Janice Johnston ’88 Named Fourth 20/20 Executive Producer in ABC News History

In May 1988, MFS Trustee Janice Johnston was a senior preparing to graduate from MFS and move on to Princeton University. Little did she know that her Senior Project would help set her on a path to lead one of the most famous newsmagazine programs in American television history.

Janice was recently named Executive Producer of ABC’s 20/20, the award-winning primetime program anchored by David Muir and Amy Robach. She is the first female and first person of color to serve in this role for ABC News. A proven leader in the long-form newsmagazine for over 40 years, 20/20 features hardhitting investigative reports, in-depth coverage of high profile trials, unforgettable, character-driven stories and exclusive newsmaker interviews.

“Janice is a terrific journalist with an impressive talent for telling stories that resonate and an exceptional leader,” said ABC News President James Goldston in the network’s announcement. “She is a trusted mentor, excellent reporter, and respected leader in the news division, and I know we are in great hands in this next chapter for 20/20 and the team.”

Janice has been with 20/20 since 2008 when she moved from Good Morning America to become a producer with 20/20. The newsmagazine moved from a one- to two-hour format in 2019 and looks much different than it did a generation ago. Described Janice: “20/20 no longer is Barbara (Walters) and Hugh (Downs) sitting at the desk and saying ‘this is 20/20.’ That was more of a traditional magazine show which had different ‘sections’ like a traditional magazine. We now do two hours on a single topic. It’s like doing a short documentary film every week and the turnaround time on that is rather…brisk. It’s really unheard of. Keeping that machine going is my new job.”

Janice described the conflicting emotions of the moments when she learned of her appointment. “It was exciting, but bittersweet,” said the Cherry Hill native. “My father (Dr. Theodore Johnston) passed away in September so he didn’t get to see this. The excitement is tempered with the reality of how much there is to do and how hard it is to do it during the time of COVID.”

A former practicing attorney, Janice has been with ABC News since 1998. However, she points to May 1988 as a flashpoint in her life which turned her on to broadcast journalism. “For my Senior Project, I was a production intern at KYW-TV’s morning talk show,” she said during keynote remarks to MFS students at Career Day 2015. “What I experienced during that amazing opportunity has been more helpful in my current career than any class I took at Princeton or any seminar in law school. Watching the show from inside the studio, meeting the producers, seeing the control room, going to the news floor – all of it was just plain fun.”

In reflecting on how Moorestown Friends and Quaker schools (she also attended Haddonfield Friends) have played a role in her life, Janice first pointed to leadership opportunities. “MFS was very supportive of young leadership, those are really important skills when you’re learning to navigate the French Club, the lacrosse field, or the Ensemble,” she said. “Having opportunities to find your voice early in life, is fundamental to future leadership.”

She also pointed to listening as another skill she learned to hone at an early age thanks to her Friends education. “I am always careful to obtain feedback, buy-in, and thoughts from all team members to provide an environment in which anyone can speak to the wider group,” said Janice. “I really want to encourage all of the team to contribute and be leaders.”

There was much publicity surrounding Janice becoming the first female and person of color in this role at ABC News. She was quick to credit Good Morning America as providing the nurturing environment necessary for her to grow into leadership positions in the broadcast industry: “I’ve been doing this for 22 years and I was lucky to have at GMA examples of female leadership which 20 years ago was an anomaly. It was very obvious that there were very few of them…and even more obvious that there were even fewer people of color.”

Now as she finds herself in the upper echelon of the industry, she is cognizant of the weight of her leadership role and still leans on the wisdom of her own role models. “My mentors do not have a unifying gender or race and that is something I try to encourage my team to look for,” said Janice. “Teachers can be people who look like you or they could have nothing in common with you. Too many people are not as open to that as they should be or realize that sometimes. Some of the people who have been the most influential to me, I have very little in common with on a surface level.”

Looking back at her time at MFS, Janice, who was “very into Spanish and French” recalls the strength of the world languages faculty, particularly former teachers Edward Farraday, Stephanie Hockensmith, and Barbara Pierfy Nusbaum. She also greatly enjoyed her six years in Ensemble and appreciated the instruction and leadership of former Music Teacher Davie Wiener.

Janice was thankful for the help of former History Teacher Margaret Barnes Mansfield in helping her adjust to her new school. “She was a good champion of mine in my days as a new student,” said Janice. “I remember her kindnesses.” Janice also stays in touch with former Upper School Director, College Guidance Counselor, and English Department Chair Mary Williams who she referred to as a “long-time favorite.”

As Janice tackles the challenges of the pandemic for 20/20, her experiences on the MFS School Committee have proved helpful. “As a trustee, I am always picking up something that the school is doing and thinking about how it applies to our show,” she said. In particular, she is proud of the way the school has managed the pandemic. “How MFS has navigated through these COVID times has been really impressive to me,” said Janice. “There are lots of wonderful takeaways to be found in the way the school is handling the stress and constant changing of the situation while being adaptive.”

20/20 can be viewed on ABC on Friday evenings at 9 p.m. and on HULU anytime.

Alumni News