Russia-Backed RT America to Effectively Shut Down, Lays Off All Staff
RT America, the Russian government-controlled U.S. cable news channel, will be “ceasing production” and laying off all its employees, according to a memo sent to staff Thursday, which THR viewed.
Staff were also informed of the decision in a town hall meeting Thursday. Employees in New York, Washington, D.C., Los Angeles and Miami are said to be impacted by the decision.
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Misha Solodovnikov, the general manager of T&R Productions, the company that controls and operates RT America, told his employees Thursday in the memo that the move was made “as a result of unforeseen business interruption events.”
He added that “unfortunately, we anticipate this layoff will be permanent.” CNN first reported on Solodovnikov’s memo.
Holland Cooke, the host of RT America’s The Big Picture, also confirmed the news in a blog post for Talkers magazine, writing, “We’ve been canceled, by cable/satellite/online distribution platforms.”
The decision effectively shuts down the U.S. version of RT, which operates a cable and satellite TV channel as well as some video-centric social media accounts, all of which have typically toed the Russian government line on major news stories. RT America’s biggest distributor, DirecTV, dropped the channel earlier this week.
Other versions of RT are facing scrutiny around the world in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The channel has been dropped in Canada, and banned in Europe, with the U.K. investigating the channel for breaking its impartiality rules.
