ABC and Disney to layoff hundreds, merge shows – Washington Examiner
ABC news and Disney entertainment are set to lay off approximately 200 employees as part of a strategic reorganization aimed at streamlining operations. This decision was confirmed in a memo from ABC News President Almin Karamehmedovic, who stated that the changes, although challenging, are necessary for future-proofing the organization. The layoffs primarily affect the ABC News division, leading to the merger of certain programs, including “20/20” and “Nightline,” and a consolidation of the “Good Morning America” and “GMA 3” shows. The company is also discontinuing FiveThirtyEight,a data unit that experienced a decline after its founder Nate silver left in 2023. This restructuring is seen as a response to the evolving media landscape and aims to better align digital and social operations across the organization. Additionally, layoffs may extend to disney’s cable channels, Freeform and FX, as part of the broader changes.
ABC News and Disney Entertainment to lay off hundreds, merge shows
The Walt Disney Company is set to lay off roughly 200 employees in its ABC News Group and Disney Entertainment Networks unit.
A memo from ABC News President Almin Karamehmedovic to employees confirmed the changes happening in the company.
The memo noted that the company is looking to streamline its operations.
“Rethinking the way we work to future-proof our team regrettably includes reductions to our extraordinary staff,” Karamehmedovic said in the memo. “These decisions are incredibly challenging and today will undoubtedly be difficult for our organization.”
The company is looking to further align its digital and social operations by integrating teams with newsgathering, shows, and owned stations.
The strategic reorganization of the company’s teams will affect less than 6% of the workforce, a source shared with the Washington Examiner.
The majority of the layoffs will be in the ABC News division, which will restrict and merge the 20/20 and Nightline programs and consolidate the Good Morning America and GMA 3 programs.
ABC News and George Stephanopoulos, co-anchor of Good Morning America and This Week, recently agreed to pay President Donald Trump $16 million in a defamation lawsuit.
The company will also end FiveThirtyEight, the data unit formerly used as a polling depot for elections. The website was founded by statistician Nate Silver and diminished in relevance after he left the political, data-driven news site in 2023. Many of his fans followed him to his Substack.
Silver responded to the site shutting down on Tuesday night.
“Oh geez, I just saw the news about 538. My heart goes out to the people there. They were tremendously hard-working and produced a lot of extremely valuable data and insight for everyone who wants to understand politics better. They deserved much better,” he said on X.
On social platform BlueSky, another former 538 staffer said, “FiveThirtyEight was such a wonderful place to work, filled with some of the most supportive, creative, and thoughtful coworkers a person could ask for. Most of us were laid off in 2023, but the remaining staff deserved (and deserve) better.”
Disney is also reportedly laying off some employees from its cable channels, Freeform and FX.
STEPHANOPOULOS, ABC NEWS ORDERED TO APOLOGIZE, PAY $15 MILLION IN TRUMP DEFAMATION LAWSUIT
Following Trump’s election, the media landscape has seen numerous shake-ups in their lineups.
Andrea Mitchell stepped down from hosting her daily MSNBC show on Feb. 7. CNN’s Jim Acosta announced on Jan. 28 about leaving the network, and NBC’s Chuck Todd in February also revealed his departure.
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