President Kim Godwin stepped down on Sunday night after three years at the helm of ABC News.
Godwin left the legacy media giant a few months after a corporate restructuring stripped her of her managerial control. The embattled president struggled to increase viewership for the network's evening news broadcast and had overseen a significant ratings decline on its flagship morning program, “Good Morning America.”
On Sunday night, Godwin sent an email to her colleagues: “I have decided to retire from broadcast journalism,” she began. “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. 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.”
As The Wall Street Journal reports:
No successor has been named for Godwin, who was named president of the division in 2021.
Godwin's retirement comes after a restructuring in February that gave her a new boss in Debra OConnell, who serves as president of parent Disney's news group. OConnell is a company veteran who is familiar with ABC News, having scrutinized operations across Disney's networks as part of a corporate review.
When Godwin joined ABC News from CBS, she had her work cut out for her. Though the news division was a ratings leader, many in the news division said it was suffering from a cutthroat and toxic culture.
She instead became a polarizing figure inside the network. Detractors say she and her inner circle stifled discussion and dissent while failing to rise up to challenges facing the unit—including a decline in ratings at “Good Morning America.”
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