Disney has found the next president of ABC News.
Kimberly Godwin, the executive vice president of CBS News, is in the final stages of negotiations with Disney to become president of ABC News, according to two sources with knowledge of the situation.
Godwin, a 14-year veteran of CBS, would become the first Black woman to lead a broadcast news division. Godwin would report to Peter Rice, the chairman of Disney’s entertainment division who has been conducting a months-long search for his next news chief.
Rashida Jones, the president of MSNBC, became the first black woman to lead a cable news network earlier this year.
Rice and Disney communications representatives Zenia Mucha and Charissa Gilmore declined to confirm or comment. Chris Ender, a spokesperson for CBS, also declined to comment. Godwin did not respond to a request for comment.
The shakeup comes as broadcast news divisions are trying to chart a course into the digital future, with ratings for traditional television declining rapidly.
Godwin’s move also raises questions for CBS News in the event that its current president Susan Zirinsky vacates that position, something many television news insiders expect will happen in the near future.
