganization may represent not just a financial correction, but a cultural one.

We shall see.

Only time will tell.