The employees had known about job terminations in the company after a Wall Street Journal report. Karamehmedovic followed a prepared statement during the meeting while fielding no questions nor offering any information about Disney’s decision to discontinue FiveThirtyEight operations, according to the Status newsletter.
The statement ended with a handshake before HR representatives took over communication duties. Team access to ABC News systems ended immediately following the staff meeting as the FiveThirtyEight website disappeared from the internet.
ABC News and Disney layoffs impact multiple departments
The shutdown of FiveThirtyEight represents one aspect of syndicated job cuts currently underway at ABC News and Disney Entertainment Networks. The recent layoffs have removed about 6 percent of the workforce from both units and affected 200 workers. The majority of workers who lost their jobs worked at the ABC News office in New York.
ABC News plans to restructure its programming while it brings an end to the operations at FiveThirtyEight. Under a new leadership model, both 20/20 and Nightline programs, along with their teams, will join together as one unit. TV host Simone Swink has taken charge of the entire Good Morning America broadcast to lead the third hour alongside its morning program counterparts. The specialized units of ABC News Live, along with other departments, now fall under the supervision of Vice President Seni Tienabeso. Executive producer Catherine McKenzie of GMA3 also left the production company as a result of the program restructuring.
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Uncertainty surrounds FiveThirtyEight’s legacy
The closure of FiveThirtyEight will not stop ABC News from delivering political polling coverage throughout its other sites. There are doubts about whether G. Elliott Morris will continue at ABC News after FiveThirtyEight’s operations cease, and the fate of FiveThirtyEight’s substantial political data remains unknown.
Through social media, Morris pointed out that political data journalism suffered a major setback with this decision, which he deeply regretted.
Employees express shock and frustration
ABC News staff members experience widespread disruption due to mass layoff procedures that people describe as “a massacre.” Staff members at Manhattan offices showed visible signs of distress while comparing the workplace atmosphere to the dangerous elements of “Squid Game.”
Staff at Disney Entertainment Networks, which oversees Disney Channel FX and Freeform, must reduce their planning and scheduling groups. ABC is uniting its social media and digital editorial staff members with its broadcast and news gathering departments.
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After implementing major budget reductions at FiveThirtyEight, there is no approved explanation from Disney regarding why they decided to eliminate the publication.
FAQs:
1. Why did ABC News shut down FiveThirtyEight?
FiveThirtyEight was shut down as part of Disney’s company-wide cost-cutting measures, which resulted in the layoffs of 200 employees across ABC News and Disney Entertainment Networks.
2. Will ABC News continue providing political data analysis?
Yes, ABC News has stated that it will continue political data analysis and polling coverage, but the future of FiveThirtyEight’s existing data collection remains unclear.
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