On Monday morning, ABC News boss Kim Godwin informed staffers on the network’s daily editorial call that ABC News will need to implement a hiring freeze, with the exception of executive producers and producers.
Godwin added that business travel—outside of newsgathering—will also be frozen.
The announcement comes in light of a memo Disney boss Bob Chapek sent to division leaders last Friday.
“We are limiting headcount additions through a targeted hiring freeze,” Chapek said in a memo. “Hiring for the small subset of the most critical, business-driving positions will continue, but all other roles are on hold. Your segment leaders and HR teams have more specific details on how this will apply to your teams.”
What about layoffs? According to CNN’s Oliver Darcy in his Reliable Sources newsletter, Godwin told staffers that avoiding cuts is simply not something that she can promise since Disney has established a “cost structure task force” to search for savings. According to Darcy, Godwin told staff that new Disney General Entertainment Content chief Dana Walden is a member of that task force and is a “major advocate for news.”