ABC News SVP Derek Medina to Exit

variety.com:

Brian Steinberg Senior TV Editor Derek Medina, a longtime ABC News business executive, will leave the Disney unit at the end of the year after a more than two-decade run.

His exit may spur new questions about what plans ABC News has to assign an executive to directly oversee talent relations, something that people familiar with the unit say has been in question for several months.

Medina sent a memo to staffers Wednesday telling them of his planned departure. His looming exit was previously reported by Status, a newsletter devoted to coverage of the media industry. “We have reveled in hard-fought victories and weathered unprecedented challenges.

And I would like to acknowledge the many people who have positively impacted my experience through the mountains and valleys of the past four decades and thank them for their continued support and encouragement,” Medina said in a memo to staffers. “It has meant more than you know.” Medina started at ABC News in 1998 as a director for business affairs, and has managed negotiations for a wide range of network news deals, including talent, licensing, acquisitions, production, distribution, all third-party rights negotiations and partnerships.