RT America to cease productions, layoff most staff

The American channel of RT, a Russian state-controlled international TV network, will be ceasing all productions and layoff most of its staff, reports CNN.

Misha Solodovnikov, general manager of RT America’s production company, told staff in a memo obtained by CNN that it would be shutting down “as a result of unforeseen business interruption events."

Solodovnikov stressed that the layoffs were not temporary.  

"Unfortunately, we anticipate this layoff will be permanent, meaning that this will result in the permanent separation from employment of most T&R employees at all locations," Solodovnikov wrote.

Formerly known as Russia Today, RT Network is one of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s main mouthpieces to Western countries, always placing Russia in a positive light and parroting Kremlin positions. Its channels have been blocked in Europe and Ukraine as part of European sanctions against Russia for its invasion of Ukraine.

RT America has a TV audience so small that TV rating company Nielson does not track it but has a large social media following, with millions of followers on Twitter and YouTube, reported Fox News.

After mounting pressure, satellite TV provider DirecTV and streaming service Roku took RT America out of out of their lineups on Monday. The channel is not carried by most cable providers.

T&R Productions, the production company behind RT America, operated offices in New York, Miami, Los Angeles, and Washington, D.C.

The Washington Bureau received the news in person from Solodovnikov.

"A lot of people were shocked," one attendee told CNN. "A lot of people were crying."

The manager said that all layoffs would occur in two months, during which all employees would still receiving pay and benefits.