Dotdash Meredith, the publishing giant behind outlets like People and Entertainment Weekly, has laid off 53 people, according to a report from Axios on Thursday.
The cuts represent about 1.5% of Dotdash Meredith’s staff. Most cuts will affect workers tied to its print business, according to Axios, which viewed an email message to employees from CEO Neil Vogel regarding the cuts.
“While we are incredibly proud of our print products and our subscriber bases are stable (or in some cases even growing), the print advertising business remains challenged,” Vogel reportedly wrote. “Today’s actions are directly in response to this.”
Vogel reportedly further noted that the company is “not closing any print magazines” and doesn’t anticipate doing so in the near future.
As Axios pointed out, the cuts come as “Dotdash has pushed to digitize and modernize Meredith’s magazine brands by investing in new business efforts, like e-commerce and licensing.” Part of that push has been doubling down on its strongest brands, like Food & Wine, Better Homes & Gardens and People.
Dotdash Meredith did not immediately respond to TheWrap’s request for comment.
IAC, DDM’s parent company, bought a few dozen Meredith outlets for $2.7 billion in 2021. In early 2023, Dotdash Meredith fired 274 people, or about 7% of its staff at the time.
The news also comes a day after People Magazine revealed John Krasinski as its latest Sexiest Man Alive.
