ABC News Eliminating It's Political Unit 538

ABC News Group, a division of the Walt Disney Company, is shutting down its political unit, 538, which focuses on polling, surveys, and data analysis, as part of a larger round of layoffs.

The layoffs will affect approximately 200 employees, accounting for less than 6% of the workforce across ABC News Group and the Disney Entertainment Networks division. Specifically, 15 staff members from 538 will lose their positions.

The decision aligns with a broader consolidation strategy, which also involves adjustments to ABC’s on-air programming.

On Wednesday morning, shortly after sending an all-staff memo announcing layoffs at ABC News, network president Almin Karamehmedovic joined a virtual meeting with the FiveThirtyEight team. The 15 staffers at the political analysis site owned by ABC News had learned the previous evening—via a Wall Street Journal report—that they were being let go. Now, they were hearing it from Karamehmedovic himself.

But Karamehmedovic, like other managers carrying out mass layoffs at ABC News that day, had little to say about it. According to Oliver Darcy at Status he appeared to be reading from a script as he delivered the devastating news. He offered no explanation for why the Disney-owned network had decided to shutter FiveThirtyEight, which it acquired in 2018 along with data whiz and then-editor Nate Silver.

As part of these changes, the network plans to combine its “20/20” and “Nightline” programs into a single broadcast segment. Additionally, the “Good Morning America” production team will be streamlined, with oversight consolidated under one manager, Simone Swink.

Seni Tienabeso has been appointed to the newly created position of Vice President of ABC News Live, overseeing certain specialized units.

Last fall, ABC eliminated roughly 75 jobs under the direction of Almin Karamehmedovic, who became president of the network in August of the previous year.

Disney Entertainment Networks is also expected to see staff reductions due to declining ratings, according to The Wall Street Journal.