Disney CEO Bob Iger has reportedly accused the parent company of showing a lack of support for embattled division chief Kim Godwin, according to ABC News’ African American It is said that he received a hearing from a staff member.
During a lunch last February, Iger tried to reassure a black staffer that he and Disney Entertainment co-chairman Dana Walden were “invested in her success.” wall street journal This was reported over the weekend, citing a person familiar with the matter.
Godwin, who took the top job three years ago and is the first black person to head a network news division, was at the luncheon, the newspaper said.
A year later, she was effectively demoted after Disney announced a major restructuring last week.
Supporters of Ms. Godwin told the Journal that since the former CBS executive was tapped to run ABC News, she has been disrespected and second-guessed by veteran employees at the network. .
As the newspaper previously reported, she has also come under fire from some staffers for her lack of day-to-day involvement.
That claim was refuted by Jonathan Karl, the network’s chief White House correspondent and co-anchor of “This Week,” who said the perception that Godwin was not involved “certainly does not reflect her reality. “I haven’t.”
“She’s a crazy workaholic,” Kahl told the Journal, adding that during her 20-year tenure with the department, she “never had a stronger relationship” with a unit leader than she had with Godwin. added.
The Post has reached out to ABC News and Disney for comment.
As the Post reported, many ABC News staffers were thrilled to learn that Disney had promoted veteran executive Debra O’Connell to lead a new division that includes ABC News.
I heard multiple staff members saying “ding dong!” The witch is dead,” while others were “celebrating in a bar,” a source told the Post.
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.
Mr. O’Connell’s new job description reinforces the sense within ABC News that Mr. Godwin doesn’t have much time left, people familiar with the matter said.
Before the move, Mr. Godwin had reported to Mr. Walden, who has been named as a possible successor to Mr. Iger.
People familiar with the matter told The Post that executives were worried that top-rated programs “Good Morning America” and “World News Tonight” would lose some viewers to rivals NBC News and CBS News. They say they are concerned about the situation.
“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.”
The Journal said Mr. Godwin alienated some rank-and-file employees last spring after he fired a number of employees and replaced them with people who appeared to have less experience in hard news.
Godwin has also come under fire for his handling of the incident between “GMA3” hosts TJ Holmes and Amy Robach.
The executive initially downplayed the incident and allowed coverage of the pair to continue despite tabloid headlines reporting their affair.
Officials accused Mr. Godwin of running the department “like a police state,” firing veteran journalists and replacing them with “yes men.”
