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Disney will close 2 Seattle Web sites
Wednesday, April 25, 2001
SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER STAFF
The Walt Disney Co. said it will shut down two Seattle-based entertainment Web sites, resulting in probable layoffs.
Spokeswoman Michelle Bergman said Disney will close MrShowBiz.com, which emphasizes movies and television, and WallOfSound.com, which provides information on popular music, by this fall. Both are based in Smith Tower.
The sites' contents will continue to appear in the US Weekly magazine and Web site. Disney acquired a half-interest in US Weekly in February. Bergman said the closures will let Disney take advantage of a brand that is strong both in print and online.
As part of the shutdown, some key people at the sites will be relocated to Los Angeles, and others will be laid off, she said. The number laid off will depend on how many employees take advantage of Disney's so-called voluntary separation program, which offers incentives to those who agree to leave their jobs. The program went into effect three weeks ago, and how it affects the two Seattle sites "should be resolved in the next few weeks," Bergman said.
Those who aren't relocated and don't take advantage of the program will be laid off, she said. She wouldn't say how many people are employed at each site. In February the company employed a total of 500 people in Seattle.
The closures won't affect the Disney "core technology team" and ESPN.com and ABCNews.com staffers based here, she said. Disney laid off 10 people here in February when it shut down its Go.com Internet portal.
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