Anyone have info on what RTO will look like aside from it being implemented next year and which divisions will be at which location?
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Connecticut
I agree and I never said 2025. Moving BC would take years.
@ke let it go. Nobody is moving to Connecticut in 2025.
ESPN and NBC Sports moved to CT because it’s cheaper. Sports talent won't want to travel to LI. If Live Sports is what is driving the company forward, then one big, beautiful facility (Studios/Control Rooms/Operations/Talent) in CT might make some sense. If they are asking us to return to work doesn’t that mean the company wants in person collaboration, another reason to have everyone is one place.
@hx I agree NY is not going away. NY will always be the hub of business in America. But to say “ corporate” jobs are too expensive to move to LA makes no sense. That is literally the cheapest to move. Lawyers, accountants, assistants etc are just laptops. NY, LA or Timbuktu it wouldn’t matter. Wherever Ellison wants them. The infrastructure is in the cloud for them. They can start a project in NY and finish it in Cali in the same day.
@hx You are 100% correct. They are not moving "corporate" to California in the sense of jobs. It just might become the headquarters. They are actually considering low-cost locations to relocate jobs to, such as Nashville and Atlanta. They are not that cheap but some executives seem to think so.
@g8 no, again this idea that NY diminishes over time is not true. Uprooting corporate functions is too expensive. Not to mention nyc is still the advertising capital of the world, so that group stays. The BC and CCC are the technical hubs so all those corporate jobs remain on the east. The CFO is also in NY. Every other media company is split between NY and CA. Will there be a shift? Absolutely, but relax everyone.
@fk we have contacts that’s why we are still at 1515. Eventually those still employed in NY will end up at the BC. Most corporate jobs will be LA. As for CT being cheaper than NY thats a matter of opinion. CT is just as expensive. CBS Sports is run out of a 3rd party facility. More likely it moves to LI as well. Why pay a 3rd party when it can be done in house by people on the payroll. It will save the company more money.
What I don't understand is why they sold CBS Blackrock building and continue to pay rent at 1515 and other locations. Since covid, there is a lot of available office space in the Broadcast Center even if its temporary. If the West Coast is the new home, maybe they should consider moving out of the city and build a new facility and offices in CT. If they are trying to save money CT is cheaper than NY or LI. CBS Sport Network is already in CT.
@e8 They may not replace everyone at once or eliminate remote completely, but they can work towards reducing it over time. Jeff Shell's comment on "one and done" feels ridiculous as that would imply the business wouldn't go through layoffs ever again in 2026 - which is highly likely given we have new leadership and they are still working through things. No one can be trusted at this point.
There will be plenty of space in ny. Remember that’s where a lot of the soon to be eliminated cable and cbs news positions are. They have to keep some real estate in ny even if it’s not going to be the center of the world anymore. My guess is that as people leave (voluntarily or not) they will try to focus new hiring on the west coast unless it’s something that really needs to be in nyc.
@dx the point I'm making here is around turnaround for projects. The cadence we've been operating at for that app is very fast. If you eliminate remote workers with any sort of institutional knowledge especially on the tech side, you are asking the unfamiliar to step in and just expect the same output immediately. I can only imagine how poorly that app will tank itself without the proper personnel involved. It takes a long time for those to get onboarded, longer to find the right people, even longer if those doing the onboarding are flat out removed. Sure, we are all replaceable. But what I think people need to realize is that if they plan on removing all remote employees, hiring to replace them will be far more expensive than they realize. We have a lot legacy tech workers hired in a much lower rate than the current going rate.
This is why I don't think streaming won't be hit as hard as other departments. All rumors point to cable and news being affected the most. In two months, up to 15% of us will be gone - and when you look at it that way the odds are the most of us will be here December. I'm at least...hopeful?
@dx Agreed. They could outsource a ton the development and processes to Oracle or offshore teams - everyone can be replaced, it's a business. RTO is also going to weed out people that don't want to stay with the company. As for the offices, as leadership is based in LA, my guess is they will continue to build and grow leadership and teams there in the long-run. They could keep a smaller NY office or downsize the employee base there. This is all speculation, ofcourse. But there are a TON of ways they could end remote work.
@dh I'm going to play devil's advocate here. There could be office space with the amount of layoffs we have had over the last year and the upcoming round.
Also, in relation to the tech side of things, who is to say that app development won't be outsourced to Oracle or their partners? I'm not saying it is, but we can't just continue to say there is no space and everything will fall over if they lay off tech people.
Why don’t you all just come back to the office instead of complaining? With this kind of attitude, you should definitely be at the top of the list for layoffs. Ge-z.
@bs where is the Long Island facility? Is this something new? Which groups is this for?
It will be next to impossible to bring everyone back in the office. In addition to not having the space to do it, removing all remote workers on the tech side would be catastrophic. I don't think many are aware of the incredible backlog of work that needs to be done by the current staff in streaming. To remove all remote tech workers would grind the apps to complete halt. Pulling only LA/NY staff to continue working on the apps would take years to fill all of those lost positions, and at a higher salary then what is currently paid to those at Paramount now. Unless the plan is let Paramount+ and Pluto TV die in 2025, there is no conceivable way to execute RTO for streaming.
@az that’s simply not true, stop spreading that stuff
@az they already said they are not selling the NY BCC. They also have their Long Island play out facility. Plenty of room for the remaining NY employees to work. WFH was failed experiment for 75% business. Some tech and coding can be done from home. That’s about it.
The more I hear the more I really do think that aside from news, all of NY will be shut down.
We will be assigned the unemployment office.
With black curtains
One large white room, one large white table, one large white board.