21st Century Fox buys National Geographic for $725m then lays 9% of staff off...

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**angelofvengeance**

A sad day for National Geographic:

http://www.theguardian.com/media/2015/nov/03/national-geographic-layoffs-21st-century-fox-merger

National Geographic informed employees Tuesday it would lay off about 9% of its staff, months after announcing it would partner with Rupert Murdoch’s 21st Century Fox as part of an expanded joint venture.

That would amount to about 180 people out of the total 2,000 employees under the new partnership with Fox.

In September, 21st Century Fox announced a for-profit venture in which it paid $725m for control of the National Geographic Society, to create National Geographic Partners, which includes National Geographic Channels.

Magazine staffers received an email from CEO Gary Knell on Tuesday morning with instructions to make themselves available throughout the day and monitor their inboxes for information about their employment status.

“The National Geographic Society and the National Geographic Channels are in the process of reorganizing in order to move forward strategically following the closing [of] the National Geographic Partners deal, which is expected to occur in mid-November,” a spokesperson for National Geographic Society said in an emailed statement.

According to the statement, layoffs will represent about 9% of the overall workforce reduction. A “voluntary separation” offer has been made to other eligible employees.

“All staff have been advised as to their status as of closing,” the spokesperson said.

At 63, veteran National Geographic photographer Michael “Nick” Nichols was neither surprised nor devastated when Knell handed him his termination notice today.

A staff photographer since 1996 and editor-at-large since 2008, Nichols said he received a good severance package and a contract to complete the two-year project he is currently working on.

“I was getting ready to retire in January,” he said. “So for me this is kind of a gift. But it’s a sad day for my friends who were not as ready.

“I feel for everybody,” he said.

As editor-at-large, Nichols rarely sets foot in the offices of National Geographic, so he said he doesn’t understand why the staff cuts, which comprised a mix of buyouts and layoffs, were deemed necessary.

Nichols said the important issue is whether National Geographic will continue to fund the kind of hard, long-term reporting about issues facing the planet that he and other veterans are accustomed to.

“You can’t do that with a for-profit company,” he said. “You have to have philanthropy subsidize long-term assignments.

“It used to be that people bought magazines. People don’t buy magazines anymore.”

**Kilkrazy**

A sad day for media diversity too, as the Murdoch Empire gets its tentacles into another media icon.

**nels1031**

Seems normal for a buyout.

Whenever a company is bought out, there are always positions that are instantly redundant the second pen is put to paper on the buyout contract. Same deal with mergers. It always sucks to see people lose their job, but it happens all the time and it makes perfect business sense.

**d-usa**

Kilkrazy wrote:
A sad day for media diversity too, as the Murdoch Empire gets its tentacles into another media icon.

I'm sure that they will not mess with the journalistic integrity of NatGeo...

**LethalShade**

You mean no reporting on how Global Warming is a communist lie ?

Damn, it could have been fun :/

**Easy E**

d-usa wrote:
Kilkrazy wrote:
A sad day for media diversity too, as the Murdoch Empire gets its tentacles into another media icon.

I'm sure that they will not mess with the journalistic integrity of NatGeo...

Not sure if serious.....

**LordofHats**

Did NatGeo have journalistic Integrity? Legitimate question. I don't think I've read a NatGeo since.. ever.

**angelofvengeance**

LordofHats wrote:
Did NatGeo have journalistic Integrity? Legitimate question. I don't think I've read a NatGeo since.. ever.

They were pretty good to be fair. Though their reputation was marred by a couple of reality tv shows they did- I forget what shows they were but it's not done them any favours.

**curran12**

Nat Geo had some, but it was in decline due to the aforementioned reality show direction.

**Easy E**

But eh magazine was considered pretty strong.... and had a reality bias.... so there you go.

**hotsauceman1**

Sigh, anything Murdoch buys, dies.

**CptJake**

hotsauceman1 wrote:
Sigh, anything Murdoch buys, dies.

Tell that to the cable news ratings folks.

**d-usa**

hotsauceman1 wrote:
Sigh, anything Murdoch buys, dies.

So that's whats happening to the GOP.

**hotsauceman1**

Ok, their credibility dies.

**gorgon**

d-usa wrote:
Kilkrazy wrote:
A sad day for media diversity too, as the Murdoch Empire gets its tentacles into another media icon.

I'm sure that they will not mess with the journalistic integrity of NatGeo...

I worked for a News Corp company. From what I saw, Uncle Rupert and his cronies weren't constantly manipulating us like a marionette, but there were times that certain strings would be lifted.

**Ahtman**

Kilkrazy wrote:A sad day for media diversity too, as the Murdoch Empire gets its tentacles into another media icon.

That sounds awfully familiar...

Spoiler:

nels1031 wrote:Whenever a company is bought out, there are always positions that are instantly redundant the second pen is put to paper on the buyout contract

These weren't redundant people but award winning journalists and photographers. The magazine, which is surprisingly still around, has a very good reputation... or it did anyway. The TV channel? Eh, not so much. There is certainly room there for some changes.

**Ouze**

This makes me sad, as when I was a kid, pre-internet, sometimes the only way you could see a boob was National Geographic.

**nels1031**

Ahtman wrote:
These weren't redundant people but award winning journalists and photographers. The magazine, which is surprisingly still around, has a very good reputation... or it did anyway. The TV channel? Eh, not so much. There is certainly room there for some changes.

Per Washington Post:

Only four employees will lose their jobs at National Geographic magazine and its digital newsroom, said Declan Moore, a veteran National Geographic Society executive who will become chief executive of the Fox partnership, known as National Geographic Partners. But dozens more will be laid off in departments and services that Fox will provide to the partnership: legal, accounting, personnel and technology, among others.

Also, the thread title is misleading. Per Wapo:

The National Geographic Society’s chief executive said Wednesday that the organization decided to enact a broad cost-cutting and layoff plan rather than wait until a company controlled by Rupert Murdoch took over its famous magazine and other media assets.

21st Century Fox won't be in control til the 16th.

**Ahtman**

The original story I saw said that more than three were being laid off, and that it was pretty much everyone. It is even listed as significant layoffs.

180+ also seems like a bit like more than 4.

about 180 National Geographic employes today received "involuntary separation" (layoffs) while some other staff members were offered the consideration of voluntary buy-outs.

**nels1031**

I think you are misreading it, my dude. Reread the bolded part:

Only four employees will lose their jobs at National Geographic magazine and its digital newsroom, said Declan Moore, a veteran National Geographic Society executive who will become chief executive of the Fox partnership, known as National Geographic Partners. But dozens more will be laid off in departments and services that Fox will provide to the partnership: legal, accounting, personnel and technology, among others.

**H.B.M.C.**

nels1031 wrote:
Seems normal for a buyout.

But it's Fox, donchaknow? That makes it inherently evil!!!

But yeah, Company X buys Company Y. Redundancies occur. Coming up next, water is wet!

**Easy E**

Ahtman wrote:
Kilkrazy wrote:A sad day for media diversity too, as the Murdoch Empire gets its tentacles into another media icon.

That sounds awfully familiar...

Spoiler:

nels1031 wrote:Whenever a company is bought out, there are always positions that are instantly redundant the second pen is put to paper on the buyout contract

These weren't redundant people but award winning journalists and photographers. The magazine, which is surprisingly still around, has a very good reputation... or it did anyway. The TV channel? Eh, not so much. There is certainly room there for some changes.

I was thinking more..

Spoiler: