Staffers at The Hill ‘freaked out’ over layoff plan amid editor-in-chief’s departure

Employees at political news outlet The Hill are feeling increasingly nervous as parent company Nexstar is planning to lay off as many as 17 staffers after the holidays, multiple sources told The Independent.

Adding to the growing anxiety is the uncertainty surrounding the departure of the Beltway paper’s editor-in-chief, Bob Cusack, who couldn’t come to terms during negotiations with Nexstar over his contract, which is set to expire next week.

“Things are not good,” one Hill reporter told The Independent.

Editorial staffers were first made aware of the pending layoffs in a letter from The Hill’s guild this week, which explained that management revealed Nexstar planned to slash up to 17 jobs from the paper’s union of journalists during the most recent bargaining session.

Urging guild members not to panic as the union’s position is that it would be illegal for Nexstar to conduct layoffs before a contract has been reached, the letter added that the layoff plan from corporate headquarters added another “layer of complexity” to the negotiations.

The guild also noted that the next bargaining session, which is scheduled for next week, will include a first outline of how the layoffs will be conducted, as well as outstanding issues surrounding vacations, severances and raises.

A Hill insider told The Independent that the staff is “freaked out” over the possibility of layoffs coming down the pike, adding that “people are very worried and upset that Nexstar would use their layoffs as a bargaining tactic.”

Another staffer agreed with that sentiment, stating that they “keep hearing how well things are going, but now there’s talk about layoffs, which is the cruelest possible negotiating tactic a company can use.”

The angst over the recent revelation about coming layoffs is compounded by the fact that Cusack, a much-beloved newsroom leader who has held The Hill’s top editor spot for a decade, is leaving.

Earlier this fall, it was reported that the newsroom was taken aback when they saw Cusack cleaning out his office. They soon learned his contract was set to expire in mid-December and that he had reached an impasse with Nexstar management. At the time, sources said the main point of contention was that Cusack — who has sought to keep The Hill non-partisan — pressed the parent company not to interfere with the site’s editorial direction.

During a post-election all-hands meeting, which included corporate management and leaders of Nexstar’s cable news channel NewsNation, staff was led to believe that Cusack had come to terms on a new contract. The Independent obtained and reviewed a recording of this meeting.

After management gushed over the site’s traffic numbers and named former Fox News editor Bill Sammon as senior vice president of editorial content for NewsNation and The Hill, Newsnation president and managing editor Cherie Grzech said she was “happy to say” that Cusack was “staying with us at The Hill.”

However, nearly a month later, it remained in doubt whether the longtime editor would stay past this holiday season. And Cusack confirmed on Wednesday that next week would be his last at The Hill.

“It’s been an exasperating few weeks since our last staff meeting, but it’s best that I move on,” Cusack wrote staff in an email obtained by The Independent. “And as I do, I choose to remember the fantastic people who work for The Hill and its many talented alumni.”

Making a point to give “tremendous thanks” to his longtime managing editor Ian Swanson, who he called “one of the best political editors you will ever meet,” Cusack let staff know that his last day would be December 19.

According to two sources familiar with the contract negotiations, Cusack was offered an extension that would keep him only until August of next year. On top of that, he has told others at the company that the biggest issue he has with the contract offer is the onerous no-compete clause that Nexstar has added.

According to those who have spoken with Cusack, Nexstar added a provision to the contract that would prevent him from working in an editorial position for most media outlets for up to a year if he leaves The Hill. Cusack declined to comment.

Weeks after staffers thought Cusack’s contract situation was settled, they learned through a letter from the guild that he was still in negotiations, prompting many to contact the editor in chief to express concern.

Multiple sources also pointed out that with Cusack leaving leave this month, his departure takes place just weeks after The Hill’s general manager Joe Ruffolo resigned, leaving a leadership vacuum within the paper.

The Independent has reached out to representatives from Nexstar and The Hill for comment.