This article was originally published on NY Post - Media. You can read the original article HERE
ABC News and its local stations group got hit with 75 job cuts Wednesday as part of an ongoing restructuring at parent company Disney.
ABC News president Almin Karamehmedovic broke the news to staffers in a memo obtained by The Post, telling them that the network has had to make some “tough decisions.”
“Across the various ranks of ABC News, a limited number of our colleagues are being impacted by staff reductions,” he said. “As you know this has been happening across the broader company and the industry at large in recent weeks and months.”
The exec — who was promoted to the role of president in August after serving as executive producer of top-ranked “World News Tonight with David Muir” — said his task is “shaping a team that embraces the new media landscape” who “evolve along with it.”
“As we look to the future and refining a team that is not only capable of excellence in reporting and delivering the highest quality content but is also streamlined and sustainable, we must occasionally make some tough decisions. Unfortunately, today is one of those days,” he wrote.
ABC News did not comment on the layoffs.
A source familiar with the situation confirmed that the layoffs impacted 75 jobs across ABC News and ABC’s stations group, split about evenly.
The source added that no on-air talent has been impacted at either division.
Programming will not be impacted and no entire teams will be eliminated, the person said, adding that the company is making the changes to be “sustainable, efficient and future-forward.”
“It’s no secret that our industry is undergoing a transformation unlike any other, and we’re seeing headlines every day about streamlining across every major media company,” Chad Matthews, president of ABC-owned TV stations, wrote in the memo.
“Nothing is going to change our commitment to viewers as we evolve our organization to meet the challenges of today and in the future.”
Under CEO Bob Iger, Disney has been in the throes of cost cuts and restructuring in recent months.
Last month, the company made cuts to its corporate structure and reorganized its TV studios group, with all its scripted programming being folded into one division. The overhaul included ABC Signature studio being shuttered and folded into 20th Television.
In late July, The Post reported that staffers at ABC News’ “Good Morning America” were bracing for layoffs amid demands to reduce its bottom line ahead of the close of Disney’s fiscal year on Sept. 30.
Aside from outright cuts, sources said “GMA” and the network’s other shows can deploy local reporters instead of sending national correspondents to cover events — an increasingly common practice at penny-pinching rivals like CBS News.
ABC News was also likely to employ a hiring freeze and not fill listed open jobs, one of sources said.
At the time of the report, layoffs hit Disney’s TV group, slashing 140 jobs at its networks including NatGeo and Freeform.
Earlier this year, Disney-owned animation studio Pixar slashed some 175 jobs and last year, the Mouse House underwent a massive reorganization, cutting roughly 7,000 jobs.
This article was originally published by NY Post - Media. We only curate news from sources that align with the core values of our intended conservative audience. If you like the news you read here we encourage you to utilize the original sources for even more great news and opinions you can trust!
Comments