Did NBC eliminate teams reporting on marginalized community issues? What we know as nearly 150 employees reportedly affected by “significant layoffs”

NBC News has recently witnessed multiple layoffs, with staff members being reduced to a significant number. According to Variety, the 150 eliminated employees will be allowed to serve in new positions and have been told to start applying for the same.

A report by The Wrap on October 15, 2025, stated that certain teams that have focused on the problems of marginalized communities have been reportedly fired. This change will allow the verticals to publish news about certain groups, and the company can keep five staff members who would be covering everything in the newsroom.

Around 2% of the workforce for NBC News has been removed, and an insider claimed that the decision emerges from the concerns related to the economic situation in the media sector. The company will now prioritize other things, including the sports segment.

The layoff notice has arrived around two months in advance for the employees, and apart from the change in their positions, the employees are being provided with a severance package, as per The Hollywood Reporter. Notably, the company’s owner, Comcast, is also dividing the cable networks of NBCUniversal into Versant.

The staff members have additionally received a memo on Wednesday, October 15, with NBCUniversal chairman Cesar Conde saying that the layoffs are important to maintain a strong position and that they are not easy. Conde also stated:

“We have sought to minimize the number of affected team members, and our teams’ decisions should not be seen as a reflection on our colleagues who will be leaving. We will miss them and their valuable contributions.”

NBC News witnessed a similar situation of layoffs last month

Apart from the recent removal of multiple staff members, certain employees from the graphics team were also laid off last month. A newsletter by the Status revealed that a few employees moved to Versant, and the freelancers were impacted by the decision along with the full-time employees.

This particular decision of NBC News was also a result of Comcast’s spinoff of Versant. The New York Post stated that Versant will enter the market with an annual revenue of almost $7 billion.

The spinoff will also lead to the NBC News staff members’ disappearance from MSNBC this month, along with the discontinuation of the joint editorial meetings. Moreover, Comcast will remain the owner of Universal Studios and theme parks, followed by NBC Broadcast, Peacock, Telemundo, and Bravo.

NBC had previously laid off multiple employees in January 2024, and it was a part of a similar situation that started in the journalism industry the previous year. Apart from them, Google, Twitch, Universal Music Group, Disney’s Pixar, Amazon, Discord, and many others took the step at the same time.

Before the latest news of the layoffs went viral, a report by the New York Post stated earlier this month that NBC News had reportedly begun removing staff members from its London Bureau.

While the reports of Comcast’s spinoff of Versant are trending everywhere, the launch date of the latter is not confirmed yet.