After 30 years, the long-standing cable television channel, Cartoon Network, is coming to an end.
On Tuesday, Warner Bros. Television Group laid off 82 employees and will not be filling 43 other vacant positions. The 125 positions made up 26% of the company’s workforce.
However, the layoffs don’t tell the entire story of what’s happening at WBTVG. Apparently, the company is going through what they call a “strategic realignment.”
During the announcement, the company also shared a plan that fundamentally alters the structure of Cartoon Network Studios going forward.
In a recent memo, chairman Channing Dungey says the company plans to fully consolidate its tv animation divisions. This means that Warner Bros. Animation and Cartoon Network Studios will merge to become one entity.
According to the memo, the labels will still exist but maybe only in name. The merger will combine both development and production divisions at the companies to extend on the cross-studio teams that were already in place.
Unfortunately, this will dismiss Cartoon Network from having a say on either creative or operational matters.
The merge is also an unpromising sign for Cartoon Network, as Warner Bros. has traditionally been a much more catalog/IP-driven studio. Meanwhile, Cartoon Network is known for pushing out original series and specials.
Cartoon Network was founded in 1992 by Ted Turner. The television network is known for its beloved animated series, mostly kid-friendly, ranging from action to comedy.
