Penske Media Corporation (PMC), owner of iconic publications Billboard, Rolling Stone, and Variety, carried out a fresh round of layoffs this month, affecting numerous writers, editors, and analysts across the outlets as part of ongoing "realignment" and cost-cutting measures.
The cuts, which began quietly in early December and intensified the week of December 13–18, hit just before the holidays.
At Rolling Stone, staffers including longtime writer Brittany Spanos (11 years, with three 2025 cover stories) and Andre Gee (three years) were let go. Variety lost senior entertainment writer Adam B. Vary and associate news editor J. Kim Murphy, among others. Billboard saw significant departures, such as editors Robert Levine and Steve Knopper, senior director Dave Brooks, lead analyst Glenn Peoples, and executive editor Frank DiGiacomo.
These reductions continue a pattern of staff cuts at PMC throughout 2025, following earlier rounds—including September layoffs at Rolling Stone (e.g., executive digital director Lisa Tozzi and chief television critic Alan Sepinwall)—and a controversial August return-to-office mandate requiring four in-office days per week starting October, viewed by some as indirect attrition encouragement.
Industry sources tie the moves to broader digital media challenges, including declining web traffic partly blamed on AI-generated search summaries (PMC is among publishers suing Google over alleged content theft and traffic diversion), advertising slowdowns, and shifting consumption habits amid a difficult year for media employment. Affected staffers shared their exits on social media, expressing gratitude while noting the abrupt timing.