FOX Fox Corporation

By Joe Flint 

ABC Entertainment President Channing Dungey is stepping down after less than three years overseeing the broadcast network's prime-time programming, ABC parent Walt Disney Co. said Friday.

Ms. Dungey's departure comes in advance of new management poised to take over the unit early next year after Walt Disney's deal to acquire the bulk of entertainment assets from 21st Century Fox Inc. closes.

Karey Burke, who currently is head of programming for Disney's cable channel, Freeform, will succeed Ms. Dungey.

A 14-year veteran of ABC and the only African-American network entertainment chief, Ms. Dungey was involved in the development of several hit shows at the network including "Scandal," "black-ish" and "The Good Doctor." Company insiders said her departure didn't come as a complete surprise given the leadership transition that ABC's TV operations will undergo after the Fox deal closes. (Fox and Wall Street Journal parent News Corp. share common ownership.)

Ms. Dungey's stature rose in the industry for her handling of the Roseanne Barr debacle in which the star was fired from her hit sitcom of the same name just hours after making racist tweets. Ms. Dungey also is seen as a strong creative executive who is well regarded in the production community.

She will stay through a transition period as Ms. Burke assumes her new role, the company said.

In a statement, Ms, Dungey said, "While I've loved every moment, and knew I could call ABC home for many years to come, I'm excited to tackle new challenges."

Although Ms. Dungey had many successes, ABC, like other broadcast networks, has struggled with declining ratings. So far this season, ABC is down 10% in viewers and 18% among adults 18-49, the key demographic for advertisers, according to Nielsen.

Disney has already said the senior leadership of Fox's TV operations would take over running ABC's television operations, meaning Ms. Dungey would be getting new bosses. She currently reports to Ben Sherwood, co-president of Disney Media Networks and president of Disney/ABC Television.

Mr. Sherwood is leaving Disney after the Fox deal closes, and Fox TV executives Peter Rice and Dana Walden are taking leadership positions. Mr. Rice will serve as chairman of Walt Disney Television and co-chairman of Disney Media Networks. Meanwhile, Ms. Walden will become chairman of Disney Television Studios and ABC Entertainment.

Ms. Burke will report to Ms. Walden. The two have known each other for many years. Ms. Burke first rose to prominence as a programming executive at NBC in the 1990s and helped shepherd several hits there including "Friends" and "Mad About You." She has overseen Freeform's programming efforts since 2014. Freeform primarily caters to the 18-34 demographic with programming aimed at young adults and families.

"Karey has proven herself a gifted leader with a strong track record of developing unique programming," said Disney Chief Executive Robert Iger in a statement.

A successor to Ms. Burke at Freeform will be named, Disney said.

Write to Joe Flint at joe.flint@wsj.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

November 16, 2018 19:44 ET (00:44 GMT)

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