On Sunday evening, Kim Godwin, the embattled president of ABC News, abruptly announced that she will be step exit the network. This is the end of a tumultuous three-year run after employees said her polarizing leadership led to plummeting employee morale. Kim Godwin, who three years ago became the first Black woman to run a broadcast television news division, steps down as ABC News president and retiring from the news business.
Kim Godwin resignation
“I have decided to retire from broadcast journalism,” Kim Godwin told staffers in a memo that rocked the ABC News newsroom about her resignation.
“I have been fortunate and blessed enough to have done almost every job there is in this business,” Godwin added. “But after considerable reflection, I’m certain it’s the right one for me as I look to the future and prioritize what’s most important for me and my family.”
Disney’s dissatisfaction
Godwin’s sudden exit came after Debra OConnell, the Disney veteran who was tapped in February to oversee ABC News as part of her portfolio, was conducting a review of her performance and had voiced dissatisfaction in private conversations with the state of affairs at the network.
Disney announced in February that Godwin had renewed her contract to lead ABC News, even as the company installed OConnell in a new role overseeing her portfolio a sign that chief executive Bob Iger had doubts about Godwin’s stewardship of the news division.
In announcing her new contract, Godwin gave no sign of her coming departure. “There is more work to be done,” she wrote. “Now let’s get to it.”
Kim Godwin career at ABC news
Godwin came to ABC News in 2021 after a long career as an executive at CBS News. Her appointment to oversee the network followed several internal controversies, including the departure of ABC News executive Barbara Fedida after an investigation allegedly found that she had made “unacceptable racially insensitive comments” on the job.
Morale at ABC News has suffered significantly since Godwin took the helm in 2021. The employees were frustrated with her leadership. According to them Godwin made several profound errors, including employing a hands-off approach to managing, not developing a strategic vision for the newsroom, eliminating the heads of the talent relations division and appointing an inner-circle that alienated staffers, among a stream of other complaints.
Kim Godwin on stepping down
She struck a very different tone in a memo to staff on Sunday night, describing her departure as a happy ending to a long and storied career.
“Anyone who’s passionate about what we do knows there’s no other business like it, so this was not an easy or quick decision,” she wrote. “But after considerable reflection, I’m certain it’s the right one for me as I look to the future and prioritize what’s most important for me and my family.”
Debra OConnell, the new executive named to the role above Godwin in February, praised Godwin in her own memo Sunday. “Kim has navigated this team through consequential times in our world, and she did so with respect for the brand and profession — and for that and more, we thank her,” she wrote.
OConnell said she would lead ABC News “for the time being.”
First Black woman to lead
Ironically, Godwin entered ABC News three years ago as the first Black woman to lead a broadcast television news division. She joined with the mandate of healing its culture, only to exacerbate its problems and help sap the competitive spirit that once coursed through and animated the newsroom.
The actual decision for Godwin and ABC News to part ways is not clear. But Godwin as recently as Friday was leading editorial meetings at the Disney-owned network.
On Sunday night, Godwin expressed confidence that the news division’s culture has improved during her tenure.
“Together, we committed to a cultural shift, where people could be their authentic selves, feeling seen and heard, while doing their best work,” she wrote. “For all these reasons and more, I depart ABC News and this profession with the sincerest sense of pride, accomplishment and gratitude. My heart is filled.”
“I leave with my head held high and wish the entire team continued success,” Godwin wrote in her note to staff.
