Abc News
In the end, perhaps somewhat predictably, David Westin went with the biggest star. Today, Mr. Westin, the president of ABC News, officially announced that the network had hired Christiane Amanpour as the new anchor of the Sunday public affairs program, This Week. The high-profile D.C. gig has been vacant since the fall when George Stephanopoulos replaced Diane Sawyer on Good Morning... READ MORE»
With the audiences for traditional network news shows steadily declining, (see the PEJ's State of the News Media 2010) executives at the broadcast news divisions are continuing to brainstorm new ideas on how to expand their offerings. For example, ABC News executives, according to multiple sources, have recently tossed around the idea of creating a midday news and lifestyle program that would be one part Good Morning America, one part The View.... READ MORE»
ABC, undaunted by our general unwillingness to pay for stuff, will be establishing a paywall by June. This isn't the first time they've had such plans, reports... READ MORE»
On Tuesday afternoon, ABC News President David Westin wrote a lengthy memo to his staff detailing the network's plans to significantly reduce its work force in the weeks and months ahead. We're still digesting much of the memo, but one sentence immediately caught our attention. "Our programs are stronger today than they were ten years ago," wrote Mr.... READ MORE»
On Tuesday afternoon, ABC News executives informed their staff that the division will be undergoing a major transformation. Mass buyouts will be offered. And several hundred staff members (up to perhaps one-quarter of the 1200 to 1400 total individuals in the division) are expected to lose their jobs. In the wake of grim news in the TV news business, one question inevitably rises--will there be any reduction in the network anchors' sky-high salaries? ... READ MORE»
For weeks, ABC News has been awash in anxiety about a round of looming cuts that are expected to significantly effect the entire division. Today, network executives made the bad news official. This afternoon, ABC News President David Westin sent out the following memo to... READ MORE»
The Observer has learned that today, in yet another grim moment for broadcast television, ABC's Broadcast Operations & Engineering group laid off dozens of employees. The bulk of the cuts came from the groups New York work force, including many individuals from ABC's studios on West 66th Street. The division, which is led by president Preston Davis, provides technical support and maintains broadcasting facilities for ABC's entertainment, news, and sports... READ MORE»
By | January 26, 2010 | 7:10 pm
The Observer has learned that today, in yet another grim moment for broadcast television, ABC's Broadcast Operations & Engineering group laid off dozens of employees. The bulk of the cuts came from the groups New York work force, including many individuals from ABC's studios on West 66th Street. The division, which is led by president Preston Davis, provides technical support and maintains broadcasting facilities for ABC's entertainment, news, and sports divisions. Julie Hoover, a spokesperson... READ MORE»
Among the many anxieties that hound a broadcast news division president in 2010 (the dangers of Afghanistan, the steady sucking away of viewers to cable TV, the heckling from Jon Stewart, etc.), the cries of media bias from conservative critics remains a constant irritation. Playing defense against allegations that so-and-so has lost his objectivity and hopped in bed with the Obama administration is a constant and irritating price of doing business. So what do you... READ MORE»
Next week, on the evening of Monday, December 21, Diane Sawyer will make her debut as the new anchor of ABC's World News, replacing Charles Gibson. On Monday morning, coinciding with the changing of the guard, ABC News will also be unveiling a new version of the World News Web site, The Observer has learned.... READ MORE»
On the morning of Friday, Dec. 11, Diane Sawyer said goodbye to Good Morning America viewers after more than ten years of co-hosting ABC's morning show. GMA producers marked the day with a series of mellifluous tributes, looking back at a decade of highlights. Ms. Sawyer wading through the high waters of Katrina. Ms. Sawyer interviewing victims of the tsunami. And on and... READ MORE»
By | December 15, 2009 | 4:54 pm
On the morning of Friday, Dec. 11, Diane Sawyer said goodbye to Good Morning America viewers after more than ten years of co-hosting ABC's morning show. GMA producers marked the day with a series of mellifluous tributes, looking back at a decade of highlights. Ms. Sawyer wading through the high waters of Katrina. Ms. Sawyer interviewing victims of the tsunami. And on and on. At one point, George Stephanopoulos materialized to say hello to his... READ MORE»
It was Tuesday morning, the day after Labor Day, and Diane Sawyer was smiling brightly and wearing black. Toward the top of the hour, Chris Cuomo, one of her co-anchors on Good Morning America, looked at the camera and ran through the morning’s headlines. There was swine flu spreading rapidly through American schools, an alleged serial killer arrested in Milwaukee, great white sharks off the coast of Cape Cod, bombings in Afghanistan, cracks in... READ MORE»
ABC News' Bob Woodruff is returning to Iraq for the first time since January of 2006 when a roadside bomb there nearly took his life. This morning, in a blog post for ABC News, Mr. Woodruff explained his decision to return to the war zone: I was in Iraq for the seventh time when I was injured. None of us ever could have imagined then that I would ever be able to go back, or... READ MORE»
Last Friday night, ABC news executives bumped a 20/20 piece by John Stossel about health care in favor of more Michael Jackson coverage. Apparently, Mr. Stossel was not amused. Afterwards, he vented on an ABC News blog. "Yes, I am sick of the Michael Jackson coverage," he wrote. "I hate it that ABC didn't run my piece. Free markets sometimes encourage pandering to the masses. I still say, bless the... READ MORE»
