ABC NEWS ELIMINATES A QUARTER OF ITS EMPLOYEES

ABC News’s latest round of staff cutbacks — the most stringent in its history — ended on Tuesday with the firing of 22 employees after more than 300-400 other staffers and contract employees agreed to take voluntary buyouts, the Los Angeles Times reported today (Thursday), citing a source familiar with the process. The number who are departing the news division represents a quarter of its entire staff. In an email to employees on Wednesday, ABC News President David Westin wrote, “This has been a difficult time for everyone — and most especially for those who are leaving us. We wish them well and thank them for their service. Now it is time to look to the future. We have much yet to do as we move to make full use of what new technology makes possible and we implement fully the structural and organizational changes that we’ve begun throughout the division.” Among the changes: replacing full-time producers on its magazine shows Primetime and 20/20 with freelancers, eliminating camera crews and video editors, and converting many correspondents to reporter/videographers who edit their own footage.