The Times claims that both Goldberg and Shepherd are in the middle of negotiations and that an announcement about their addition to “The View�? will be made this week. A spokesman for ABC, however, said, “We have nothing to announce right now.�?

When Jones left “The View�? last June, her position was never filled. In September, Rosie O’Donnell took over the moderator position from Meredith Vieira who joined the Today show. O’Donnell left only eight months later after an explosive debate with co-host Elizabeth Hasselbeck about Iraq, leaving two openings on the show.

In June, the show’s executive producer Bill Geddie said, "We have, really, two positions open, I think people forget. We got a lot of hiring to do here. So the chances of us hiring two white women…not very likely.�?