Staff Reports
Disney, once the magical kingdom of entertainment, is now cutting its workforce with the kind of enthusiasm usually reserved for a clearance sale at a half-empty store. On Wednesday, the company slashed approximately 140 employees from Disney Entertainment Television, representing about 2 percent of the unit’s workforce. The cuts were felt most acutely at National Geographic, which saw 60 employees shown the door. This raises questions about priorities for a company that invested millions in producing more Avengers movies while gutting the actual content that informs viewers about our world.
CEO Bob Iger has made it clear that Disney is tightening its financial belt, particularly in the realm of pay-TV content. Iger believes they’ve poured “too much” into streaming, a phrase that perhaps does not quite capture the auditory crunch of precision layoffs. The beloved Pixar Animation shared in the pain earlier this year, with 175 of its workers bidding farewell to the animated world. Over the past year, Disney’s global layoffs have soared to about a staggering 220,000. With numbers like that, it’s hard not to feel as if the company should be offering buy-one-get-one-free deals on employee exits.
Disney Hit with Layoffs as CEO Seeks to Change Strategy (https://t.co/416ax8awij)
— Noelle (@Noelle912493558) August 1, 2024
Most of the Disney layoffs will occur in Los Angeles, with a few unlucky souls also finding themselves in New York City and Washington, D.C. While many may wonder what led to these cuts, a Twitter user mused about the mysterious forces at play, jokingly asking who exactly swung the axe on Disney. If only they knew that the weapon wielded sharpened by executives’ poor financial decisions was a perfect storm of bad investments and questionable content direction.
In the midst of this chaos, there are whispers that the layoffs are far from over. ABC is expected to feel the pinch, with a significant budget cut looming over “Good Morning America.” A source suggested that the popular morning show needs to slash $19 million from its budget before the end of Disney’s fiscal year on September 30. While on-camera talent might escape unscathed, many behind-the-scenes staffers could find themselves receiving their pink slips instead.
Interestingly, a recent insider indicated that “Good Morning America” may not be contributing quality content worth keeping around. Apparently, live segments and commercials have won out over well-researched, taped pieces. It’s a curious state of affairs when a show that’s supposed to deliver the latest news might get cut for failing to offer anything of substance. So as Disney grapples with the fallout from its budgetary misadventures, the hope remains that they invest in staff who can actually deliver on the promises of family-friendly programming instead of counting the cash from superhero flicks.
