UPDATED, with additional details: After weeks of speculation, Kim Godwin is leaving her post as president of ABC News.
Debra OConnell, who added ABC News to her portfolio in February, will run the department in the interim. She made the announcement internally, with Godwin also addressing her staff. You can read the memos below.
At the time of OConnell’s February promotion when ABC News was put under her purview, Disney countered speculation about Godwin’s future by revealing that she had extended her contract to continue as ABC News president. But she was now reporting to OConnell, adding an additional layer between her and Dana Walden, the co-chairman of Disney Entertainment.
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The exit follows CNN reports last week about frustration among ABC News staffers about Godwin’s management style that had been reportedly articulated to OConnell in her review of the division and its leadership.
Godwin joined ABC News in 2021. Although the network’s Good Morning America and World News Tonight still top in total viewers, CBS Mornings has been topping its ABC rival in the key adults 25-54 demo on multiple occasions.
Godwin has presided over some tumult during her tenure. That has included the departure of T.J. Holmes and Amy Robach last year from GMA3, amid a tabloid scandal over their off-screen romantic relationship, as well as a series of layoffs last year, when she realigned her leadership team. According to a source, that left some lingering resentments and a sense in the company that the layoffs were mishandled. The layoffs included the exit of high profile figures in the news division including Galen Gordon, senior VP of talent strategy and development; Chris Vlasto, senior executive producer and head of the investigative unit; and Wendy Fisher, senior vice president of newsgathering.
More recently, other executives have exited. Jonathan Greenberger, Washington, D.C. bureau chief over the past decade, departed for a new position at Politico. Jennifer Ashton, who has been chief medical correspondent and co-host of GMA3, announced last month her plans to depart and focus on a new health and wellness newsletter she started.
Last weekend, OConnell and Godwin were both present for the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner, appearing at events together during the weekend.
Some staffers expressed surprise at Godwin’s departure, even though there has been speculation about her future for some time. Despite some of her missteps, one longtime staffer said that a lot of negative coverage was unwarranted and that she was well liked as a person. That said, the new leadership structure was viewed as not particularly tenable, the source said.
What appeared to bring things to a head in recent days were new reports from CNN and Puck over OConnell’s scrutiny of Godwin’s tenure and newsroom unhappiness over her leadership.
Godwin said in a note to staffers that she had decided to retire from broadcast journalism.
“Anyone who’s passionate about what we do knows there’s no other business like it, so this was not an easy or quick decision,” she wrote. “But after considerable reflection, I’m certain it’s the right one for me as I look to the future and prioritize what’s most important for me and my family.”
She added, “I leave with my head held high and wish the entire team continued success.”
OConnell wrote in a note to staffers that, as she will oversee ABC News for the time being, “I’m looking forward to working with the leadership team as we forge a new path forward together.”
Although there had for some time been speculation about Godwin’s future at the network, over the weekend the National Association of Black Journalists released a statement expressing concern “over recent media reports that seem to be written with the intention of undermining the leadership of the first Black woman to take the helm of a global news organization.”
“Many of the latest articles surrounding her leadership fail to demonstrate basic journalism by providing alternative viewpoints.
“There seems to be an intentionality to cite anonymous sources as Godwin’s detractors, coupled with the use of derogatory or stereotypical terms to describe her. Meanwhile, these reports are totally ignoring sources and facts that speak to Godwin having significant support inside the organization.”
Godwin joined ABC News from CBS News, where she had risen in the ranks through the years to become executive vice president of news for the network, with oversight of the national desks, foreign desks and bureaus.
She succeeded James Goldston, who presided over the network at a time when World News Tonight expanded its audience lead. But he, too, had his share of turbulence, including the fallout from a top talent executive, Barbara Fedida, who was accused of making racially insensitive remarks.
Godwin’s exit is the latest shakeup in network news division executive ranks. CBS News restructured its leadership team last August, with Neeraj Khemlani stepping down as president and co-head of CBS News and stations and Wendy McMahon taking on the title solo. Ingrid Ciprián-Matthews was named president of the network. Earlier in the year, Noah Oppenheim departed NBC News, with Rebecca Blumenstein joining as president of editorial for NBC News, a new role, and another executive, Libby Leist, overseeing Today and Janelle Rodriguez overseeing NBC Nightly News, NBC News Now and special report programming. Among major news networks, CNN saw the exit of Chris Licht after just over a year as CEO, with Mark Thompson filling the job.
NOTE FROM DEBRA OCONNELL TO HER TEAM:
Team,
I wanted to share Kim’s note below. Dana and I would like to take this opportunity to express our deepest gratitude to Kim for her service as president of ABC News. Kim has navigated this team through consequential times in our world, and she did so with respect for the brand and profession – and for that and more, we thank her.
Our reputation and credibility are hard earned, and we would also like to acknowledge the extraordinary work you deliver each day. As the No. 1 news network for 12 consecutive seasons and counting, ABC News is home to the best in the business. From morning through daytime, evening and beyond, this team stands ready 24/7 to serve our nation with the news, people and events that shape our world.
For the time being, I will oversee ABC News and I’m looking forward to working with the leadership team as we forge a new path forward together. Thank you for your patience and understanding through this period of transition. Since assuming this role in February, my goal has been – and will continue to be – to provide this team with the means necessary to build on our success and carry on the proud tradition of ABC News into a future full of opportunity and innovation.
If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me or your senior leaders.
Thank you,
Debra
KIM GODWIN NOTE TO ABC NEWS:
Good evening ABC News,
Forty years ago, I began my career fresh out of college as an eager and enthusiastic executive producer at WTXL in Tallahassee, where I was responsible for the 6 and 11 p.m. news. The staff was so small, on busy news days, I had to go out and report too. Little did I know then what extraordinary opportunities lay before me as I began to chart a path through a profession where very few women – and even fewer women of color – were in leadership roles. So, I understood and appreciated the profound significance of being the first Black woman to lead a national broadcast news network when I accepted the role as president of ABC News a little over three years ago. It’s both a privilege and a debt to those who chipped away at the ceiling before me to lead a team whose brand is synonymous with trust, integrity and a dogged determination to be the best in the business.
Now, four decades and countless miles later, having worked at all three broadcast news networks and 10 local stations in nine cities, I have come full circle from that small but mighty ABC affiliate in Florida’s panhandle. I have decided to retire from broadcast journalism. After matriculating through j-school at my beloved Florida A&M University, I have been fortunate and blessed enough to have done almost every job there is in this business, including anchor, investigative reporter, news director, field producer, network/special events executive producer and more before moving on to the executive ranks. Anyone who’s passionate about what we do knows there’s no other business like it, so this was not an easy or quick decision. But after considerable reflection, I’m certain it’s the right one for me as I look to the future and prioritize what’s most important for me and my family.
ABC News was No. 1 when I joined the team and I’m proud to say we’re still No. 1 – an achievement that’s been punctuated in recent months with the highest honors our profession has to offer, from the Edward R. Murrow Award for Overall Excellence in Television, to the Alfred I. duPont-Columbia Award for our groundbreaking “Power of Water” series, to our first-ever Primetime Emmy Award nominations for “Pretty Baby: Brooke Shields” and “Aftershock.” And just last week, our Uvalde documentary, “Print It Black,” won Best Feature Documentary at the Dallas International Film Festival, where it premiered. I am particularly proud of our unprecedented Uvalde 365 project, an unparalleled yearlong commitment to documenting the emotional journey of a community after a mass shooting.
In 2022, we were all overjoyed to receive 41 Emmy nominations, the most in 53 years. We have the top morning news show, daytime network show, evening newscast and Friday news magazine. We’re consistently No. 1 in all major live TV events, including, most recently, “Eclipse Across America,” in partnership with Nat Geo. And our programs can regularly be found in the Top 10 on Hulu.
Beyond awards and ratings, our success is perhaps best measured in the people of ABC News. This is an exceptional team doing exceptional work – together. You are best in class in every category, and it’s been nothing short of awesome to see you tackle assignment after assignment, delivering comprehensive coverage from around the world to our viewers at a time when truthful reporting is essential to the future of our great nation.
We take pride in covering all communities and meeting our audiences where and when they need us, and no undertaking better exemplifies this than ABC News Live. When I started, it was the little streaming train that could; now, thanks to your hard work and dedication, it’s a big train that can – and does, every day. Together, on Hulu last season, we launched “Impact X Nightline,” a weekly news magazine whose episodes are regularly among the most watched content on the platform.
We should be especially proud of our success with ABC News Studios, which we built from the ground up to become what is now a premiere nonfiction and documentary studio, making more than 120 hours of award-winning content a year. We also established the first climate unit among the broadcast news networks. So many innovations and initiatives in what feels like the blink of an eye. Together, we committed to a cultural shift, where people could be their authentic selves, feeling seen and heard, while doing their best work. For all these reasons and more, I depart ABC News and this profession with the sincerest sense of pride, accomplishment and gratitude. My heart is filled.
I would like to thank Dana Walden and Debra OConnell for always ensuring we had the resources and support to do our jobs. And finally, thank you ABC News for the love, support and inspiration. Over the years, hundreds of you have sent emails, texts, and made phone calls that have lifted my heart. In this consequential election year, as we look to the months ahead, the importance of what we do cannot be overstated. Remember, there is joy in journalism.
I leave with my head held high and wish the entire team continued success.
#oneabcnews
In faith and favor,
Kim