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Channing Dungey made history after she was announced as the new president of the ABC Entertainment Group, the network announced Wednesday (Feb. 17) from New York. Ms. Dungey’s promotion makes her the first Black person to ever head a major broadcast network.

Disney-ABC Television Chairman Ben Sherwood issued a statement announcing Dungey’s new position, this after she’s worked for the ABC Entertainment Group as its executive vice president of Drama Development and Movie & Miniseries.

From KABC:

Channing Dungey has been named president of ABC Entertainment Group, Ben Sherwood, chairman of the Disney-ABC Television Group, announced Wednesday morning.

Dungey, who was instrumental in the development and success of hits like “Scandal,” “Criminal Minds,” “How To Get Away With Murder,” “Quantico,” “Army Wives” and “Once Upon A Time,” will succeed Paul Lee who decided to step down as president.

“[Dungey] is a gifted leader and a proven magnet for top creative talent, with an impressive record of developing compelling, breakthrough programming that resonates with viewers,” Sherwood said in a statement.

According to a Huffington Post report, Dungey’s promotion came at the expense of the resignation of former president Paul Lee, who championed diversity at ABC and supported Dungey’s push to bring serial dramas such as the aforementioned to the network.

HuffPost added by way of a New York Times report that Sherwood and Lee clashed over the network’s direction, stating that the chairman wanted to see more crime dramas akin to the popular run of shows CBS lords over.

Dungey, 46, is said to be close to Shonda Rhimes, the creator of the network’s popular Scandal and How To Get Away With Murder series.

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