ABC News stunned employees on Thursday by laying off several senior executives and restructuring its newsroom as part of a larger workforce reduction carried out by its parent company, Disney, according to people familiar with the situation.
Senior vice president of newsgathering Wendy Fisher, senior vice president of talent Galen Gordon, vice president of talent Mary Noonan, Los Angeles bureau chief David Herndon, vice president of communications Alison Rudnick, senior executive producer Chris Vlasto, and executive editorial producer Heather Riley were among those let go, according to people familiar with the situation.
The network’s staffers were taken aback by the C-suite bloodbath, according to people familiar with the situation.
Senior vice president of newsgathering Wendy Fisher, senior vice president of talent Galen Gordon, vice president of talent Mary Noonan, Los Angeles bureau chief David Herndon, vice president of communications Alison Rudnick, senior executive producer Chris Vlasto, and executive editorial producer Heather Riley were among those let go, according to people familiar with the situation.
Godwin announced the promotion of Katie den Daas, the London bureau chief, to vice president of newsgathering, and that executive vice president Derek Medina will now oversee talent strategy.
Stacia Deshishku, executive editor and senior vice president of news, will also oversee the investigating and enterprise units, according to Godwin.
“We will share more information about these teams and our plans in the coming days and weeks,” Godwin said.
The layoffs follow Disney CEO Bob Iger’s announcement last month that the media conglomerate would lay off approximately 7,000 employees. Iger stated this week that layoffs have begun and will take months to complete.
Disney and ABC News are not alone in cutting costs. The media and technology industries have been battered by harsh economic headwinds and uncertainty in recent months. Most major media and technology companies have made layoffs and downsizing decisions, as well as worked to reduce costs wherever possible.
