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An undisclosed number of employees were laid off Wednesday at Viacom’s Cmt cabler as part of the integration of the Nashville-based operation with the MTV group headed by Chris McCarthy.

Among the senior executives leaving the cabler in the restructuring are marketing chief Anthony Barton and Nashville office head Suzanne Norman. Most of the pinkslips went to employees working in marketing and functions that will be absorbed largely by existing staffers in the group that encompasses MTV, VH1, Logo and Cmt. Nina Diaz, group president of programming and development, will oversee programming for the cabler once known as the Nashville Network.

McCarthy’s plans for revitalizing Cmt include boosting the channel’s focus on the culture and personalities in Nashville, with programming and live events that reflect the spirit of the country music Mecca. Earlier this week the cabler ordered the game show “Nashville Squares,” a Music City spin on the “Hollywood Squares” format.

With Cmt being integrated into the Music Group, the Viacom network is eliminating several positions in the Nashville operations of Cmt.

Deadline has learned that the effort to streamline departments such as scheduling, communications and marketing is resulting in a number of positions being eliminated. The majority of positions are in marketing.

Anthony Barton, head of Cmt marketing, and Suzanne Norman, head of our Nashville office, are both exiting.

A person familiar with the reorganization emphasized that the Cmt brand (formerly Country Music Television) is not straying from its roots despite the layoffs. The network’s building in Music City will remain and many of the programming initiatives will affirm the connection to the cradle of country.

Last fall, Chris McCarthy added Cmt to his portfolio in a restructuring by Viacom, expanding his role as President of MTV, VH1 and Logo to include Cmt.

In a memo to employees,...

Layoffs struck Cmt on Wednesday as part of a company reorg, TheWrap has learned. Anthony Barton, the head of Cmt marketing, and Suzanne Norman, the head of its Nashville office, are among those out.

A number of employees — we’re told in the double digits — had their positions eliminated today, with the majority of the job cuts coming in the former Country Music Television’s marketing department. Other departments hit include music, scheduling, communications and events, as the groups move toward full integration into Viacom’s music group, which also houses MTV, VH1 and Logo.

A “significant” number of employees in those departments will remain, a network insider told us. The restructuring is for growth potential and is not unlike what MTV went through a few years ago.

Also Read: Cmt Orders Nashville Version of 'Hollywood Squares' (Exclusive)

Chris McCarthy, the president of MTV, VH1, Logo and Cmt, sent the...

Cmt is the latest Viacom network to clean house.

MTV, VH1, Logo and Cmt president Chris McCarthy is consolidating a number of groups at the niche cable network, with multiple people — including chief marketing officer Anthony Barton — being laid off.

Cmt's marketing, music, scheduling, communication, music and events teams will be fully integrated into McCarthy's Music Group, which also includes MTV, VH1 and Logo. A number of employees are being let go. Sources say the majority of layoffs will be in the marketing group. Current MTV, VH1 and Logo Cmo Jacqueline Parks (who also oversees the recently ...