Layoffs Hit ABC News as Disney Restructures

ABC News and the ABC stations group were impacted by layoffs Wednesday, part of an ongoing round of restructuring at The Walt Disney Co.

Some 75 staffers at ABC News and at ABC’s owned local TV stations will be let go, The Hollywood Reporter has learned, split about evenly between the national news organization and the station group. No programming will be impacted, and no entire teams will be eliminated, but the company is making the changes to be “sustainable, efficient and future-forward,” per someone familiar with the decision.

ABC News president Almin Karmehmedovic and ABC stations chief Chad Matthews announced the restructuring in memos to their teams Wednesday.

“As you know, this has been happening across the broader company and the industry at large in recent weeks and months,” Karmehmedovic wrote. “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.”

“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,” he wrote. “Unfortunately, today is one of those days.”

“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,” Matthews rote. “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.”

“Local news is the lifeblood of every market, and we are fortunate to have so many talented teams across the country invested in the communities the way that you are,” he continued. “Nothing is going to change our commitment to viewers as we evolve our organization to meet the challenges of today and in the future.”