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ABC Cuts Jobs Across the Board

Jan 29, 2009  •  Post A Comment

In another sign of how the struggling economy is affecting the television business, the Disney-ABC Television Group on Wednesday announced that it was cutting jobs across the board.
Layoffs had already quietly begun at the company, insiders said.
In all, about 200 people are expected to lose their jobs and another 200 currently unfilled positions will be eliminated. With Disney-ABC’s workforce at between 6,500 and 7,000 employees, about 2.5% of its current staff is being eliminated.
More cuts may be coming. ABC said last week that it was merging the ABC Network entertainment division with its television studio. That combination is likely to result in redundancies and streamlining. ABC’s Steve McPherson, now in charge of both units, said he plans to evaluate the new operation for a few months before making changes there.
The ABC cuts were across the board, with staffers being eliminated in both New York and Los Angeles, and in divisions including programming, news and cable.
In a memo to the company, Anne Sweeney, co-chair of Disney Media Networks and president of Disney-ABC Television Group, said, “After months of making hard decisions across our businesses to help us adjust to a weakening economy, we’re now faced with the harsh reality of having to eliminate jobs in some areas.”
She added, “This was not an easy decision, nor one made lightly. The people affected today are our friends and colleagues, and we are doing all we can for them and their families during what we know will be a difficult transition.”
In her memo, Ms. Sweeney said, “I realize this is an extremely difficult day for everyone in our group. But despite the challenges before us, I remain confident and optimistic about our future, because you really are the best team in the business.”

4 Comments

  1. can managers please be first to go.why is always subodinate staff have to go.why so others remain and others go home

  2. Love all the opinions expressed here! How is everyone? Love how everyone expresses whatr they feel 🙂

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  4. I would like to start my own blog one day. This was a really nice blog that you made here. Keep up the success 😛

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