Disgruntled staff at ABC News were called into a tense meeting on Tuesday afternoon, where the network’s new boss announced major changes and side-stepped when asked about further layoffs.
ABC News chief Almin Karamehmedovic held a much-anticipated town hall, in which he ‘laid out his plans for the future’, a source told DailyMail.com.
Many staff members have recently been left in limbo after brutal layoffs ‘gutted’ their newsroom – but insiders have now insisted rumors that Good Morning America 3 is set to be axed are not true.
The meeting saw Karamehmedovic announce ABC’s news output would be split into three divisions – Live and Breaking News, Signature Shows, and Longform Storytelling.
And the boss vowed, in an emailed memo obtained by DailyMail.com, that the embattled network would ‘earn the trust’ of its readers with ‘straightforward journalism.’
When he was asked directly if there were more cuts coming, Karamehmedovic dodged the question – which ‘did not go unnoticed,’ according to Status News.
Worried staffers were ‘left with more questions than answers,’ the newsletter reported.
However, a source told DailyMail.com that despite reports of ABC staff being left in tears after 200 employees were laid off earlier this month, some are seeing the moment as a ‘fresh start.’
ABC News boss Almin Karamehmedovic (pictured) ‘laid out his plans for the future’ of the network this week following layoffs, announcing a major restructuring of the company’s news divisions
The show’s star co-hosts TJ Holmes and Amy Robach were dramatically pulled from the air in December 2022 when DailyMail.com exposed their extramarital affair
‘(Karamehmedovic) talked about this restructuring in November, saying there would be two stages. This was just the final stage,’ the insider added. ‘The mood is hopeful, this is a fresh start.’
Rumors swirled that GMA3, the afternoon spin-off of the popular Good Morning America flagship show, would be axed days after its staff was ‘entirely gutted’ in a brutal round of layoffs, but the source insisted: ‘GMA3 is here to stay, the third hour isn’t going anywhere.’
While network insiders insist that GMA3 will stay, but will now be run by the core Good Morning America staff, others are less convinced.
It comes almost seven years since the spin-off first aired in 2018, and two years on from when star co-hosts TJ Holmes and Amy Robach were dramatically pulled from the air in December 2022 when DailyMail.com exposed their extramarital affair.
At the time, Robach was married to actor Andrew Shue, while Holmes was married to attorney Marilee Fiebig, with the scandal resulting in them both losing their much-sought-after spots.
Two years on from the scandal that rocked the network, ABC was upended earlier this month as around 200 staffers across ABC and other Disney-owned divisions were laid off.
Status reported at the time that staffers were seen weeping in ABC’s Manhattan offices as workers tried to piece together who was next on the chopping block.
Karamehmedovic previously addressed staff as the round of layoffs were announced, where he conceded the losses will ‘undoubtedly be difficult for our organization.’
Staff who faced the ax were told their redundancies were taking effect on May 10 and were handed a severance package that included normal pay for 60 days as well as an additional week per year served, according to Status.
Sources told the outlet how there’s been ‘some frustration’ with those packages, due to staffers being given ‘two weeks per year served’ in previous firings.
Following Tuesday’s town hall, Karamehmedovic sent a memo to staff in an email obtained by DailyMail.com, where he acknowledged the layoffs were ‘not easy.’
The entire industry has been challenged, and restructuring the way we operate has, unfortunately, had an impact on some of our colleagues. We thank them again for their professionalism, dedication and meaningful contributions,’ he wrote.
Staff at ABC News’ New York City offices, where flagship show Good Morning America is filmed, were reportedly left in tears after mass layoffs hit earlier this month
Pictured, current GMA3 hosts DeMarco Morgan and Eva Pilgrim. Staff at the show – spun-off from the similarly stylized morning show in 2018 – have reportedly been ‘gutted’ by layoffs, but insiders insist it will not be taken off the air
Rumors of the end of GMA3 comes two years after hosts TJ Holmes and Amy Robach’s cozy upstate getaway ultimately ousted them from the network
Karamehmedovic – named president in August after helming the network’s other prized broadcast ‘World News Tonight’ – wrote in the memo that as the network looks ahead, he vowed to focus on ‘straightforward journalism.’
‘We were called to journalism because we believe in its value in society. The role of an independent press is essential, and we cannot take this for granted,’ he wrote.
‘For 70 years, ABC News has delivered exceptional reporting, interviews and analysis — this is why audiences turn to us. We must continue to prove our value to protect our future. We must earn their trust every single day by providing straightforward journalism.’
As part of a major restructuring, the network’s news division will be split into three pillars: live and breaking news; signature shows; and longform storytelling.
But while some say the moves are seen as an ‘optimistic’ and ‘fresh start’, the mood among staff inside the network is reportedly more somber than Karamehmedovic’s email would suggest.
‘It’s a very somber scene in the building – people crying and upset,’ one staffer told Status as ABC’s Manhattan office reacted to the all-staff memo announcing the layoffs.
‘Lots of panicked phone calls between staffers trying to make sense of it.’
The Good Morning America teams were consolidated into one crew, with 20/0, Nightline and Impact x Nightline now also operating under a single leadership structure.
ABC News veteran Audrey Taylor (pictured) was promoted to vice president of talent strategy and development on Monday
Amid the mass layoffs, staff at ABC News were reportedly left incensed as veteran broadcast executive Audrey Taylor was named as vice president of talent and development.
Previously serving as director of bureau planning and strategy in Washington DC, Taylor was relocated to the New York City office where hundreds of staffers were just laid off.
Outraged staff slated her promotion to Page Six, saying: ‘No one knows who she is! She doesn’t know the talent. The hire was shocking to everyone.’
