ABC is switching things up at the top: Channing Dungey is stepping down as the Alphabet network’s entertainment president, after serving in that position for nearly three years.
Karey Burke, the current head of original programming at Freeform, will take over as ABC’s entertainment president, the network announced on Friday. Burke will be responsible for all development, programming and scheduling for ABC’s primetime and late-night lineups, and will report to Dana Walden once the Disney/Fox merger is complete.
“I’m grateful to Channing for her significant contributions and unwavering dedication to the success of ABC over the past 14 years,” Disney CEO Bob Iger said in a statement. “I’ve thoroughly enjoyed having the opportunity to work with and mentor Channing; her curiosity, passion and creativity will ensure she is successful in whatever path she chooses going forward. Over the past four years at Freeform, and throughout her career, Karey has proven herself a gifted leader with a strong track record of developing unique programming. Karey’s attention to, and intimate knowledge of, the audience, and a commitment to quality will be a great addition to the creative team at ABC.”
Dungey joined ABC Studios in 2004 and worked her way up to be named the network’s top entertainment executive in February 2016, becoming the first black American president of a broadcast TV network. She was at the center of the Roseanne controversy earlier this year, cancelling the revival after star Roseanne Barr’s racist Twitter rant.
The move means that four of TV’s broadcast networks have replaced their top executives just in the past three months: NBC’s Robert Greenblatt stepped down in September, Fox named Charlie Collier to replace Gary Newman last month, and CBS’ Les Moonves was fired after a series of sexual harassment allegations.
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