ABC News President David Westin sent a memo to staff, obtained by TVNewser, earlier today outlining the new/altered management responsibilities for leadership at the network. While most of the changes add responsibilities for various senior staffers, some are shifting their roles, including “Nightline” EP James Goldston who will now oversee “This Week with Christiane Amanpour” as well.

The announcements are a part of the restructuring of the news division that Westin began instituting earlier this year. Most of today’s changes stem from the departure of Dave Davis, who had a number of people reporting to him.

The biggest surprise might be that Goldston, who EPs the successful “Nightline” from New York, will now also oversee the Sunday program “This Week,” which is based in D.C., with EP Ian Cameron reporting to him.

With Davis’ departure, Westin appears to be getting more closely involved with the big NYC shows, telling the EPs of “World News,” “GMA,” “20/20,” and “Nightline” that they’ll be reporting directly to him.

And as longtime ABCer Phyllis McGrady shifts to a consultant role, David Sloan, EP of newsmagazines, will take responsibility of all long-form programming, though Goldston will oversee primetime programming featuring Amanpour whose arrangement with the network includes “primetime documentaries on international subjects.”

In addition, “World News” EP Jon Banner will now oversee the political and special events units. Special events EP Marc Burstein will now report to Banner.

The full memo with more specifics after the jump…

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First on TVNewser: Dave Davis is leaving his post at ABC News and returning to his old job as general manager of ABC’s flagship station WABC in New York, TVNewser has learned.

Davis joined ABC News as #2 to David Westin in September, 2007. He was tasked with, in Westin’s words, being the “single, senior executive to oversee all of our television broadcasts, replacing the structure in which the programs reported to several different people.”

In reality, Davis was the heavy at ABC News tasked with reorganizing the broadcast news division. The multi-year reorganization culminated in April with employee cuts — through buyouts and layoffs — of up to 400 staffers.

When Davis joined the #2 broadcast news outlet in 2007 some saw him ascending to the top job, taking over for Westin who’s been president of ABC News for 13 years — at that level, an eternity in TV news.

Davis’ old job at WABC, which is the #1 local TV station in the country, became vacant in May when Rebecca Campbell was promoted to president of the ABC Owned Television Stations Group. Davis will now report to Campbell.

> More: WABC staffers are gathering in the “LIVE with Regis & Kelly” studio for the announcement. “LIVE” is produced by WABC out of the 7 Lincoln Square building.

> Update: The announcement from WABC after the jump…

> More: Westin writes, “Effective immediately, the executive producers and others who have been reporting to Dave will return to my direct supervision.” His note after the jump…
First on TVNewser: Dave Davis is leaving his post at ABC News and returning to his old job as general manager of ABC’s flagship station WABC in New York, TVNewser has learned.

Davis joined ABC News as #2 to David Westin in September, 2007. He was tasked with, in Westin’s words, being the “single, senior executive to oversee all of our television broadcasts, replacing the structure in which the programs reported to several different people.”

In reality, Davis was the heavy at ABC News tasked with reorganizing the broadcast news division. The multi-year reorganization culminated in April with employee cuts — through buyouts and layoffs — of up to 400 staffers.

When Davis joined the #2 broadcast news outlet in 2007 some saw him ascending to the top job, taking over for Westin who’s been president of ABC News for 13 years — at that level, an eternity in TV news.

Davis’ old job at WABC, which is the #1 local TV station in the country, became vacant in May when Rebecca Campbell was promoted to president of the ABC Owned Television Stations Group. Davis will now report to Campbell.

> More: WABC staffers are gathering in the “LIVE with Regis & Kelly” studio for the announcement. “LIVE” is produced by WABC out of the 7 Lincoln Square building.

> Update: The announcement from WABC after the jump…

> More: Westin writes, “Effective immediately, the executive producers and others who have been reporting to Dave will return to my direct supervision.” His note after the jump…

Read more

As ABC News continues the search for a moderator for “This Week,” the network continues to go to its bench for fill-ins — the most surprising announced yesterday.

Barbara Walters will moderate this Sunday. TVNewser has learned ABC News executive Dave Davis asked Walters to anchor, and she agreed.

And Walters has a good “get” in Roger Ailes. But this means the Fox News founder and chairman will be going up against his network’s, “Fox News Sunday with Chris Wallace” in many markets. Ailes doesn’t do a whole lot of TV appearances. Asked how he was booked, an ABC News spokesperson tells TVNewser, “We don’t discuss our editorial process and the booking is part of that.”

As for the search for a permanent replacement for George Stephanopoulos, ABC’s Jake Tapper and Terry Moran have been trading off Sundays, but insiders tell us not to rule out PBS’ Gwen Ifill. Her contract with PBS is apparently precluding her from filling in.

After Walters’ turn this Sunday, Tapper is back in on Feb. 7.

The rooftop terrace at New York’s Empire Hotel was a fitting location for the launch party of ABC News correspondent Jim Sciutto‘s new book, “Against US.” Through stunning interviews and a riveting narrative, Sciutto reports on the growing pan-Arab hatred toward Western imperialism. Scuitto, who’s been reporting on the subject for the last six years, tells TVNewser, “It’s hard not to know your nationality when you’re in that part of the world. There’s a personal aspect in this. As an American, I like my country. I get worried when it is so hated and so resented,” he says.

And the London-based correspondent should know. In the first chapter, Sciutto reveals middle class, British-born Muslim terrorists were living just down the street. A police round-up made that clear one morning.

For Sciutto, the New York junket is a rare trip home. His wife, ABC News correspondent Gloria Riviera is back in London awaiting the birth of their first child. “We have this production this month, and then next month we have the bigger production,” Sciutto says. His dad was at the party last night. His mother, who’d always told Jim he should write a book, passed away before Sciutto finished “Against US.” She’d gotten a look at an early draft before she died.

ABC News president David Westin, and ABC News anchor Bob Woodruff delivered some brief remarks. Also in attendance, ABC News EVP Dave Davis, and ABC correspondents Brian Ross and Gigi Stone. From CNN, correspondent Alina Cho and FNC’s Rick Leventhal were also on hand.

After the jump, Sciutto talks about how the book came to be, and how foreign news fits in with this very busy political season back home.

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This week recently named ABCNews.com VP Jonathan Dube stopped by the ABC News Digital offices in New York to meet the staff. He was introduced by ABC News president David Westin and ABC News Digital SVP Paul Slavin.



(pictured, l to r: ABC News EVP Dave Davis, Westin, Dube and Slavin)