ABC News on Tuesday was preparing to eliminate hundreds of jobs in a sweeping round of cuts that will reduce the company’s news division by up to 20 percent, the Los Angeles Times reported on its web site.

Major changes will be made to restructure the newsroom in an attempt to create a leaner, more efficient operation, according to the Times.

Employees are expecting up to as many as 300 positions, or 20 percent of the staff, may be eliminated in the restructuring. There are currently nearly 1,400 staffers working for ABC News.

In a memo to staffers, ABC News President David Westin acknowledged the changes would impact each part of the company and said employees could expect fewer redundancies and an expansion of digital journalism.

“When we are finished, many job descriptions will be different, different skill sets may be required, and, yes, we will likely have substantially fewer people on staff at ABC News,” Westin said.

While layoffs have been anticipated, the cutbacks will be the largest in recent ABC News memory, the Times reported.