RT America is shutting down and laying off staff

RT America is shutting down and laying off staff

Web Desk
March 4, 2022

RT America is shutting down and laying off staff

According to a memo obtained by CNN from T&R Productions, the production company behind the Russian state-funded network, RT America will cease production and lay off the majority of its employees.

T&R Productions’ general manager, Misha Solodovnikov, informed employees in a memo that the company will be “ceasing production” at all of its locations “due to unforeseen business interruption events.”

“Unfortunately, we anticipate that this layoff will be permanent, resulting in the permanent separation from employment of the majority of T&R employees at all locations,” Solodovnikov wrote.
T&R Productions had offices in New York, Miami, Los Angeles, and Washington, DC, among other places.

The news would effectively put an end to RT America. The network, which was one of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s main mouthpieces in the United States, was dropped earlier this week by DirecTV, dealing it a significant financial blow. The network was carried by one of the two major television providers in the United States, the satellite carrier.
Roku, a company that sells hardware that allows users to stream content over the internet, also announced the removal of RT America from its platform.

“We are sad and disappointed that our groundbreaking channel RT America had to go off the air after more than 10 years, and that the company that supplied much of its content, T&R Productions, had to cease most of its operations, due to challenging external circumstances,” RT’s deputy editor-in-chief Anna Belkina said in a statement to CNN. “However, we are working hard to find ways that its staff, which has for many years produced award-winning news and programming content, can remain within RT’s international family.”

RT, which operates multiple networks across the world, has seen its reach significantly diminish in recent days as technology companies and television providers have moved to sever ties with it as a result of Russia’s unprovoked war on Ukraine.

Several employees from RT’s various networks have also publicly resigned from the outlet.

RT America employees who worked from the Washington, DC, bureau were told on Wednesday that an all-staff meeting would occur on Thursday afternoon, according to an email obtained by CNN.

According to a person who attended the meeting, when hosts, correspondents, producers, and others gathered in RT America’s lounge, Solodovnikov delivered the news in person.

“The meeting lasted about two minutes,” the attendee said, explaining that Solodovnikov informed the assembled staff that RT America would be ceasing production and that employees would be paid for two months.
The attendee, who asked to remain anonymous in order to discuss internal deliberations, told CNN that the mood was solemn.

“A lot of people were shocked,” the person said. “A lot of people were crying.”

An RT America host, who also spoke to CNN on the condition of anonymity, said that she watched as her entire staff was told “their jobs were no more.”

“I have never felt more heartbroken as they have nothing to do with this conflict and seriously were just trying to make a decent living to provide for their families,” the host said.

Solodovnikov did not respond immediately to a request for comment. RT America’s spokesperson did not respond to multiple requests for comment.