Figuring out who the heck is running network news this week has turned into a dizzying game of musical chairs.
CBS News president Susan Zirinsky is giving up her seat. Her No. 2, Kimberly Godwin, grabbed the big chair at ABC News. That left an opening at CBS News. When the music stopped again on Thursday, that open seat was filled by two people.
That’s not the only thing different about what happened on Thursday. Buckle up, because this is different. And surprising.
In an out-of-the-box move that has created as much skepticism as endorsement, CBS News has decided to go with two presidents. That’s not the only stunner. Both are coming from outside of CBS and neither was on anyone’s radar to take over a network news division.
So what happened?
Let’s start with the new business model. CBS announced Thursday plans to combine the journalistic and business resources of CBS News and the CBS Television Stations into one divisional and leadership structure.
To run this new division, it has picked Neeraj Khemlani, a vice president at Hearst, and Wendy McMahon, a former executive at ABC. The two will serve as co-presidents and co-heads of a CBS News division that will also include local stations owned by the network.
Like I said, this sure is different.
Khemlani was a producer at “60 Minutes” from 1998 to 2006, but hasn’t worked in television since then. He left CBS for Yahoo and then went to Hearst in 2009. McMahon oversaw local stations and newsrooms owned by ABC.
The two will now be in charge of not only CBS News, but the 28 local stations that CBS owns in 17 major markets across the country. They also will oversee CBS’s national and local streaming services. There are those inside of CBS News who told me they liked the idea of combining national and local divisions — and bridging what often was seen as a disconnect between the two.
In a statement, George Cheeks, president and chief executive officer of CBS Entertainment Group, said, “This is an opportunity to create a news and information structure that positions CBS for the future. It speaks to our ability to scale newsgathering, production, technical and operational resources to serve both national and local, linear and digital, with the agility to deliver trusted information to every platform. Wendy and Neeraj have the leadership background and cross-platform accomplishments that cover all these important areas, and they share our commitment for supporting superior journalism, optimal delivery platforms and the strongest of organizational cultures.”
In some ways, combining the divisions makes sense and it would be a big job for just one person. Yet it does raise questions about how responsibilities will be divided. In its official announcement, CBS said the two “will partner on managing all aspects of the division, bringing their wide range of broadcast, local and digital experience to their positions.”
The guess would be that Khemlani will handle the national news broadcasts, while McMahon would be in charge of CBS’s local stations.
In a memo to staff, Cheeks wrote, “They will run this division as a team with each having specific areas of focus. We’ll have more specificity on this, including reporting structures, in the near future. I appreciate your willingness to share your knowledge and thoughts about each organization with them throughout their onboarding process. I know change can be difficult, hard work. I also know that we are up to the challenge of helping chart a dynamic and successful future for these storied and valuable brands.”
The news caps a wild week in network news that started with word that Zirinsky was stepping down to take another job at CBSViacom. That was followed by Godwin being named ABC News president on Wednesday.
As I wrote in Thursday’s newsletter, either Godwin wasn’t offered the job or she turned it down for what she believes is a better job at ABC News. As I also mentioned in Thursday’s newsletter, Cheeks wrote to staff in a memo that he and Godwin had been having “an ongoing discussion about her future, including new opportunities, at CBS.” But he never mentioned if that included her taking over as the big boss of CBS News.
Then came this scoop early in the day Thursday from Insider’s Claire Atkinson, who said Godwin was offered the job of CBS News “co-president” and Godwin found the offer to share the job insulting. Atkinson’s report was seemingly confirmed later in the day when CBS News announced that it would have co-presidents.
Now you have to wonder how all this — two outsiders sharing the same title — is going to go over inside CBS News.
The Daily Beast’s Lloyd Grove, Maxwell Tani and Lachlan Cartwright report that Zirinsky and Godwin did not get along and that Godwin was one of Zirinsky’s biggest detractors. The story also said Zirinsky complained about Godwin, as well.
Up until Thursday’s surprising announcement, who would replace Zirinsky had been one of the best-kept secrets in the media. Journalist Yashar Ali, who has broken such stories before, tweeted this week, “CBS will be announcing soon who the new president of CBS News will be. Let me tell you, it’s been some time since a network has been able to keep a secret like this. It’s rather remarkable and frustrating. Everyone who normally would know truly doesn’t know this time.”
A few names were floated simply based on their job titles, but The Daily Beast wrote, “Amazingly, the real name so far has not leaked.” Maybe that’s because no one saw Khemlani nor McMahon as candidates.
Here’s another question: Is being a network news president still a desirable job?
CNN’s Brian Stelter writes, “The NBC, ABC and CBS newsrooms are still ambitious, but not the way they once were. Ratings are eroding. Audiences are gravitating to cable channels for breaking news and views. Digital efforts are a hard slog. The broadcast networks are covering the day’s top stories, but are they setting the news agenda? Is anyone, anymore? When I asked a senior exec if it’s apt to call these ‘caretaker’ jobs, the person responded with a different word, ‘undertaker.’”
Look, I wouldn’t turn down the job as network news president, especially if I worked in network news. And Stelter points out that millions of people still watch the evening news, morning shows and special coverage when there’s big breaking news.
So, yeah, it’s still a good job.
Then again, check out this juicy nugget from Page Six’s Oli Coleman, Emily Smith and Sara Nathan. They write that at a CBS corporate meeting, Zirinsky held up a piece of paper that said, “I hate my job.”
Actually, though, Zirinsky’s note is believed to have been an amusing protest because the meeting turned boring and was dragging on too long.
For what it’s worth, she won’t be in that job much longer. And she is being replaced by two people.
Like I said, it’s different.
The consequences of Carlson’s commentary
