ABC News president Kim Godwin may not have much time left even if her contract is renewed, and the Post has learned that staffers were quietly rooting for her demotion.
The Disney-owned network on Wednesday replaced veteran executive Debra O’Connell with ABC News amid softening ratings for its top-ranked programs “Good Morning America” and “World News Tonight with David Muir.” He promoted him to the command of a new department and placed Mr. Godwin under him. ”
The move was widely cheered at ABC News headquarters on the Upper West Side, with multiple staffers heard saying “Ding-dong!” The witch is dead,” and others “celebrated at the bar” and breathed a sigh of relief that the “authoritarian” culture under Godwin would soon come to an end, multiple sources said Thursday. he told the Post.
“The atmosphere after the announcement was very upbeat and happy. People are relieved,” said one source. “They feel Debra’s addition will take the network back to its glory days.”
The jubilation came despite Godwin receiving a three-year contract extension shortly after Disney announced O’Connell’s new role. The role will also include overseeing cable channels such as ABC’s local affiliates, FX and Disney.
“This is the beginning of a transition [of Godwin’s exit]” said one person close to the network. “Everyone gets new, but then gets thrown away. That’s what ABC News and Disney do.”
The source pointed to former Disney CEO Bob Chapek, whose contract was renewed months before he was fired and replaced by Bob Iger.
“This is called the cost of doing business,” said the former Disney executive. “Cheer her up. Guarantee her money for three years, then let her opt out and decide it’s time to write the leadership book she’s planning.”
ABC News declined to comment.
Meanwhile, O’Connell showed up at the “Good Morning America” studio in Times Square before dawn (just 12 hours after news of the uproar), greeted staff and anchors, and told a source: “She’s in charge.” told the Post.
Sources said Godwin was licking his wounds and had cleared his schedule for the rest of this week before Wednesday’s surprise announcement.
She was absent during O’Connell’s appearance on “GMA.”
An ABC source said, “Godwin rarely visits the GMA studios except for photo shoots for his Instagram page.”
Another source said, “A show like ‘GMA’ needs someone to participate in top-class driving competitions.”
“There hasn’t been a motivated person at the top since Ben Sherwood and James Goldston, who were producers. They were in the control room. They were driven to compete and that made the difference.”
ABC officials close to Godwin disputed that Godwin cleared his schedule for the week but rescheduled meetings ahead of the personnel change.
The source added that executives are often on set or in the control room, but Godwin confirmed he was absent from Thursday’s powwow.
“Everyone here knows that Kim Godwin is texting at 4:30 in the morning, working 24 hours a day in the building, and is available 24/7.” Information The source said.
Godwin will join O’Connell for an editorial meeting at ABC News headquarters at 47 West 66th Street starting at 9 a.m., where he will introduce his new boss to the staff.
“She’s always been a champion of what we do here,” Godwin said of the 27-year Disney veteran, according to a person who attended the meeting. “She has deep roots at our sister station, WABC, and I have collaborated with her many times over the years.”
O’Connell added: “You guys are a great team,” the source said.
Mr. Godwin’s two-and-a-half year tenure at the station was marked by mismanagement, legal threats from fired staffers and declining ratings for “GMA” and “World News Tonight.”
Officials say executives are concerned about declining ratings for the popular morning and evening show, which has lost some ground to rivals NBC News and CBS News.
“The fall from No. 1 to No. 2 can happen overnight,” said a former TV executive. “But it may take years to get back to the top.”
Ratings aside, Godwin also made a series of gaffes, including downplaying the sordid affair between “GMA3” hosts TJ Holmes and Amy Robach.
Details of the incident were leaked in November 2022, but Godwin allowed the “GMA3” pair to continue broadcasting, sparking a spectacle that led to further news stories.
As more mysterious information emerged, Mr. Godwin benched the pair, but defended them on a Dec. 5 internal conference call, saying they had “not violated company policy.”
ABC launched an internal investigation soon after, after more interesting stories about Holmes’ other affairs at ABC were leaked to tabloids. After a long hiatus, ABC settled with the two men by leaving the company.
Financial details of the transaction were not disclosed.
Other failures include the awkward handling of Whoopi Goldberg’s suspension after making remarks on “The View” that were interpreted by many as anti-Semitic.
She also laid off 50 employees, many of them well-respected and high-level employees, and installed a new leadership team. Sources say the team was made up of “yes men” who dared not question their leaders.
A person close to the situation said the department’s culture under Godwin was “running like a police state” and staff feared they were being watched by their bosses and their agents.
Some staff members said they were afraid of being “heard” in the hallways, and as a result they often met and talked in the back stairwell.
Sources close to the ABC disputed this characterization, saying Godwin has an open-door policy and is a collaborative leader.
“Mr. Kim has created an inclusive culture that may be foreign and uncomfortable to some people,” the source said.
But staff complained that Mr. Godwin was not hands-on enough in evaluating and influencing outcomes.
“There hasn’t been a motivated person at the top since Ben Sherwood and James Goldston, who were producers. They were in the control room. They were driven to compete and that made a difference. ‘GMA ‘On a show like “You Need Someone Who Can Participate in Top Driving Competitions,” the source said, noting that after hearing the news of O’Connell’s promotion on Wednesday, “people were celebrating in bars.”
“The atmosphere after the announcement was very upbeat and happy. People are relieved,” another source added. “They feel Debra’s addition will take the network back to its glory days.”
As for Ms. Godwin, many staffers have called her memo announcing the changes “Nixonian,” and the executive has given public appearances as though she is in charge.
The lengthy memo, obtained by the Post, begins by announcing that she will remain president of ABC News, overshadowing news that O’Connell will lead the news division.
Employees are already anticipating a clash between the two executives, one source said. Everything important will be communicated to Debra. Whether it’s important or not, no agent or talent is going to go through Kim. ”
Contributed by Carlos Greer
