Warner Bros. Discovery ‘inspired’ by employees amid takeover; ‘60 Minutes’ EP rebukes rumors

Greetings, comms pros! Let’s take a look at some news stories from the last week and see what we can learn from them.

1. Warner Bros. Discovery chief Zaslav acknowledges “challenging” times for employees

Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav said that he’s aware of the challenges employees are facing as the company prepares for a possible takeover by Paramount. According to Variety, Zaslav said on the company’s second quarter earnings call that the work ethic of employees has been “inspiring.”

“I thought it was going to be quite challenging, but you know when you look at the way this company is performing, and you look at the close to 40,000 people coming in every day — I went all across Europe in the last six weeks and … was in most of those countries meeting with people. They’re working extremely hard, and the focus has been that this is a great company, and that how do we take advantage of every day we’re here and try and focus on best performance possible.”

“I’m quite inspired by the culture here and the drive to continue to put points on the board and take pride in the fact that that this is a great company and we want to deliver a great company. And I do think it’s unusual when you look at the overall performance of the company and how hard people are working, and so we’re lucky. I think that we have an unusual set of employees that really love these assets.”

Using the word “challenging” acknowledges the obvious part of the Paramount merger situation, but by using the term “inspiring” in reference to his employees’ work ethic, Zaslav places emphasis on and values their ability to work through uncertainty. He’s putting a positive spin on an uncertain time by praising the company’s culture. Praise is undoubtedly a good and necessary thing that employees need to hear, but if a merger like the WBD/Paramount one drags on like this, employee recognition becomes key in keeping employee morale high.

2. ‘60 Minutes’ executive producer tells employees to ignore rumors

Nick Bilton, executive producer of CBS’ “60 Minutes,” sent an internal memo to the news magazine program’s employees, saying he isn’t going to worry about rumors and told employees to come to him when they have questions. According to a report by The Wrap, Bilton said that the program has been plagued by a “rumor a day” since he started at “60 Minutes,” and that “95% of them are fabrications and blatantly incorrect.”

He added that he “no longer” has “the time or the patience” for leaks and speculation, encouraging employees to bring questions directly to him rather than rely on workplace rumors.

“If you hear something and it matters to you, come ask me and I’ll tell you what I know,” Bilton wrote. “Otherwise I’d like this place to be talked about for what we put on television.”

It’s pretty clear from this memo that Bilton wants the staff of his program to focus on the work and not the rumors that have been dogging “60 Minutes” all year since several major figures quit the show over new CBS News editor-in-chief Bari Weiss’ influence. The “come ask me” line serves the dual purpose of showing that employees can have open to access the head of the show, but it also positions Bilton as the source of truth when employees might encounter a rumor. Rumors usually come from an information vacuum that employees are facing, and Bilton’s messaging appears to be an attempt to wrest back control of the internal narratives at “60 Minutes,” which is important since he’s new in his role.

3. Disney CEO recognizes employees after a strong quarter

Disney chief executive Josh D’Amaro thanked the House of Mouse’s employees for their contributions in an internal memo obtained by Business Insider following the company’s second quarter earnings report. The note, which outlined his plans for Disney+ and the company’s use of AI, praised employees for the company’s successes.

“Our performance reflects the strength of our businesses, the enduring power of our stories and brands, and, most importantly, the extraordinary work you do every day,” he wrote.

“To sum it all up, there is real clarity of purpose across our company. We know who we are: storytellers with an unmatched ability to reach fans across every format and geography. When we combine that strength with speed, discipline, and innovation, there is no limit to what we can achieve.”

“Thank you for everything you are doing to move Disney forward. I am proud of what we accomplished this quarter, and even more excited about what we will build together.”

D’Amaro’s memo does a lot more than just outline what’s ahead at Disney and thank employees for a positive quarter. It also lets employees know the kind of company he wants Disney to be. Lines like  “we know who we are”connect individual employee work back to the larger Disney identity as storytellers that bring and create narratives people can connect to.By framing the memo around storytelling and collaboration, D’Amaro keeps his wording inside the identity of a Disney employees recognize and can see themselves in.

4. How about some good news?

• Scientists have developed contact lenses that heal themselves with UV light.
• The Okefenokee Swamp in the Southeastern United States was designated as a World Heritage Site.
• Dogs are being deployed in Alberta to help fight back against invasive species.
• Ragan Training is an excellent place for communications professionals to find inspiration and valuable resources.
• You should be rewarded for your work. Find out how to earn an award here!

Sean Devlin is an editor at Ragan Communications. You can connect with him on LinkedIn here.