Disney Layoffs Will Affect 75 Staffers at ABC News, Local Stations

Approximately 75 staffers in Disney‘s ABC News and local-station operations will be laid off, part of a series of moves across the large media conglomerate that aim to cut costs amid a difficult operating environment.

Employees were notified Wednesday of the staff reductions, according to a person familiar with the matter, and the number of jobs affected is believed to be split evenly between the national newsgathering arm and the local-media business. Disney’s ABC owns eight stations in cities such as New York, Los Angeles, Philadelphia and San Francisco. ABC News is responsible for flagship ABC programs including “Good Morning America” and “World News Tonight.”

Disney has been examining its staffing and operations and has cut employees in other parts of its portfolio in recent weeks. In late September, the company eliminated about 300 jobs across different corporate departments. On Monday, the company combined some of its TV studios, merging teams previously assigned to develop scripted comedy or dram at ABC or Hulu.

“Across the various ranks of ABC News, a limited number of our colleagues are being impacted by staff reductions. As you know, this has been happening across the broader company and the industry at large in recent weeks and months,” said Almin Karamehmedovic, president of ABC News, in a note to employees Wednesday. “For us, it means shaping a team that embraces the new media landscape and evolves along with it, which we must do to continue serving our viewers.”

“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,” said Chad Matthews, president of ABC’s station group, in a memo Wednesday. “While we’re not immune to the pressures facing this business today, we have been — and will continue to be — strategic with decisions about our organization’s future. 

Like its rivals, Disney is grappling with a transformation of the media business, which faces a fast migration of viewers from linear TV to streaming-video services. While Disney operates streaming hubs such as Hulu and Disney+, and is developing a new ESPN stand-alone service, it does so as the economics of traditional TV, which is based on ad sales and transmission fees, are eroding.

None of the anchors assigned to ABC News’ most popular programs are expected to be affected at present, according to the person familiar with the matter. Executives believe the layoffs will not affect any national or local programming and no specific employee teams or groups are being eliminated as part of the downsizing.