Walt Disney Company has announced that it plans to restructure its ABC News division by cutting more than 20 per cent of its staff.
The 300-400 jobs on the chopping block will the most substantial firing since David Westin became president of ABC News 13 years ago, reports Reuters.
Westin said the operation needed to re-examine how it carried out its role and anticipate change rather than respond to it.
“When we are finished, many job descriptions will be different, different skill sets may be required, and, yes, we will likely have substantially fewer people on staff at ABC News,” Westin said in a memo to staff.
To help ease the transition, ABC was offering voluntary separation packages to full-time, U.S.-based, non-union, non-contract employees.
The response to that offer will determine how much more ABC will need to cut, said Westin.
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