美国国家公共电台 NPR--Disney plans to cut 3% of its total global workforce in a cost-saving move

Disney plans to cut 3% of its total global workforce¹ in a cost-saving move

Transcript²

Disney has begun the first of three rounds of layoffs³, which CEO Bob Iger said in a memo⁴ will eventually total 7,000 jobs. The cuts are part of an effort to save $5.5 billion in costs.

A MART?NEZ, HOST:

This week, Disney begins the first of three rounds of layoffs aimed at cutting 7,000 jobs from the company.

MICHEL MARTIN, HOST:

That's according to a memo circulated by CEO Bob Iger. Those job cuts amount to about 3% of the total global workforce of the entertainment giant.

MART?NEZ: Here to talk about what this means for Disney and consumers of its entertainment brands is NPR TV critic and media analyst⁵ Eric Deggans. Eric, 7,000 jobs - that is a lot. Why is this happening now?

ERIC DEGGANS, BYLINE⁶: Well, the job reductions are something that Bob Iger first announced back in February, and they're part of about $5.5 billion in cost savings⁷ that the company is trying to implement⁸. And this all seems to be part of an effort to restructure the company and show Wall Street investors¹⁰ that Disney can be a more disciplined venture at a time when there are worries about profitability and streaming, cord-cutting in cable TV and fears of an oncoming recession. And let's not forget, lots of media companies, including Amazon, Meta and us here at NPR, have been forced to implement significant layoffs due to downturns in advertising¹¹ revenue and concerns about an ongoing¹² economic climate.

MART?NEZ: Do we know anything about the rollout of the cuts? Which part of Disney will it affect?

DEGGANS: Well, Iger said in his memo that there would be one round of job reductions beginning this week, a larger group of layoffs in April and then a final group of cuts that would come just before the beginning of the summer. Word's just starting to spread about which areas of the company have been affected¹³ this week. But The Wall Street Journal reported that Disney eliminated a unit focused on creating next-generation storytelling experiences, including work in the virtual reality space called the Metaverse.

MART?NEZ: OK. Now, Bob Iger has a really interesting history. He returned to the CEO job in November after he had retired¹⁴ in 2021. He replaced the man who had succeeded him, Bob Chapek. Was Bob Iger expected to come back with such an extensive cost-cutting measure?

DEGGANS: Well, you know, Iger was expected to provide the kind of leadership that would calm down jittery¹⁵ investors on Wall Street and maybe ease tensions with the creative community that had kind of ramped¹⁶ up during Chapek's tenure¹⁷. But he also faced a challenge from an activist¹⁸ investor⁹ named Nelson Peltz, who tried to get a seat on Disney's board, saying that some of Iger's decisions showed poor financial management. Peltz didn't back down until Iger announced these cost-cutting measures.

So these changes can be seen as Iger showing the business world that he's willing to curb¹⁹ costs, move towards profitability, and, in particular, there's pressure to show that streaming services, like Disney+ will eventually make a profit. Now, at the same time, he's dismantling²⁰ some of the changes that Chapek made during his tenure. He's restructuring Disney so people closer to the creative decisions in film and TV have a little bit more power.

MART?NEZ: Now, under the Disney umbrella, there are platforms such as ESPN and Hulu. Will any of those cutbacks extend to those properties?

DEGGANS: Well, I mean, that's uncertain right now. There is a question about what's going to happen at ESPN, which has seen its value affected by consumers dropping cable TV subscriptions²¹. And Iger has also speculated publicly about the streaming service Hulu, which Disney currently owns about two-thirds. I mean, will Disney buy it all outright²² or are they going to sell their stake to someone else? And even as Iger works to find yet another successor to lead this company long-term, he faces the threat of a writer's strike, which could hobble TV and film production if the Writers Guild²³ of America can't negotiate a new contract with Hollywood Studios this year. So I guess you could say there's a lot going on that could affect what consumers see from Disney platforms in the coming year.

MART?NEZ: Yeah, absolutely. That's NPR TV critic and media analyst Eric Deggans. Eric, thanks.

DEGGANS: Thank you.

(SOUNDBITE OF KORESMA'S "CLOUDS (INSIGHT VOL. 3)")

1 workforce   

n.劳动大军，劳动力

参考例句：

• A large part of the workforce is employed in agriculture.劳动人口中一大部分受雇于农业。
• A quarter of the local workforce is unemployed.本地劳动力中有四分之一失业。

2 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

3 layoffs   

临时解雇( layoff的名词复数 )； 停工，停止活动

参考例句：

• Textile companies announced 2000 fresh layoffs last week. 各纺织公司上周宣布再次裁员两千人。
• Stock prices broke when the firm suddenly announced layoffs. 当公司突然宣布裁员时，股票价格便大跌

4 memo   

n.照会，备忘录；便笺；通知书；规章

参考例句：

• Do you want me to send the memo out?您要我把这份备忘录分发出去吗？
• Can you type a memo for me?您能帮我打一份备忘录吗？

5 analyst   

n.分析家，化验员；心理分析学家

参考例句：

• What can you contribute to the position of a market analyst?你有什么技能可有助于市场分析员的职务？
• The analyst is required to interpolate values between standards.分析人员需要在这些标准中插入一些值。

6 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

7 savings   

n.存款，储蓄

参考例句：

• I can't afford the vacation,for it would eat up my savings.我度不起假，那样会把我的积蓄用光的。
• By this time he had used up all his savings.到这时，他的存款已全部用完。

8 implement   

n.(pl.)工具，器具；vt.实行，实施，执行

参考例句：

• Don't undertake a project unless you can implement it.不要承担一项计划，除非你能完成这项计划。
• The best implement for digging a garden is a spade.在花园里挖土的最好工具是铁锹。

9 investor   

n.投资者，投资人

参考例句：

• My nephew is a cautious investor.我侄子是个小心谨慎的投资者。
• The investor believes that his investment will pay off handsomely soon.这个投资者相信他的投资不久会有相当大的收益。

10 investors   

n.投资者，出资者( investor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• a con man who bilked investors out of millions of dollars 诈取投资者几百万元的骗子
• a cash bonanza for investors 投资者的赚钱机会

11 advertising   

n.广告业；广告活动 a.广告的；广告业务的

参考例句：

• Can you give me any advice on getting into advertising? 你能指点我如何涉足广告业吗?
• The advertising campaign is aimed primarily at young people. 这个广告宣传运动主要是针对年轻人的。

12 ongoing   

adj.进行中的，前进的

参考例句：

• The problem is ongoing.这个问题尚未解决。
• The issues raised in the report relate directly to Age Concern's ongoing work in this area.报告中提出的问题与“关心老人”组织在这方面正在做的工作有直接的关系。

13 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

14 retired   

adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的

参考例句：

• The old man retired to the country for rest.这位老人下乡休息去了。
• Many retired people take up gardening as a hobby.许多退休的人都以从事园艺为嗜好。

15 jittery   

adj. 神经过敏的, 战战兢兢的

参考例句：

• However, nothing happened though he continued to feel jittery. 可是，自从拉上这辆车，并没有出什么错儿，虽然他心中嘀嘀咕咕的不安。 来自汉英文学 - 骆驼祥子
• The thirty-six Enterprise divebombers were being squandered in a jittery shot from the hip. 这三十六架“企业号”上的俯冲轰炸机正被孤注一掷。

16 ramped   

土堤斜坡( ramp的过去式和过去分词 )； 斜道； 斜路； （装车或上下飞机的）活动梯

参考例句：

• With the arrival of George Lucas, the pace has ramped up. 随着乔治·卢卡斯的到来，速度大大加快。
• They also sold corporate bonds as the global financial crisis ramped up. 在全球金融危机加剧之际，他们还抛售了公司债券。

17 tenure   

n.终身职位；任期；(土地)保有权，保有期

参考例句：

• He remained popular throughout his tenure of the office of mayor.他在担任市长的整个任期内都深得民心。
• Land tenure is a leading political issue in many parts of the world.土地的保有权在世界很多地区是主要的政治问题。

18 activist   

n.活动分子，积极分子

参考例句：

• He's been a trade union activist for many years.多年来他一直是工会的积极分子。
• He is a social activist in our factory.他是我厂的社会活动积极分子。

19 curb   

n.场外证券市场，场外交易；vt.制止，抑制

参考例句：

• I could not curb my anger.我按捺不住我的愤怒。
• You must curb your daughter when you are in church.你在教堂时必须管住你的女儿。

20 dismantling   

（枪支）分解

参考例句：

• The new government set about dismantling their predecessors' legislation. 新政府正着手废除其前任所制定的法律。
• The dismantling of a nuclear reprocessing plant caused a leak of radioactivity yesterday. 昨天拆除核后处理工厂引起了放射物泄漏。

21 subscriptions   

n.（报刊等的）订阅费( subscription的名词复数 )；捐款；（俱乐部的）会员费；捐助

参考例句：

• Subscriptions to these magazines can be paid in at the post office. 这些杂志的订阅费可以在邮局缴纳。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Payment of subscriptions should be made to the club secretary. 会费应交给俱乐部秘书。 来自《简明英汉词典》

22 outright   

adv.坦率地；彻底地；立即；adj.无疑的；彻底的

参考例句：

• If you have a complaint you should tell me outright.如果你有不满意的事，你应该直率地对我说。
• You should persuade her to marry you outright.你应该彻底劝服她嫁给你。

23 guild   

n.行会，同业公会，协会

参考例句：

• He used to be a member of the Writers' Guild of America.他曾是美国作家协会的一员。
• You had better incorporate the firm into your guild.你最好把这个公司并入你的行业协会。