The View is under new management.
In a major restructuring, ABC daytime executives are losing oversight of the show. The ABC daytime staple will now be a part of ABC News' non-fiction division, which produces summer docuseries NY Med.
The move adds to ABC News president James Goldston's growing portfolio and stands among the biggest moves under Ben Sherwood, who takes over as president of Disney/ABC TV group next year. Goldston is widely credited for resuscitating Nightline and Good Morning America’s rise to the top of the morning show crop.
“Moving The View to our non-fiction programming group now allows it to fully draw on the vast resources of ABC News and our team in New York,” said Goldston in a memo to staffers on Thursday morning. “I’ve asked Tom Cibrowski, Barbara Fedida and David Sloan to work closely with Randy Barone, Bill Wolff, Brian Balthazar, Kathleen Rajsp and the very talented team on-air and behind the scenes at The View.”
The longrunning daytime staple underwent a substantial makeover for this season, as creator Barbara Walters retired and panelists Sherri Shepherd and Jenny McCarthy departed, leaving Whoopi Goldberg as the lone remaining panelist. Rosie O’Donnell returned to the show for this season along with newcomers Rosie Perez and Nicolle Wallace; Bill Wolff also replaced Bill Geddie as the show’s executive producer.
The show’s Sept. 15 debut drew 3.9 million viewers, the most for a premiere since 2006 and the second-most ever in the show’s history. However, The View’s ratings have slipped since.
This story was originally reported by Variety.
Goldston's full memo is below:
I want to share some exciting news. ABC News is expanding our non-fiction programming group, which already includes Lincoln Square Productions, and will now also include The View.
The View, created by our own great Barbara Walters, has always operated at the intersection of opinion and news. In its long and storied history, it has very often made headlines as the biggest names from politics to pop culture have chosen The View to share their incredible stories. For 18 seasons it has occupied a unique place in American culture and been a destination for presidents, world leaders and celebrities, both the famous and the infamous.
This fall The View began another exciting chapter with Whoopi Goldberg, Rosie O’Donnell, Rosie Perez and Nicolle Wallace at the table. They have proven once again that a panel of diverse, accomplished women with vast experiences makes for colorful conversation and great television.
As many of you know firsthand, The View has often called on our on-air team to help viewers understand the biggest stories of the day, from Ebola to Election Night. Moving The View to our non-fiction programming group now allows it to fully draw on the vast resources of ABC News and our team in New York, especially now that the show is based right next to the Barbara Walters building.
In addition to their current and vital roles, I’ve asked Tom Cibrowski, Barbara Fedida and David Sloan to work closely with Randy Barone, Bill Wolff, Brian Balthazar, Kathleen Rajsp and the very talented team on-air and behind the scenes at The View. Tom, Barbara and David have helped take our shows to the next level and worked on a wide range of diverse news and non-fiction programming. Now they’ll help guide The View in its exciting next chapter.
We started to ramp up our non-fiction programming several years ago, and under the strong leadership of Morgan Hertzan, Lincoln Square Productions is growing fast and doing some simply amazing work. Award-winning shows like NY Med, Dr. Besser’s Ebola documentary for Discovery and Surgeon Oz have broadened our perspective on how we better explain the world to our audience and draw new viewers to ABC News.
I feel incredibly fortunate that we’re now expanding our non-fiction roster to include The View. We couldn’t be more thrilled to work with its terrific team, and we look forward to exciting days ahead.
