In the days following the promotion of Debra OConnell to the new role of president of the Disney-owned news group and networks — a surprise shuffle disclosed Feb. 14 by top Disney executive Dana Walden — Godwin defiantly insisted on a call with senior leaders at ABC News that she’s still the boss, insiders say.
ABC News President Kim Godwin has created a “culture of fear” after chopping several veteran staffers in an alleged bid to plug leaks about her mismanagement at the Disney-owned network, insiders tell the New York Post. Godwin — who drew widespread criticism from many at the network as news spread of the salacious affair between GMA3 hosts TJ Holmes and Amy Robach — huddled with a coterie of her close-knit aides before firing a slew of workers as part of a phased rollout of 50 job cuts last month, sources say.
The Alliance for Women in Media (AWM) hosted the Gracies Leadership Awards luncheon, back for the first time in person after three years, on Nov. 14 at the Tribeca 360° […]
Godwin had expected to push ABC News’ burgeoning streaming business and enjoy some of the things ABC could offer that CBS News could not, such as the nation’s most-watched evening and morning news programs, World News Tonight and Good Morning America. But a lawsuit filed last week alleging that form GMA executive producer Michael Corn sexually assaulted two different ABC News staffers during his tenure and that ABC knew about the claims for some time has set off a different sort of news cycle of which the new president may not be in full control.
Exclusives
ABC News President Kim Godwin told staffers on a conference call Thursday that she has requested an independent investigation into how the network handled allegations of sexual assault against the former executive producer of Good Morning America. The comments came a day after a lawsuit was filed that alleged the producer, Michael Corn, sexually assaulted a current ABC News staffer and a former staffer in separate incidents.
CBS News veteran Kim Godwin is expected to become the next president of ABC News, a move that would make her the first Black executive to lead a broadcast-network news division in the U.S. Godwin has had an offer from Disney’s ABC for several weeks, according to a person familiar with the matter, but only in the last few days did CBS CEO George Cheeks agree to let the executive out of her contract.
