Kimberly Godwin is about to be the first black person to run a major newsroom of the US broadcasting network

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ABC’s parent company, Disney DIS, confirmed Godwin’s appointment Wednesday.
Godwin will take over from James Goldston in May, who announced in January that he would step down after seven years as president. His last day was at the end of March. Peter Rice, president of Disney General Entertainment Content, has led ABC News with a group of delegates.

“Kim is an instinctive and admired executive whose unique experiences, strengths and strategic vision made her the ideal choice to lead ABC News’ excellent team and build on their incredible success,” Rice said in a statement.

Kimberly Godwin, the new president of ABC News.

Godwin is currently an executive vice president at CBS News, one of ABC’s main rivals. CBS News is also known to be looking for a new president to join its news division. Susan Zirinsky, the current president of CBS News, is expected to announce her departure from the post soon.

Godwin’s upcoming appointment was first reported by NBC News last week.

News operations are under both internal and external pressure to match their story of valuing diversity with action. Every former president of ABC News was a white man. When Goldston announced his departure plans, industry insiders expected Disney to make finding a person of color a priority when looking for his replacement.

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