[ad_1]
Another major media company is merging its news division and its local stations in hopes of reaping new profits from two businesses that are being hurt by the rise of streaming video.
Disney will place veteran executive Debra O’Connell at the top of a new division spanning ABC News and its local station operations, with ABC News President Kim Godwin and Station President Chad Matthews reporting to her. The structure is similar to what Paramount Global implemented last year when it merged CBS News, local CBS stations and syndication under a single executive, Wendy McMahon.
OConnell will report to Dana Walden, co-chairman of Disney Entertainment. Meanwhile, Godwin renewed her contract to remain in her current position, although he will have a new level of management between her and top Disney executives.
“Debra is an excellent executive who has been successful in a wide range of leadership roles at our company and knows well the extraordinary power of ABC News and its world-class journalists,” Walden said in a statement. “This new role provides her with oversight of all of our linear operations, where she will be able to optimize our iconic brands and guide them into the future. “I look forward to her leading these incredibly talented teams as we build on our success.”
OConnell takes over ABC News at a disconcerting time when more and more consumers are getting their headlines and news through digital and streaming media. ABC News has enjoyed a substantial reign atop the nation’s evening and morning newscasts, but those shows, “World News Tonight” and “Good Morning America,” have recently lost ground among viewers ages 25 to 54, the most coveted demographic. by advertisers in news programming. From the season through Feb. 11, both “World News Tonight” and “GMA” have seen viewers in that particular audience drop by more than 20%, according to Nielsen figures.
During Godwin’s tenure, ABC News has been in a state of flux, with several veteran executives removed through layoffs and a new senior team created. ABC News has launched new production deals with popular hosts Robin Robert and George Stephanopoulos that aim to create new content for streaming venues like Hulu and Disney+. He has also worked to rebuild a talent pool that has been depleted by the departures of anchors like Cecilia Vega and the afternoon news duo of Amy Robach and TJ Holmes. Even so, presenters like Gio Benítez have taken on new prominent roles.
Meanwhile, ABC stations are some of the best-performing in the industry, a dynamic that has helped boost daytime programming, including “GMA3,” “The Tamron Hall Show” and “The View.” All of those programs have been under the auspices of ABC News in recent years, making it one of the few broadcast news divisions to manage such a robust daytime portfolio.
He has worked in many areas of the Disney portfolio, including advertising sales and senior positions at New York station WABC. She will add to duties that already include managing the company’s local television holdings and tracking profits and losses across all of Disney’s linear entertainment networks, including ABC and Disney Channel. He serves on the board of directors of A&E Networks and National Geographic Partners, two Disney joint ventures.
“I consider it a privilege to champion the best networks, the best news organization and the best stations in the world, and thank Dana for her leadership and trust,” OConnell said. “I am excited to work with Kim, Chad and these exceptional teams on strategies to provide excellent service to our viewers for years to come,” said OConnell.