Sandy Cannold, Robin Sproul, Sara Just

ABC News is making some changes in its Washington DC bureau and at “This Week,” according to a memo to staff this morning sent by ABC News president Ben Sherwood.

ABC “This Week” EP Sandy Cannold has been named EP and senior business editor of ABC News. Cannold, who joined ABC from CNBC last September, will now be responsible for the network’s business and economics reports.

ABC is also promoting a pair of executives in the DC bureau. Robin Sproul, who is celebrating 20 years as ABC’s DC bureau chief, will add responsibility of “This Week” as its executive in charge. Sara Just will become the deputy bureau chief, reporting to Sproul.

It isn’t clear who the next executive producer of “This Week” will be, though the show now originates mostly from New York, so it would not be surprising if the producer is based there. Having Sproul serve as executive in charge can keep the DC influence intact.

Sherwood’s memo is below.
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• In her first story for “60 Minutes” Norah O’Donnell profiles Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg for Sunday’s show. Sandberg’s on a mission to jump start the women’s revolution.

• Robin Sproul is celebrating 20 years as ABC’s Washington Bureau Chief. Sproul joined ABC in 1981 and spent 11 years as bureau chief for ABC News Radio before taking on TV in 1993.

• A mini celebration broke out on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange today — not because of another new high for the Dow –  but in honor of FBN’s Nicole Petallides who delivered her 25,000th market report for the network.

Hal Bruno, who was ABC News political director for much of the 1980s and 90s, died yesterday after a fall at his home in Maryland. He was 83.

Bruno spent 21 years with ABC News, retiring in 1999. He had better sources than anyone in the business, according to ABC News Washington Bureau Chief Robin Sproul, who, as a radio producer, worked with Bruno on the show “Hal Bruno’s Washington.”

“The number of county party chairman he knew across the country was mind-blowing,” Sproul tells ABCNews.com. “On election night he could call any one of them. They all knew him and they were all trying to get information to him and from him.”

A native of Chicago, Bruno joined ABC News in 1978. Before that, he spent 18 years at “Newsweek,” as a reporter, foreign correspondent, bureau chief, news editor and chief political correspondent.

Bruno is survived by wife Margaret, two sons and four grandchildren.

Now that David Westin has confirmed that he will be leaving ABC News, the speculation about his replacement can begin. Unlike anchors, who are high profile and in the public eye, TV news executives often stay behind the curtain.

We put together a list of some of our top contenders to the slot, including internal ABC Newsers Paul Slavin of ABC News Digital and Robin Sproul from the network’s DC bureau, as well as Emily Barr from ABC affiliate WLS Chicago. We also included some high profile picks from outside of the Disney family, like FNC’s Michael Clemente and CBS’ Rick Kaplan, both of whom used to work at ABC News.

Cast your vote, or submit your own pick, in our poll after the jump.

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