Only on the job for about two months, Karey Burke has a lot on her plate when it comes to being the new ABC president. She openly said that, because she is fresh on the job, she wouldn’t be able to answer a lot of the questions. However, one of the topics on the forefront during the ABC executive session at TCA was the Oscars and the headline-making baggage (mainly the Kevin Hart fiasco) that it has compiled in the weeks leading up to its Feb. 24 telecast.

She emphasized that in order to keep the audience engaged to the annual telecast that they will keep the length down to three hours — which is good news to many who like to go to bed at a reasonable hour.

She says that there wasn’t any “messiness beyond the Kevin Hart situation” and out of that came the idea that presenters were going to be the host.

Burke also says that the news surrounding the Oscars and how it has affected the ceremony worried her at first, but it no longer does. “The lack of clarity of the Oscars have kept it in the conversation,” she says. “The mystery has been compelling — it’s fascinating. That shows how relevant the Oscars are. I’m happy that it’s part of the conversation.”

Despite the dwindling ratings of award shows, Burke is confident that audiences will tune in on Feb. 24 because of blockbusters like Black Panther being among the nominees. However, she says she “has no idea” which categories will not be part of the televised broadcast, but that audiences will still watch in for the big categories like Best Picture, Actor, and Actress. She also adds that, despite being host-less, there will be “an exciting opening” and that there will be performances of all songs nominated for Best Song. However, she couldn’t say exactly who would be performing said songs. “I don’t know what I am allowed to say,” she admits. “I think I have to wait for the Academy to announce these things.” One thing she could say is that the full pilot of Whiskey Cavalier will air after the Oscars telecast and will also air on Feb. 27.