NBCU News Group Launches ‘Inspiring America’ Special

Brian Steinberg Senior TV EditorAs millions of people tune in to the Tokyo Olympics later this year, one of the world’s biggest advertisers hopes to give them something during the commercial breaks that is as inspiring as anything they might see around the swimming pool or on the gymnastics pavilion.Procter & Gamble, which has become a regular participant in Olympics advertising over the last decade, will serve up two short films that give viewers a different take of the athletes competing this

Brian Steinberg Senior TV EditorWalter Cronkite held forth from New York and Washington for CBS News. His heirs at a new ViacomCBS unit will do the same, while also monitoring Sacramento, Minneapolis and Dallas.The two executives named to head a newly fashioned division that combines the CBS local stations with CBS News and the team that manages the CBSN live-streaming news service offered their early vision for how the operation will function.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV EditorJulie Townsend, longtime head of communications for ABC News, will leave the Disney unit as it prepares to welcome a new president.Townsend, a VP who has supervised outreach on behalf of flagship news programs ranging from “Good Morning America” to “World News Tonight,” will leave May 14 “to lead global consumer communications at an iconic American company” that she said in a memo to staffers would be revealed at a later date.“This was not an easy decision to

Brian Steinberg Senior TV EditorTom Llamas, the popular former ABC News anchor, has joined NBC News as a primetime anchor for its NBC News Now live-streaming service.Llamas will work as a senior national correspondent and will also contribute reporting to the network’s flagship shows and breaking news and special events coverage.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV EditorABC News will offer a portrait of the life of George Floyd in a two-hour “20/20” slated to air April 23 at 9 p.m.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV EditorNBCUniversal said it hired a senior executive from Nielsen to oversee new efforts to help advertisers measure their commercials’ reach and effectiveness amid an outbreak of new tensions between the TV networks and the large measurement company.Kelly Abcarian was named executive vice president of measurement and impact at NBCU’s ad-sales unit, charged with helping advertisers find ways to gauge how many consumers their marketing efforts reach across NBCU’s

Brian Steinberg Senior TV EditorABC is looking for a new producer to open the network for business each morning.The abrupt departure of Michael Corn, the seasoned news producer who has managed the network’s flagship A.M. franchise, “Good Morning America,” since 2014, means ABC News is suddenly working a little harder to keep the program on its current path.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV EditorNeeraj Khemlani and Wendy McMahon have been named to lead a new unit that combines CBS News and CBS local stations.Khemlani, a senior executive at Hearst Newspapers, will be the next president of CBS News, charged with raising the competitive level of a news organization that is associated with giants of the format such as Edward R.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV EditorThe new president of ABC News won’t start until May, but she already has a critical assignment: The top producer of ABC’s “Good Morning America” is leaving the show.Michael Corn, an ABC News veteran who worked alongside Diane Sawyer at “World News Tonight” and who has managed “GMA” since 2014, has left the company abruptly.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV EditorIt won’t have the bowls of shrimp or free drinks, but TV’s annual week of upfront presentations will look a little more like its pre-pandemic norm.NBCU intends to kick off the industry’s usual week of presentations May 17 with a virtual event that will feature looks at  scripted and unscripted originals, sports, news, and live events, and include cameos from actors and senior executives from across the company.

NBCUniversal is launching a special Inspiring America: The 2021 Inspiration List, marking an expansion of its NBC Nightly News franchise that focuses on extraordinary individuals who have made an impact.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV EditorThe recent procession of top news executives shifting positions at ABC News, MSNBC and CBS News gives many in the close-knit world of TV journalism cause for hand-wringing.In recent months, NBCUniversal named a new executive, Cesar Conde, to head all its news operations, replacing Andy Lack. Conde in turn named a new president at MSNBC, Rashida Jones.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV EditorKimberly Godwin, a veteran of local and national TV-news operations, will be the next president of ABC News  — and the first Black executive to run a broadcast-network news operation.Disney on Wednesday confirmed that Godwin, who has been with CBS News since 2007, will take over the role most recently held by James Goldston.

Nikki Grahame bravely opening up about her struggles with anorexia is being shared following the reality star’s death. The former Big Brother contestant, who appeared on series seven, died of complications from the eating disorder, aged 38, on Friday (9 April).

Brian Steinberg Senior TV EditorCBS 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.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.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV EditorFox News Media named former U.S.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV EditorJason White has worked to capture attention for Nike, Apple’s Beats and cannabis products. Now he’s bringing his marketing acumen to the world of TV.White has been named chief marketing officer for ViacomCBS’ MTV Entertainment Group, a heady job that involves touting MTV, Comedy Central and Smithsonian Channel among other popular media brands.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV EditorJim Acosta’s mother recently sent him a text about his first stint as a weekend anchor for CNN. She loved his expression, perhaps with good reason.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV EditorDisney’s search for a new leader for ABC News continues weeks after the company unexpectedly disclosed the former president, James Goldston, would leave the post.Goldston’s last day came at the end of March and the company has yet to hone in on a candidate to replace him, according to four people familiar with parts of the search process. When ABC News heads like David Westin or Ben Sherwood left in years past, Disney identified a successor.