It seems NY1’s new owners, Spectrum, are opting for a far narrower spectrum of talent.
An unexpected round of layoffs swept through the beloved local news channel’s newsroom Thursday, axing more than a dozen longtime on-air staffers including parenting correspondent Shelley Goldberg, anchor John Schiumo and film critic Neil Rosen.
The plan, according to sources, is to replace expensive established talent with younger and cheaper people.
Others at that station believed to have been pink-slipped include Tara Lynn Wagner, Adam Balkin and Susan Jhun.
The cuts were handed down by brass at Charter-Spectrum, the cable giant that swallowed NY1’s parent company, Time Warner Cable, in a $65 billion mega merger last year.
In a statement, a Charter spokeswoman said the layoffs are part of a large strategy of change at the news channel, which appeared to be eliminating much of its more focused programming such as film and cooking. Another victims of the layoffs was its weekly public affairs program, “The New York Times Close Up” which would have celebrated its 25th anniversary this year.
“As with any network, we’re constantly evolving to find better ways to reach and engage our viewers,” the spokeswoman said. “We seek to provide the most compelling information and entertainment possible by providing more context, in-depth reporting, analysis and explanation, cultivating a more relevant and thoughtful conversation that makes Spectrum News essential in the lives of Spectrum subscribers. From time to time, our programming and staffing will change as we strive to better cover the stories that resonate most with our viewers.”