ABC news President Kim Godwin is on the network.
Debra OConnell, president, News Group and Networks at Disney Entertainment, and Godwin shared the news in internal memos sent to staff Sunday evening.
Godwin joined ABC News in 2021 after a long career as an executive and producer at CBS News.
Read OConnell and Godwin's memos below.
NOTE FROM DEBRA OCONNELL TO HER TEAM:
Team,
I wanted to share Kim's comment below. Dana and I would like to take this opportunity to express our deepest gratitude to Kim for her service as president of ABC News. Kim has guided this team through important times in our world, and she did so with respect for the brand and the profession – and we thank her for that and much more.
Our reputation and credibility are hard-earned, and we would also like to express your appreciation for the extraordinary work you do every day. ABC News has been the No. 1 news network for twelve consecutive seasons and is home to the best in the business. From morning to day, night and beyond, this team is available 24/7 to serve our nation with the news, people and events that shape our world.
For now, I will oversee ABC News and look forward to working with the leadership team as we chart a new path forward together. Thank you for your patience and understanding during this transition period. Since I took on this role in February, my focus has been – and will continue – to provide this team with the resources needed to build on our success and continue the proud tradition of ABC News into a future of opportunity and innovation.
If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact me or your senior leaders.
Thank you,
Debra
KIM GODWIN NOTE TO ABC NEWS:
Good evening ABC news,
Forty years ago, I started my career fresh out of college as a passionate and enthusiastic executive producer at WTXL in Tallahassee, where I was responsible for the 6 and 11 p.m. news. The staff was so small that on busy news days I also had to go out to report. Little did I know what extraordinary opportunities awaited me as I began charting a path through a profession where very few women – and even fewer women of color – held leadership positions. So I understood and appreciated the profound significance of being the first Black woman to lead a national news network when I accepted the role of president of ABC News just over three years ago. It is both a privilege and a debt for those who broke the ceiling for me to lead a team whose brand is synonymous with trust, integrity and a dogged determination to be the best in the business.
Now, four decades and countless miles later, after working at all three news networks and ten local stations in nine cities, that small but mighty ABC affiliate in the Florida panhandle has come full circle. I have decided to retire from journalism. After applying to j-school at my beloved Florida A&M University, I have been fortunate and blessed to have done almost every job in this industry, including anchor, investigative journalist, news director, field producer, network executive producer/ special events and more before advancing to the executive ranks. Anyone who is passionate about what we do knows that there is no other company like it, so this was not an easy or quick decision. But after much consideration, I am confident this is the right choice for me as I look to the future and prioritize what is most important to me and my family.
ABC News was No. 1 when I joined the team and I'm proud to say we're still No. 1 – a feat punctuated in recent months by the highest honors our profession has to offer, the Edward R. Murrow Award for Overall Excellence in Television, to the Alfred I. duPont-Columbia Award for our groundbreaking series “Power of Water,” to our first-ever Primetime Emmy Award nominations for “Pretty Baby: Brooke Shields” and “Aftershock.” And just last week, our Uvalde documentary, “Print It Black,” won best documentary at the Dallas International Film Festival, where it premiered. I am especially proud of our unprecedented Uvalde 365 project, an unprecedented, yearlong commitment to documenting a community's emotional journey after a mass shooting.
In 2022, we were all overjoyed to receive 41 Emmy nominations, the most in 53 years. We have the best morning news program, daytime network program, evening news and Friday news magazine. We are consistently ranked #1 in all major live TV events, including, most recently, 'Eclipse Across America' in partnership with Nat Geo. And our programs can regularly be found in the Top 10 on Hulu.
Beyond awards and ratings, perhaps our success is best measured by the people at ABC News. This is an exceptional team doing exceptional work – together. You're top of the class in every category, and it's been nothing short of amazing to watch you tackle assignment after assignment, delivering in-depth reporting from around the world to our viewers at a time when truthful reporting is essential to the future of our great nation.
We pride ourselves on reaching all communities and meeting our audiences where and when they need us, and no company better exemplifies this than ABC News Live. When I started, it was the little flowing train that could do that; Thanks to your hard work and dedication, it is now a big train that can and does that every day. Last season, together on Hulu, we launched “Impact X Nightline,” a weekly news magazine whose episodes are regularly among the most viewed content on the platform.
We can be especially proud of our success with ABC News Studios, which we built from the ground up into what is now a premier nonfiction and documentary studio, creating more than 120 hours of award-winning content per year. We also created the first climate unit among news networks. So many innovations and initiatives in what feels like the blink of an eye. Together we are committed to cultural change, where people can be their authentic selves, feel seen and heard, while doing their best work. For all these reasons and more, I leave ABC News and this profession with the sincerest sense of pride, achievement and gratitude. My heart is full.
I want to thank Dana Walden and Debra OConnell for always making sure we had the resources and support to do our work. And finally, thank you ABC News for the love, support and inspiration. Over the years, hundreds of you have sent emails, texts and phone calls that have lifted my heart. In this ensuing election year, as we look to the months ahead, the importance of what we are doing cannot be overstated. Remember, there is joy in journalism.
I leave with my head held high and wish the entire team the best of luck.
In faith and favor,
Kim