James Goldston, president of ABC News for the past seven years, is departing.
Goldston said in a memo to staff Thursday that he’ll step down as head of the news division at the end of March and will help with the transition to a new leader.
“I’ve loved every day of my 17 years at ABC News, but in recent times I’ve always assumed that after this extraordinary election cycle, which we’ve covered at a full sprint for four years, it would be time for a change,” Goldston wrote (see the full memo below). “After a great deal of reflection over the last few months, I’m ready for a new adventure.”
Goldston joined ABC News in 2004 as a senior producer of primetime specials and investigative reports and served as executive producer of Nightline, senior exec producer of Good Morning America and senior vp content and development before moving into the top job in 2014.
“I am incredibly grateful to James for his leadership,” said Peter Rice, chairman general entertainment content at ABC parent Disney. “This past year redefined the 24-hour news cycle, and he led the team with an unrelenting commitment to facts and in-depth, insightful reporting. Maintaining journalistic excellence and integrity amidst a pandemic upheaval, social injustice reckoning, political divide and historic election is an exceptional accomplishment and I commend James for guiding the team through it with distinction.”
Rice also said he would establish an office of the president of ABC News during the transition period, made up of Goldston and senior ABC News execs Derek Medina, Michael Corn, Almin Karamehmedovic, Wendy Fisher and Marie Nelson. They’ll report to Rice and advise on the search for a new president; Rice emphasized that the office is temporary and will disband when a new division head is hired.
During Goldston’s tenure ABC’s World News Tonight has become the No. 1 evening network newscast — and for a time during the summer of 2020, the most watched program on all of ad-supported TV regardless of daypart — and Good Morning America has continued a nine-year streak as the most watched morning news show (though NBC’s Today leads in the key news demographic of adults 25-54). Daytime talker The View also moved from ABC’s entertainment division to ABC News under Goldston’s watch.
Goldston’s memo to staff is below.
Team,
I have some important news to share. After seven years as the President of ABC News, I’ve decided this is the right moment to move on as this incredible era of news ends and another begins. My last day will be March 31 to help ensure a smooth transition to a new leader.
It’s a really tough decision. I’ve loved every day of my 17 years at ABC News, but in recent times I’ve always assumed that after this extraordinary election cycle, which we’ve covered at a full sprint for four years, it would be time for a change. After a great deal of reflection over the last few months, I’m ready for a new adventure.
I will depart knowing ABC News is stronger than it has ever been in its 75 year history – all thanks to all of you, this extraordinary team I’ve been blessed to work alongside every day.
We’ve won all the journalistic prizes there are, from Peabodys and Emmys, to the award for Overall Excellence from the Murrows five times.
We’ve revolutionized our approach to how we report our stories, how we tell them and how we distribute them to the world.
We’ve welcomed The View and FiveThirtyEight into the ABC News family. We’ve launched ABC News Live and watched its stupendous growth with awe. We added a third hour of GMA that proved so valuable to our audience in the last year as the pandemic swept across the country.
Some people will tell you the ratings don’t matter — never believe them, they do. And thanks to your efforts, we have fought our way to number one across the board, in the mornings, in the evenings, in late night, on Friday nights and overnights, in streaming and social and audio and a lot of other places, too. It’s been spectacular and satisfying to witness.
Most importantly of all, in all my years at ABC News, I’ve been proud to help develop and nurture the next generation of journalists and new leaders. I’m particularly proud of our coverage this past year, through the pandemic, a long overdue racial reckoning, and an election for the ages. You’ve inspired me countless times with your resilience and ability to cover every story with distinction, no matter the circumstances.
The last seven years have been a transformative time for the news division. What hasn’t changed is the dedication of everyone here to deliver straightforward news and an unparalleled excellence for telling stories that matter. There is a great battle still be won — for the facts and the truth, and I know you will work tirelessly to prevail.
The future is very bright indeed. We have a great partner in Peter, and I’m thankful for his constant support for the news division. Peter asked me to help with the search over the next two months for a successor, who I’m sure will love this job as much as I do. I’m also deeply grateful to Bob Iger, who has been a great mentor to me and a fierce advocate for our work always.
This is one of the great jobs in all of journalism. My only regret is not being able to see our newsrooms filled again with people and energy and endeavor before I go, but I will find ways to say thank you to as many of you as I possibly can in the coming weeks.
I’m excited for what this next chapter holds for me, but for now let me just say it’s been the honor and privilege of a lifetime to lead ABC News.
James
