Disney job cuts: ABC News President accused of not taking any questions while announcing layoffs at FiveThirtyEight
ABC News President Almin Karamehmedovic appeared to be reading from a script when he informed five thirty-eight staff members at the data-focused news site that 15 of their colleagues received termination notices.
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