Brian Kennedy Returns to ABC as Executive Director of Newsgathering Operations

By Alex Weprin 

CBS News executive Brian Kennedy is returning to ABC News as executive director of newsgathering operations. Kennedy had been executive director of digital newsgathering for CBS News.

The move will be a homecoming for Kennedy, who worked at ABC from 1994-2006 as a producer in the U.S. and Middle East.

In an email to staff, ABC News senior VP Kate O’Brian wrote of Kennedy:

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“It is great to have Brian back at ABC and I look forward to working closely with him. Brian’s experience in the development of innovative technology and team approach will be a great match for the talented people in the newsgathering operations units.”

This is the second high profile hire of CBS talent to ABC this week. On Tuesday, Chris Dinan announced he was leaving as senior broadcast producer of the “CBS Evening News” for a senior producer job at ABC” World News.”

O’Brian’s memo is after the jump.

From: O’Brian, Kate
Sent: Friday, June 24, 2011 1:14 PM
To: #ABCTV News ALL
Cc: Sherwood, Ben
Subject: Brian Kennedy

Please join me in welcoming back Brian Kennedy to ABC News as Executive Director of Newsgathering Operations, overseeing global bureau operations, ENG, the News Acquisition Center, and the Logistics desk.

Most recently Brian has been the Director, Digital News Gathering for CBS News and was instrumental in leading the effort to transform its news coverage model. Brian managed a team of digital journalists covering news throughout the division and created a central ingest within CBS News.

Brian held several positions at ABC News from 1994-2006 including as a coordinating, anchor, and segment producer. He covered some of the biggest stories of the time, including the 2006 war between Israel and Hezbollah, Hurricane Katrina, and the 2004 tsunami in Indonesia and Sri Lanka. From 2004-2006, Kennedy was a producer based in Miami where his assignments included coordinating coverage of the fall of President Jean Bertrand Aristide. He also set up and managed the ABC News bureau in Amman, Jordan, before and during the war with Iraq in 2003.

Brian started at ABC News as a freelance desk assistant in the Los Angeles bureau. He is the recipient of a 2002 Columbia University-Alfred I. DuPont Silver Baton and a 2001 Peabody Award for coverage of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

It is great to have Brian back at ABC and I look forward to working closely with him. Brian’s experience in the development of innovative technology and team approach will be a great match for the talented people in the newsgathering operations units.

Brian’s first work day will be Tuesday, July 5th.

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