Last Friday saw the departure of another group of laid off CNN employees. They are part of the 300-person workforce reduction at the news channel which began last month. Many employees stayed on to help through midterm election coverage. Insiders tell us another group will be making Nov. 21 their last day, while still another wave will depart on Dec. 19.
Among those saying goodbye last Friday, CNN.com host Jarrett Bellini who’s been with the network more than 10 years. Atlanta-based Bellini, the younger brother of Wall Street Journal senior producer Jason Bellini, was looking forward to going pants-less this week.
Walking out of CNN for the last time and taking my big ass bottle of hand sanny w me. #NoPantsOnMonday pic.twitter.com/SIbhIY0h6s
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— Jarrett Bellini (@JarrettBellini) November 7, 2014
Among the big names departing the DC bureau, is Michelle Jaconi, a 12-year NBC News veteran who moved to CNN in 2009 and has been producing special projects for the last several years. “By the end of my time here, my telephone had become the equivalent of the Red Phone. More often than not, it was someone from the top of one of the Turner totem poles needing me to lead a pressing new project,” Jaconi wrote in a goodbye memo.
And as CNN right-sizes , the network continues to fill some slots. Molly Shiels, the coordinating producer for Maria Bartiromo’s show, left FBN for CNN where she will be coordinating producer for Brian Stelter at CNNMoney. She started yesterday.