ABC News to trim 35 jobs over 2 years
In another round of bad news for TV journalism, ABC News said Friday that it would eliminate about 35 jobs over the next two years despite recent gains in ratings and advertising.
ABC’s “World News” with Charles Gibson has overtaken rival “NBC Nightly News” for the top spot in evening network newscasts. Additionally, ABC sales executives this week concluded their advanced advertising sales by achieving double-digit rate increases for spots in ABC news programs.
In a memo to employees, ABC News President David Westin noted the paradox of cutting when the news division is enjoying success. But he said, “We’re dealing from strength, and that makes it all the more important to act now.”
Although the Walt Disney Co. division will consolidate operations and shed positions, Westin said ABC would add people in its digital operation.
“We will also be looking at smart ways to increase our news gathering, particularly overseas,” he said. “We’ve already posted new openings for India, Australia, Iran and Brazil.”
ABC’s main competitor, NBC News, is making more dramatic cuts, eliminating as many as 400 jobs over two years.
Those moves come amid the scaling back of newsrooms at the Los Angeles Times, the San Jose Mercury News and other newspapers.
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