McPherson resigns as ABC entertainment chief

LOS ANGELES — When Stephen McPherson took over as president of entertainment at ABC in 2004, he had the good fortune to come on board just as the network was about to air a few promising shows called Desperate Housewives, Lost and, later, Grey's Anatomy.

Six years later, he's finding out how that feels on the other side, announcing his resignation from the company just after leading the network to develop its successful Wednesday night comedy block and one of this year's most Emmy-nominated shows, Modern Family.

"I want to thank the wonderful team of individuals who have worked with me throughout my time here and wish them nothing but the best," McPherson was quoted as saying in a terse statement on the resignation released by ABC Tuesday night.

The network says a replacement for McPherson will be announced shortly. Presumably, that announcement might come Sunday, when ABC faces reporters gathered here for TV Critics Association's summer press tour.

ABC has seen its ratings fortunes dim this year, thanks to sagging performances from established shows such as Housewives and floundering attempts to develop new dramas such as the confusing and ultimately canceled Flash Forward.

But ABC has some of the most promising fall pilots on board. It will be interesting to see how the network's suits try to spin this transition in a few days.