Kim Godwin’s Exit Raises New Questions About ABC News’ Future

Brian Steinberg Senior TV Editor Cynthia McFadden, the TV-news veteran whose career has taken her from co-anchoring ABC News‘ “Nightline” to a senior perch on NBC News‘ investigations team, is stepping away from broadcast journalism. “It is hard to leave a job you love but this is the right time — I have a list of things I have often said I wanted to do ‘someday’. Well, someday is now, while I am still raring to go — and playing with a relatively full deck,” McFadden said in a note to colleagues Friday.

The Young Sheldon finale should go down as not just one of , but also one of the finest hours of television, period. The tricky balance of devastation and humor following George's death in last week's episode also had to be intertwined with Sheldon and Amy in the future (Jim Parsons and Mayim Bialik, reprising ) in a way that made sense to the viewer.

ABC News’ David Muir and Linsey Davis will moderate the second presidential debate on Sept. 10.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV Editor Netflix may be a new-tech company, but it approached advertisers Wednesday with old-school TV talk: The company aims to make dozens of shows and movies that people like to watch and talk about. During an upfront presentation, executives from the streaming giant showcased a msssuve pipeline of content that included two Christmas Day games from the NFL, a year of WWE matches and a new movie that features the return of Cameron Diaz, who will come-star with Jamie Foxx in “Back in Action.” “At a time when the competition is pulling back, we are investing,” said Bela Bajaria, the company’s chief content officer.

ABC News plans to make its coverage of the second presidential debate in September available to other networks for simulcast.

Kim Kardashian did NOT care for the treatment she received from fans in the audience at Tom Brady‘s roast!

“The Golden Bachelor was probably the television event last year,” ABC TV Group President Craig Erwich said in an interview with Deadline on the day of the Disney upfront presentation. The Bachelor offshoot was so successful, it spawned a highly rated special, The Golden Wedding.

Baby Bieber is on the way! And everyone is celebrating the news, including Hailey and Justin Bieber’s famous pals!

Following some impressive turns in “Anyone But You,” “The White Lotus,” and “Immaculate,” actress Sydney Sweeney has bagged an impressive new dramatic role. The “Euphoria,” also known for her part in “Madame Web,” Sweeney will star in Australian director David Michôd’s (“The King”) new film about trailblazing female boxer Christy Martin.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV Editor Dale Earnhardt Jr. is changing vehicles. The legendary racer will leave NBC Sports’ NASCAR team, where he has held forth as a color commentator since 2018, in favor of lending his expertise to both Warner Bros.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV Editor Audiences may not be the only thing about TV that continues to shrink. Advertisers are expected to once again press for “rollbacks,” or declines in the rates they pay for reaching streaming and TV viewers, in early “upfront” talks with TV networks, according to five media buying executives and other people familiar with these annual discussions in which U.S. media companies try to sell the bulk of their commercial inventory ahead of their next cycle of programming.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV Editor Disney doesn’t think it’s going to foul in its drive to score a new pact with the NBA. Speaking to investors Tuesday, Disney CEO Bob Iger said the company was “optimistic or confident” that Disney would renew its agreement with the basketball league that would keep a sizable package of its games on ESPN and other Disney properties. Disney has also served as home to the NBA Finals, which typically air on the ABC broadcast network.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV Editor Amazon wants to break down the barriers between watching TV and driving to the mall. The streaming giant on Tuesday unveiled a new suite of interactive ad formats it is making available for sponsors of its Prime Video subscription-video service.

Warner Bros. Discovery chief David Zaslav largely evaded questions about NBA talks and Paramount Global‘s potential as a WBD merger partner, but he did weigh in on the hot topic of executive pay.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV Editor Dan Abrams is taking a deeper gulp of liquor media. The media entrepreneur, who has built businesses such as the TV-news-obsessed Mediaite and the Law & Crime network, which was recently sold to the creator-fueled media company Jellysmack, is acquiring two specialized event businesses tied to liquor tasting in a bid to grow Bottle Raiders, a collection of sites that offer reviews of whiskey, tequila, gin and rum.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV Editor Kim Godwin, the ABC News president who was the first Black woman to run a broadcast network news operation, is leaving the Disney unit amid increasing concern about the way she was managing the home of shows like “Good Morning America” and “World News Tonight.” Godwin told staffers in a memo Sunday that she planned to “retire from broadcast journalism.” Her command had come under increasing scrutiny since a restructuring of ABC News and Disney’s ABC stations had her reporting directly to Debra OConnell, a Disney business veteran who is seen as a valued operator at the company. OConnell will lead ABC News for the foreseeable future, she told employees Sunday evening.

After weeks of speculation, Kim Godwin is leaving her post as President of ABC News. Debra OConnell, who added ABC News to her portfolio in February, will run the department in the interim. She made the announcement internally, with Godwin also addressing her staff. You can read the memos below.

Rosamund Pike is about to put on a magical display in Now You See Me 3!

Rob Marciano, meteorologist for Good Morning America, has left the network.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV Editor Rob Marciano, a longtime meteorologist at ABC News known for his appearances on weekend broadcasts of :”Good Morning America,” has left the network, according to a person familiar with the matter. ABC News declined to make executives available for comment.