CBS will soon be looking to fill two open positions in its top news suite, as president
Susan Zirinskyreportedly prepares to step down in the coming days and her second in command, executive vice president
Kim Godwin, departs to become the next president of ABC News. Godwin’s ascension, announced Wednesday, follows a 14-year run at CBS and makes her the first Black executive to run a major broadcast network’s news operation, as well as the first woman to run ABC News. The historic appointment came the same day Zirinsky, who also made history two years ago when she became the first woman to lead the division, told her staff she would be exiting to take a producing role with CBS parent company Viacom, the
The new president of ABC News is about to make history
Kimberly Godwin is about to make history as the incoming president of ABC News, she’ll be the first Black executive to run one of America’s major broadcast network newsrooms.
ABC’s parent company, Disney, announced Godwin’s appointment on Wednesday. She will take over in May.
Godwin is currently an executive vice president at CBS News, one of ABC’s main rivals. “She has top editorial oversight of newsgathering around the world, including the national desks, foreign desks and bureaus,” according to CBS.
She previously worked on the “CBS Evening News;” served as the news outlet’s executive director for development and diversity; and oversaw units like News Standards & Ethics and CBS Audio Services.
Here are some of the challenges as CBS News picks a new president
A version of this article first appeared in the “Reliable Sources” newsletter.
Being the president of a broadcast TV news division: Is it a dream job or a dreadful job? A president is expected to make the right editorial calls in real time, beat the competition, juggle talent egos, stave off staff rebellions, enhance the corporate culture, grow the digital operation, balance the budget, impress advertisers, and defend real news against “fake news” lies.
These are complex jobs, which may explain why it takes a while to consider the candidates and name a successor. Disney did that on Wednesday when Kimberly Godwin was named the next president of ABC News. Another such job is currently open: CBS News president Susan Zirinsky told her staff that she’ll be stepping aside in short order. ViacomCBS is close to announcing her successor.
By Ryan Shepard
At the top of the year, ABC News announced that its president
James Goldston would be stepping away from his role in March. Under Goldston s leadership, ABC s
World News Tonight became the nation s most watched evening news program. Adding on,
Good Morning America became the country s most watched morning news program. Not to mention, the network has launched a 24-hours news platform known as ABC News Live. With his departure, there were big shoes that needed to be filled and fast.
“It’s a really tough decision,” Goldston said as he stepped down.
“I’ve loved every day of my 17 years at ABC News, but in recent times I’ve always assumed that after this extraordinary election cycle, which we’ve covered at a full sprint for four years, it would be time for a change. After a great deal of reflection over the last few months, I’m ready for a new adventure.”
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