Kimberly Godwin, a veteran of local and national TV-news operations, will be the next president of ABC News — and the first Black executive to run a broadcast-network news operation.
Disney on Wednesday confirmed that Godwin, who has been with CBS News since 2007, will take over the role most recently held by James Goldston. She will now be charged with maintaining the status of two of ABC News’ mainstays, “Good Morning America” and “World News Tonight,” both of which are the most-watched programs in their category, along with shows like “The View,” “20/20 and “This Week.” And she will have ultimate say over the news unit’s increasingly frequent steps into live-streaming, audio and special programming.
She will join ABC News in May.
“Kim is an instinctive and admired executive whose unique experiences, strengths and strategic vision made her the ideal choice to lead the outstanding team at ABC News and build on their incredible success,” said Peter Rice, chairman of Disney General Entertainment Content, in a statement. “Throughout Kim’s career in global news organizations and local newsrooms, she has distinguished herself as a fierce advocate for excellence, collaboration, inclusion and the vital role of accurate and transparent news reporting.” Godwin will report to Rice.
At CBS, Godwin has held positions of increasing responsibility, and people familiar with the matter suggest she had indicated to ViacomCBS executives she was looking for a role that would give her oversight of the news division. CBS CEO George Cheeks, who has been looking for a new executive to run CBS News, made plain she was not being considered for a job that would make her the sole executive in charge of the operation, and in recent days, when it became apparent Godwin’s talks with ABC and Walt Disney had gained traction, let her out of her current contract with the company.
“I have immense respect and admiration for ABC News,” Godwin said in a statement. “As the most trusted brand in news, they are to be commended for the extraordinary work and dedication of the journalists, producers, executives and their teams across the organization. I am honored to take on this stewardship and excited for what we will achieve together.”
Godwin will face challenges in her new role. Some ABC News staffers had hoped that a familiar face would be the next to guide them, such as Michael Corn, the executive producer who oversees “GMA,” or Tom Cibrowski, a veteran ABC News executive who now is general manager of KGO, a Disney-owned station in San Francisco. And while CBS News has a sterling reputation in the industry, owing to its connection with news stalwarts like Edward R. Murrow and Walter Cronkite, as well as its “60 Minutes” newsmagazine, in recent years the network’s morning and evening programs have settled into third place among broadcast-news offerings.
(Excerpt) Read more in: Variety