ABC News Chief Sets New Mission and Structure As Division Seeks to Move on From Tough Layoffs
Karamehmedovic gathered ABC News employees at The Walt Disney Co.'s newly-opened New York City headquarters Tuesday in Hudson Square, taking questions and outlining his vision for the storied network news division. He also recapped the town hall in a note to staff, which The Hollywood Reporter obtained.
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A source says he fielded multiple questions about the layoffs, which saw 538 shuttered, the Nightline and 20/20 teams consolidated, the Good Morning America team consolidated under producer Simone Swink, and a merging of digital and social operations.
He also discussed the future of GMA3, the early afternoon spinoff of the morning program, and said that it was there to stay, despite the merging of teams.
'This is not easy. The entire industry has been challenged, and restructuring the way we operate has, unfortunately, had an impact on some of our colleagues,' he wrote to staff. 'We thank them again for their professionalism, dedication and meaningful contributions.'
Karamehmedovic told employees that ABC News was restructuring around three 'pillars': '24/7 live and breaking news,' in an effort to ensure that ABC News is the default choice on linear, streaming, digital and social for anyone seeking information on news happening now; 'signature shows,' including GMA, World News Tonight, The View, Tamron Hall, and This Week; and 'longform storytelling,' built around 20/20, Nightline, and ABC News Studios.
He also laid out three 'priorities' for the news division going forward, including a mission to 'preserve and expand our audience by reaching our viewers wherever they are,'; 'Streamline and strengthen our operations to collaborate better in service of the news.,'; and 'execute and deliver for our audience with excellence.'
He framed the ABC News mission as being about 'straightforward journalism.'
'We were called to journalism because we believe in its value in society,' he wrote. 'The role of an independent press is essential, and we cannot take this for granted. For 70 years, ABC News has delivered exceptional reporting, interviews and analysis — this is why audiences turn to us. We must continue to prove our value to protect our future. We must earn their trust every single day by providing straightforward journalism.'
Of course the ABC News cuts come as TV news writ large is facing a cash crunch, as cord-cutting impacts the bottom lines of cable news outlets (Fox News seeming to be the only exception for now), while network news divisions deal with a fracturing linear audience and a digital audience that isn't quite making up for those linear losses.
The result, across companies, is more consolidation and merging of teams, smaller pay packages for top talent, and even a rethinking of programming strategy.
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