ABC News president Kim Godwin in hot water as Disney-appointed boss conducts review

Debra OConnell was tapped to oversee the news network, and ABC News President Kim Godwin appears to be skating on thinner and thinner ice.

Editor’s Note: A version of this article first appeared in the “Reliable Sources” newsletter. Sign up for the daily digest chronicling the evolving media landscape here. ABC News President Kim Godwin is skating on thinner and thinner ice. Debra OConnell, the well-liked and respected media veteran who was tapped by Burbank in February for a newly created position that oversees the news network, has spent the last few months evaluating the state of affairs at the Disney-owned property. Having immediately made it clear that she holds the real power at ABC News, OConnell has solicited an unyielding stream of input from a large swath of the organization. And, suffice to say, she has been less than impressed about what she has found. OConnell, according to people familiar with the matter, has been astonished by Godwin’s management — or lack thereof — at the network. In private conversations, OConnell has pointed to a slew of problems that have materialized on Godwin’s watch, faulting the embattled ABC News chief for her hands-off leadership style, which she believes has allowed problems to fester. OConnell, for example, has been astounded by the fact that a year after Godwin dismissed the network’s head of talent, Galen Gordon, the important position has yet to be filled. She was not pleased to see ABC News lose its Washington bureau chief, Jonathan Greenberger, to POLITICO just months before a historic presidential election, leaving that crucial seat vacant. And the fact that “CBS Mornings” has been knocking on the ratings door of “Good Morning America” has been yet another source of discomfort. Most of all, OConnell is not blind to the fact that Godwin’s leadership has helped produced palpable anxiety and frustration among staffers who are wondering about the network’s longterm game plan as the linear television business continues to crumble. Network staffers are especially apprehensive in the wake of Disney boss Bob Iger publicly floating that he could sell off ABC, comments he has since tepidly walked back.