Dozens laid off at Al Jazeera America

Al Jazeera America, which launched last August with nearly 850 employees and 12 news bureaus in the United States, has laid off dozens of employees as part of restructuring. The channel is disbanding its sports unit and scaling back its social-media-driven show The Stream from a daily show to a once-a-week program, the Hollywood Reporter says.
"The majority of people affected were freelancers and many of the staff either came from the sports group or from The Stream," Dawn Bridges, executive vp corporate communications, told The Hollywood Reporter.
In a note to employees on Friday, the cable news channel's president, Kate O'Brian, stated that staff reductions were part of a process of restructuring after initial hires were made for the launch.
"In the seven months since launch we have built a channel that it took other networks years to do," O'Brian wrote. "As you all know, that required extensive effort, planning and resources. We always understood that we would need considerable resources to meet our goals."
"This will have an immediate impact on some staff, freelancers, independent contractors, and other project-oriented individuals who have been with us for several months," O'Brian noted.
The cable news channel, backed by the royal family of Qatar, replaced Current TV on the channel guide when it launched on Aug. 20 of last year. A significant investment, up to $600 million, was made in Al Jazeera America, sources told THR at the time.