ABC Looks to Staff Up With New Brand of Digital Journalists

ABC, which two weeks ago announced major staff reductions in
a restructuring of its news operation, is already looking to staff up again
with its new brand of digital journalists.

According to a couple of internal job postings e-mails, ABC
has "multiple openings" for digital journalists who will need to be
able to shoot their own video, produce, write and deliver stories on-air and
online.

An ABC source says that while some will be working as
one-person operations, the plan is usually to work in teams of two or three.

The new digital journalist will also need to be the point
person for news in various regions, which include domestic and international
locations and will need to have strong booking and tech skills.

An ABC spokeswoman confirmed the job postings, but could not
say how many slots there were. Some will be replacing old positions while some
will be new posts. They will be open to all ABC staffers, though not those who
decide to take the buyouts the company has offered.

In a job description that suggests the pace of digital
journalism, the posting says candidates must be "capable of prioritizing
and handling multiple projects simultaneously, under tight time constraints."

John Eggerton

Contributing editor John Eggerton has been an editor and/or writer on media regulation, legislation and policy for over four decades, including covering the FCC, FTC, Congress, the major media trade associations, and the federal courts. In addition to Multichannel News and Broadcasting + Cable, his work has appeared in Radio World, TV Technology, TV Fax, This Week in Consumer Electronics, Variety and the Encyclopedia Britannica.