ABC Entertainment President Stephen McPherson Resigns; Paul Lee In?

ABC Entertainment Group President Stephen McPherson resigned Tuesday after more than six years with the company.

"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 said in a statement from ABC Entertainment.

In a statement from his personal rep, he said he planned to announce his future plans shortly. "While I will continue with my ongoing wine business, I'll also reveal plans for my involvement in a new media company."

McPherson's replacement will be announced shortly, according to ABC Entertainment.

McPherson oversaw both the ABC network and ABC Studios since January 2009, following a successful stint as ABC Entertainment programming head. Shortly after his start at the network in April of 2004, ABC launched three successful dramas that would become cornerstone shows for the network — Desperate Housewives, Lost and Grey's Anatomy.

Since then, ABC has had trouble filling the void left by Lost, and Desperate Housewives and Grey's numbers have dipped with age. McPherson is also credited for helping reinvigorate comedy on the network with the critical and commercial success of the sitcom Modern Family, which debuted last year. However, Modern Family is produced by 20th Century Fox Television, not ABC Studios.

Among reported candidates, ABC Family President Paul Lee is expected to fill McPherson's vacancy, according to Variety.

ABC is scheduled to hold an executive session at the TV Critics Association press tour Sunday.