ABC News boss Kim Godwin quits as Disney tightened clamps on her for slipping ... trends now
ABC News president Kim Godwin has quit after three tumultuous years in her role as Disney tighten its control of the news division amid falling ratings for Good Morning America and staff unease at the network.
The move was widely predicted after ABCs parent company Walt Disney Co. installed one of its executives, Debra O'Connell, to oversee the news division, effectively stripping away much of Godwin's management autonomy.
Godwin was the first black woman to lead a network news division and said on Sunday she was retiring from the business.
O'Connell is a company veteran and said she will be in charge 'for the time being' having recently scrutinized operations across Disney's networks as part of a corporate review.
Since taking an overview of the news division, O'Connell had been very hands-on, leading editorial meetings, often spotted in the newsroom in a sure indication that Godwin had effectively been demoted in all but name, according to the Wall Street Journal.
ABC News president Kim Godwin (left) resigned after Disney brought in an overseer, Debra O'Connell (right) signaling a shift in management dynamics
Godwin's tenure saw ratings success but internal criticisms about her leadership style and distant management. Pictured, Robin Roberts the anchor of ABC's Good Morning America
Godwin inherited a news division where its two most important programs, World News Tonight and Good Morning America, led rivals at CBS and NBC in the ratings.
Despite being a ratings leader, the culture within ABC News was said to be both toxic and cutthroat.
Although both news programs are still in the lead, Good Morning America has seen some slippage amid the messy departures of anchors T.J. Holmes and Amy Robach, and Cecilia Vega's jump to CBS News.
In recent months, GMA has seen its ratings among viewers between 25 and 54 - the demographic most coveted by advertisers - shrink noticeably.
For the five days starting April 22, for example, GMA had an average of 497,000 viewers in that age range - only 49,000 ahead of CBS Mornings which used to lag in third place.
