At risk is the ABC News president Kim Godwin who is being fairly criticized by her apart corporate overlords at the Disney’s who ordered her to clean house from the top down with the help of a special task force executive, as told in a recent report.
The latest revelation according to Deadline is that the new ABC News President Debra OConnell, who was appointed to the position that covers ABC News such a few months ago, is shocked by Godwin’s issue with budgeting and poor management of some of ABC’s most profitable assets for the news network which include “Good Morning America” and “World News Tonight,” reported CNN.
“I guess she is the one who is expected to make the quick ones,” a CNN media correspondent recalled that within ABC News at that time.
“The people there are restless. Extracted at the height of frustration, because they are…
As it was revealed, O’Connell who has been president of Disney’s News Group and Networks, being a direct report to the Co-host of Mouse House, Dana Walden, is not comfortable with what she thinks to be Godwin’s lack of guidance as well as involvement.
In addition to the impact on the ABC News boss Kim Godwin’s job, the constant media speculation about her position causes a negative impact.CBS
One issue that has irked OConnell has been Godwin’s inability to fill the role left by former head of talent Galen Gordon a year after his departure, sources told CNN.
OConnell, who has climbed the corporate ladder at Disney for nearly three decades, was also said to be upset by Godwin’s failure to retain key editorial stars such as Jonathan Greenberger, the former ABC News Washington bureau chief who decamped to Politico just months before the presidential election.
Under Godwin’s watch, ABC’s flagship morning news show “Good Morning America” has seen its dominant ratings position erode somewhat as “CBS Mornings” has closed the gap — another source of consternation for OConnell and Disney execs, according to the CNN report.
The Post has sought comment from ABC News and Disney.
Reports of OConnell’s displeasure with Godwin’s lack of leadership come after this week’s high-profile ouster of longtime ABC News weatherman Rob Marciano over his alleged “anger” issues.
OConnell’s review of the news division could spell doom for Godwin and some of her top lieutenants, including executive editor and senior vice president Stacia Deshishku, executive vice president Derek Medina, and Jose Andino, vice president of the office of the president and process management, according to CNN.
Her elevation above Godwin reportedly did not sit well with Godwin, who is said to resent the fact that she cannot report directly to Disney CEO Bob Iger’s inner circle, according to CNN.
Upon the announcement of O’Connell’s appointment, Godwin was directed to report directly to Waldern who supposed to be the Iger’s replacement.
Not only Godwin is not appealed by the excessive control of her brick and mortar bosses at Disney, CNN reported, but also is unrest in her position.
In March, The Post reported that Godwin, who was effectively demoted despite recently signing a new contract with Disney, told her charges at ABC News: I nod my head and say to myself: “That is my network.”
“I am behind it”, Godwin assured his staff on a company call-in wherein he asserts his tenacity and perceived unchallenged authority: “I am the one who runs this network, and if anyone messes with it, he is not only answered by me.”
An ABC spokesperson at the time said: “By the truth I mean that nothing is impossible.She didn’t say that.”
Some ABC News staffers have done this too and have pointed Godwin’s fingers at the loss of excitement in staff when they find out that Iger said that Disney can actually sell ABC because viewing audiences have drastically changed and less people are watching linear TV.
Staffers at ABC News have complained that Godwin has imposed a “culture of fear” after laying off dozens of veteran staffers, The Post previously reported.
Godwin and her top lieutenants were accused of firing veteran journalists only to replace them with people who had less experience in news.
She was also faulted for her handling of the relationship between “GMA3” hosts TJ Holmes and Amy Robach, who were allowed to remain on the air even after news of their romance became public.
Some staffers have also griped about Godwin’s self-promotional style that glosses over the serious mission of the news division.
They pointed to Godwin being led on stage by actors dressed as Wakanda warriors from Marvel’s “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” at the opening reception of the National Association of Black Journalists convention in 2022.
