The Solution Finder
Lifetime CEO Andrea Wong Knows Where to Find the Answers
by Stewart Schley -- Multichannel News, 6/22/2008 6:00:00 PM MT
As an electrical engineering student at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Andrea Wong learned something important about problems: Most of them have answers.
“You just have to remain undaunted and realize you will solve them,” Wong said.
It’s a life lesson the former ABC Entertainment executive is bringing to bear at Lifetime Movie Network, part of a growing family of programming outlets Wong oversees as president and CEO of Lifetime Networks.
When she arrived at Lifetime in April 2007, Wong identified LMN as a promising and well-positioned cable network. Its main problem was little more than a lack of bravado. Although the LMN’s 2008 total-day average ratings among adult women were higher than those of rivals including E!, Oxygen, WE TV and Bravo, Wong said the network wasn’t getting enough credit for its achievements.
“Lifetime Movie Network out-rates Bravo, Oxygen and others, but maybe we just didn’t scream it loud enough from the rooftops,” she said.
That’s a problem Wong moved to address by fortifying Lifetime’s marketing and promotion group, and authorizing more high-profile original productions like this summer’s Little Girl Lost, based on a true story and starring Judy Reyes, and last month’s breakout miniseries The Capture of the Green River Killer.
In her previous job as executive vice president of alternative programming, specials and late-night for ABC, Wong brought popular reality shows, including Dancing With the Stars and The Bachelor, to the network. But she recognized fans of LMN wanted the exact opposite of reality. Wong said the network’s movies offer women “the ultimate escape.”
She’s determined to protect that brand ethos as the network migrates to new delivery channels including online mediums and on demand TV. “It’s important to ensure our brands are incredibly strong as navigators in this environment. Whether it’s on your computer or your television or your on-demand menu, the resonance of our brand is critical,” Wong said.
Wong wants to strengthen the core LMN brand by investing more money in original programs and by giving it more promotional time within commercial breaks on its sister network Lifetime, among other things.
Wong’s move away from the intricacies of engineering formulae and into television came when she joined ABC News as a research specialist for PrimeTime Live. But she hasn’t lost her affinity for numbers. Wong pores over Nielsen ratings daily, looking for telltale signs about whether new program investments and scheduling nuances are elevating LMN’s standing.
With nine straight months of double-digit primetime and total-day household delivery gains, so far the tactics seem to be working.
“I read ratings constantly,” Wong said. “You happened to catch me an hour after I just reviewed LMN’s ratings for the weekend. We did very well, and it’s exciting.”
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