It's been a shocker of a week for Are Media.

As concerns grow over whether the publisher's stable of magazines will ever find a buyer, Inside Mail understands there was staff bloodletting this week.

On Monday, insiders reported several key staff going in and out of meetings with human resources. Some editorial directors were even said to be in tears.

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The next day, news of departures began to circulate: three redundancies from the picture desk, cuts at The Australian Women's Weekly, the publisher's most prestigious title, and confirmation that head of marketing Carly Bowra had been let go.

Other exits we've heard of include Clare Catt and Sarah Cooper from the creative team. The layoffs were apparently a mix of 'top-end salaries' and junior staff. 

There was one promotion amid the layoffs: Jocelin Abbey was appointed Director of Content and Commercial Growth, having previously served as GM of Homes and Lifestyle.

Before joining Are, Abbey held senior audience and marketing leadership roles at Mamamia (briefly), The Guardian and the ABC.

In total, we're told there are 30 redundancies - but this figure is not confirmed. Inside Mail has contacted Are Media's external comms team for comment and clarification.

Worried staff had been told 'restructuring' was coming - meaning fewer people, more work, more pressure to resist unstoppable market trends. 

Sources say that staff who aren't being let go are instead being offered 'reduced roles' - which, some are viewing as 'same job, less pay'. 

A company-wide announcement was made on Wednesday afternoon via a seven-minute call on Microsoft Teams.

Eagle began the meeting by telling all staff to turn off their microphones then read from a script. 

'Decisions that affect our people are never easy. I take them very personally,' Eagle said, according to a staff member on the call.

She asked employees to approach 'changes' with 'respect, care, empathy and maturity'.

Eagle then 'smoke-bombed' out of there, a source said. Apparently her closing words were, 'That's all from me.'

'She could not have got off the call any faster,' added our insider.

The layoffs come after the company's new CEO Sally Eagle - described by insiders as ambitious and a believer in AI - succeeded Jane Huxley in the top job.

Eagle's appointment was overshadowed internally when staff learned that her 'ambitious renovation' of her Northern Beaches house was splashed across the pages of Belle, a property magazine within the Are Media portfolio.

At the time, we heard that union members battling management for a pay rise weren't exactly thrilled to see glossy spreads of Eagle's sprawling coastal home, complete with terraced gardens and a sparkling pool.

Meanwhile, Are Media continues its search for a buyer.

Last month, Eagle told The Australian the company would not be selling off titles as individual brands and that the sale remained an all-or-nothing package deal.

Are Media is owned by private equity group Mercury Capital, which bought the titles for under $50million in 2020.

In a statement to the Mail on Wednesday, Are Media confirmed that a 'limited restructure' had taken place, with marketing functions moving closer to individual content verticals and brands.

'As a result of these changes, Director of Marketing Carly Bowra will depart the business,' the company added.

Eagle said of Bowra's exit: 'As we look to drive growth across the business we have made the decision to move marketing to more closely align with our content verticals. 

'This will enable individual brands to respond faster, operate with clear ownership and deliver greater impact for both audiences and advertisers.

'I would like to thank Carly for her contribution over the past two and a half years and wish her well for the future.'