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Kim Godwin Expected to Lead ABC News

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Would Be First Black Person in Top Broadcast Role

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Kim Godwin on the set. (Credit: CBS News)

Would Be First Black Person in Top Broadcast Role

“CBS News veteran Kim Godwin is expected to become the next president of ABC News, a move that would make her the first Black executive to lead a broadcast-network news division in the U.S.,” Brian Steinberg reported overnight for Variety.

Steinberg’s report followed this: Godwin “is in the final stages of negotiations with Disney to become president of ABC News, according to two sources with knowledge of the situation,” Dylan Byers wrote for NBC News.

However, Steinberg cautioned: “CBS News declined to comment. ABC News, CBS and Disney could not be reached for immediate comment. There has been no official announcement of Godwin’s hire and there is always a chance decision-making might change.”

He continued, “Godwin has had an offer from Disney’s ABC for several weeks, according to a person familiar with the matter, but only in the last few days did CBS CEO George Cheeks agree to let the executive out of her contract. The decision, this person says, was not an easy one for CBS to make; the company wanted to keep Godwin on board. Godwin was recently given new responsibilities at CBS’ local stations, taking oversight of news operations there in the wake of the dismissal of executives Peter Dunn and David Friend amid a probe of allegations about their behavior.”

In 2015, Florida A&M University proudly tweeted these photos of Godwin, then a senior producer, holding her fifth Emmy award.

The ascent of Godwin, now executive vice president of CBS News, would come amid others recently for Black women. In December, Rashida Jones, senior vice president for MSNBC News, was named president of the cable network, effective Feb. 1.

This week, Edelman, the global public relations firm, named Lisa Osborne Ross as CEO of its U.S. operations. “The firm said Ross will be the first Black woman to lead a sizable business in the public relations field,” David Roeder reported for the Chicago Sun-Times.

And there’s this: Just as Howard University and historically Black colleges and universities are exulting in the election of Kamala Harris, a Howard alum, as vice president of the United States, Florida A&M University and other HBCUs can take pride in the success of Godwin, a FAMU grad and a former director of the Division of Journalism.

The National Association of Black Journalists called for ABC to pick an African American leader after James Goldston’s decision in February to step down after 17 years at the network.

“In 1962, ABC hired Mal Goode as the first network news correspondent, and in 1978, NABJ co-founder Max Robinson was named the first Black network evening news anchor,” Ken Lemon, NABJ vice president-broadcast, said then. “While progress has been made in front of the camera, it’s time for Black advancement in the executive suites.”

Last year, NABJ honored Godwin with its Ida B. Wells Award “for being a strong newsroom leader, for being an advocate for stories about communities in the country that might have been overlooked, for her work to create a diverse newsroom, and her focus on identifying – and advocating for – young journalists throughout their careers.”

2 CBS Execs Ousted After Racism Charges

April 8, 2021

Accused of Blocking Efforts to Hire, Retain Blacks
Black Journalist Promoted to No. 2 at Teen Vogue

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Anchor Ukee Washington of KYW-TV, the CBS-owned station in Philadelphia, is ready to ring the bell March 14 for the opening game of the Philadelphia Sixers and the San Antonio Spurs. While CBS executive Peter Dunn is said to have referred to Washington as “just a jive guy,” station manager Brandin Stewart called him “a pillar and a role model – an amazing, talented individual who is the heart and soul of CBS3.” (Credit: Twitter)

Accused of Blocking Efforts to Hire, Retain Blacks

“CBS has ousted two powerful TV station executives following allegations of racist and abusive behavior,” Meg James reported Wednesday for the Los Angeles Times.

“Peter Dunn (pictured), who served as president of the TV Stations group since 2009, and David Friend, the senior vice president of news for more than a decade, are no longer part of CBS, the company’s chief executive, George Cheeks (pictured, below), said Wednesday in an email to staff.

“The move comes two months after an investigation by the Los Angeles Times alleged that the pair cultivated an environment that included bullying female managers and blocking efforts to hire and retain Black journalists.”

In January, the National Association of Black Journalists called for the two men’s resignations. CBS placed the two on administrative leave pending the outcome of a third-party investigation.

James, who broke the original story, continued, “Dunn allegedly made racist comments about Ukee Washington, a beloved Black anchor at the CBS-owned television station in Philadelphia. In addition, staff members in Philadelphia and at the flagship station WCBS-TV in New York complained of inappropriate behavior and news coverage decisions that neglected communities of color. The men have previously denied any inappropriate conduct.

“CBS suspended the two executives a day after The Times’ report was published.

“ ‘We have determined that CBS Stations President Peter Dunn and SVP of News David Friend are not returning to their positions and will be leaving the Company,’ Cheeks said in the email. ‘Until we have new leadership in place, Bryon Rubin will continue to run the Stations group while Kim Godwin (pictured) will continue her oversight of Stations’ news operations. I will be sure to update you with information about permanent leadership for the group as soon as it is finalized.’ ”

As the Philadelphia Business Journal reported in January, “The allegations levied by former CBS3 President and General Manager Brien Kennedy and former News Director Margaret Cronan include that Dunn referred to Washington, who is Black, as ‘just a jive guy,’ asked if the station’s choice for morning anchor was ‘too gay for Philadelphia’ and stated that he ‘hated’ the face of former anchor Rahel Solomon (pictured), a Black journalist now working at CNBC.”

“I want to be very clear that the external investigation under the direction of Keisha-Ann Gray at Proskauer Rose is not over and will continue,” Cheeks said, James reported.

Black Journalist Promoted to No. 2 at Teen Vogue

The publishers of Teen Vogue, who made diversity a priority when they hired Alexi McCammond as their ill-fated choice for editor-in-chief, have promoted Danielle Kwateng (pictured), a Black journalist, to executive editor. Kwateng is currently entertainment and culture director.

Samhita Mukhopadhyay, Teen Vogue’s previous executive editor, was considered the No. 2 person when she announced March 19 that she was resigning.

“Her departure, however, didn’t appear to be tied directly to the turmoil surrounding McCammond, and was reportedly announced internally about six weeks ago,” Keith J. Kelly reported at the time for the New York Post.

No new editor-in-chief has been named. Previous editor Lindsay Peoples Wagner, also a Black journalist, announced her departure in early January, saying she was returning to New York magazine to take over its fashion blog, The Cut.

McCammond, formerly a political reporter for Axios, resigned from Conde Nast just days before she was set to begin the Teen Vogue job.

As Katie Robertson reported March 18 for The New York Times, “Her job status became shaky days after Condé Nast named her to the position, when the offensive tweets she had posted as a teenager in 2011 resurfaced. They included comments on the appearance of Asian features, derogatory stereotypes about Asians and slurs for gay people. Ms. McCammond had apologized for the tweets in 2019 and deleted them. Screenshots of the tweets were recirculated on social media after her hiring at Teen Vogue was announced on March 5.”

In a letter to readers posted Wednesday, Kwateng said, “We at Teen Vogue have read your comments and emails and we have seen the pain and frustration caused by resurfaced social media posts. While our staff continued doing the groundbreaking and progressive work we’re known for, we stopped posting it on social media as we turned inward and had a lot of tough discussions about who we are and what comes next. We’re not perfect, but we do know our place in the media landscape and recognize that our readers make up the DNA of our work.”

Kwateng also wrote, “We are invested in you as much as you are invested in us.

“I’m so excited for the future of Teen Vogue. Our diverse and brilliant staff of editors and writers plan to continue amplifying the voices of the unheard, telling stories that normally go untold, and providing resources for teens looking to make a tangible impact in their communities. But we also plan to evolve with our readers, because we can’t be the young person’s guide to saving the world without you.”

Before Teen Vogue, Kwateng was entertainment editor of Essence, where she was interviewed in 2017 by Development Counsellors International, described as “the leader in travel marketing and economic development marketing, increasing visitors and business inquiries for destinations around the globe.” The topic was how to pitch stories.

“When she’s not diligently keeping us informed with the latest breaking news as it relates to Hollywood, music, film and television, Danielle is busy curating for her digital shop, TheVolta.co, a place for talented artisans of color to sell their goods while highlighting other creatives in the field. Her passion includes championing women and artists of African diaspora,” the story said.

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