"There are going to be firings very soon — everybody is terrified."
That's the promise being made to us by a former NBC News network insider who maintains close ties with Mama Peacock's news division. The axings, to be sure, will be part of a larger cost cutting move; "tens of millions is the figure being thrown around."
"There's even one rumor that the Nightly News could be shot on one 'flash cam'. Which i can't imagine." Heh. Us either.
When we asked about a timeline – as in, will the cuts be made pre- or post-holiday bonus time? – a rough guestimate of "two weeks" was proffered. "The thing about NBC News is the lack of decisiveness. They just can't make decisions," says the source. "The big story there [...] is the never-ending war between HR and the news management team. HR is not really 'HR.' It's a bunch of lawyers. Jim Mills is the head of HR at NBC News. He is ultra powerful, maybe even more than Capus, certainly equal."
None of this, we're told, is related to the WGA strike – where, in a separate NBC division, Leno and Conan's staff were let go – or to chief Jeff Zucker's $750 million round of cuts. "That was a fake number anyway."
Editorial Director
Please fire Tucker Carlson and Joe Scarborough. Bring Imus back in the morning and give Rachel Maddow her own show in place of Carlson's. Problem solved.
who cares anyway?
it's not as though they were really news shows — more like corporate propaganda by the rich.
sayonara, suckers.
How about nixing the kiteboarding lessons for Lauer? Did we really need to see him skidding face first across the surf? NBC money well-spent.
Hmm, wonder who this "former NBC News network insider" is. Let's see; who just left the network? Who might have a gripe with HR? Can anyone guess who this "insider" might be?