ABC News staffers are bracing for imminent layoffs while the division will restructure its programming including the merging of its “20/20” and “Nightline” programs and the consolidation of its “Good Morning America” productions, according to reports.
The Walt Disney Co. is set to lay off around 200 people from its ABC News Group division as well as its Disney Entertainment Networks unit — a move that constitutes cutting some 6% of the combined staff of the two units, according to the Wall Street Journal.
Almin Karamehmedovic, president of ABC News, circulated a memo to employees on Wednesday morning confirming the changes.
“As we’ve often talked about, streamlining our operation to best serve our viewers and continue to position ourselves as a leading news organization has been a goal for some time,” the ABC News boss wrote in the email, a copy of which was obtained by The Post.
“Rethinking the way we work to future-proof our team regrettably includes reductions to our extraordinary staff,” Karamehmedovic wrote, adding: “These decisions are incredibly challenging and today will undoubtedly be difficult for our organization.”
The ABC News president added that “it bears repeating how profoundly grateful and proud I am to be leading a truly remarkable team that consistently delivers the best our profession has to offer.”
“As we look ahead, I remain confident in our ability to continue to set the bar for journalistic excellence. I am so proud of all that you do,” he wrote in the memo.
A source told The Post that the layoffs will be announced on Thursday and that staffers at “World News Tonight” will also be affected.
The reported changes at ABC News first appeared in Oliver Darcy’s Status newsletter on Wednesday.
The Post has sought comment from ABC News and Disney.
One casualty of the cost-cutting measure is the FiveThirtyEight data news site — the operation founded by Nate Silver which came to prominence in the 2008 and 2012 elections for accurately predicting the results.
According to the Journal, the entire site is being axed and all 15 of its employees will be handed pink slips.
ABC is also planning to consolidate “Good Morning America” and its third hour, “GMA3,” into one production unit, according to the report.
One ABC staffer told Status that “people are freaked” as it wasn’t clear when the layoffs would be announced this week.
Disney is also laying off employees at its Disney Entertainment Networks, which oversees cable channels including Freeform and FX.
ABC News is navigating major industry-wide changes and internal restructuring efforts.
The Disney-owned network is among several major media companies facing mounting pressure to adjust to the decline of traditional television while making a stronger push into digital platforms.
However, uncertainty surrounding ABC News’ long-term direction, along with concerns about potential staff reductions, has created unease within the organization for months.
Last fall, ABC News and its local stations group got hit with 75 job cuts as part of an ongoing restructuring at parent company Disney.
Given the financial pressures on Disney and the broader media landscape, ABC News has been examining ways to streamline operations and shift resources toward its digital transformation.
A key focus of this shift has been “GMA,” which remains a flagship program for the network.
ABC News executives have been working to improve the show’s ratings, which have recently trailed NBC’s “Today” show.
The network has also been rattled by turmoil surrounding Disney’s decision to settle a defamation lawsuit brought against it by President Donald Trump.
Last month, The Post reported that “GMA” host George Stephanopoulos, one of the network’s most prominent figures, has been feeling “miserable” after being required to apologize as part of a defamation settlement related to President Trump.
Sources within the network suggest that speculation is growing over who might succeed Stephanopoulos should he depart.
Talk of his possible exit has been circulating since December, when Disney settled a defamation lawsuit stemming from Stephanopoulos’ incorrect on-air claim that Trump had been “found liable for rape” in a case brought by journalist E. Jean Carroll.
Trump was found liable for sexual abuse, not rape.
As a condition of the settlement, Stephanopoulos was obligated to issue a public apology—an action that has reportedly left him frustrated and unhappy.
