ABC’s Wong to Replace Cohen at Lifetime
Executive VP of Alternative Programming Created Dancing with the Stars
By Linda Moss & R. Thomas Umstead -- Multichannel News, 4/26/2007 8:40:00 AM
A reality-TV programmer who’s been a rising star at ABC was named to replace Betty Cohen as president and CEO of Lifetime Entertainment Services.
Andrea Wong, ABC’s executive vice president of alternative programming, specials and late-night, will take over for Cohen, who tendered her resignation Wednesday after a difficult two-year tenure.
Wong is crediting with developing a raft of reality hits for ABC, including Dancing with the Stars.
Other candidates whose names surfaced as possible successors to Cohen included Deborah Blackwell, SOAPnet’s general manager, and Dawn Ostroff, president of The CW Network.
Cohen stepped down just one day after she appeared at Lifetime’s upfront presentation in Manhattan.
Disney Media Networks co-chairman Anne Sweeney -- who was presented with an Executive Leadership Award from the T. Howard Foundation during the diversity organization’s annual fund-raising dinner in New York Wednesday night -- told Multichannel News Lifetime Television parent companies Disney and Hearst would move "swiftly" to replace Cohen, adding that she was "sad" to see Cohen go but "respected her decision" to resign.
She also said Disney and Hearst have faith in Lifetime’s future, despite sluggish ratings and the lack of a signature hit show.
In Thursday’s announcement, Sweeney said, “Andrea is a straight shooter who is smart enough to know which challenges to undertake and fearless enough to see them through. She is also a true ‘consumer-facing’ executive, one who understands her audience and uses her experience to speak to them in compelling ways. Her entrepreneurial style, combined with a deep understanding of the television industry, will serve Lifetime and its amazingly dedicated team well.”
Hearst director John Conomikes added, “Andrea is smart, creative and strategic. Her key relationships in the Hollywood community and her knowledge of the intricacies of the television business make her the perfect candidate to lead Lifetime into the future. We are looking forward to having her at the helm.”
Cohen, a veteran of Cartoon Network, replaced Carole Black at Lifetime. During Cohen’s tenure, Lifetime -- once the top-rated cable network -- continued to struggle in the ratings. In the first quarter, its primetime household ratings dropped 7% from a year ago.
Lifetime’s dispute with EchoStar Communications one year ago also apparently shortened Cohen’s future at Lifetime. The women’s network got into a nasty carriage battle with EchoStar’s Dish Network, which then dropped Lifetime and its spinoffs for one month, meaning Lifetime later had to pay advertisers make-goods.
In addition, as a result of that dispute, DirecTV sued Lifetime, and that messy litigation is still pending in a court in California.
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