Hallmark Cards, Inc. announced Wednesday that Bill Abbott will be leaving Crown Media Family Networks. Abbott’s last day at the company will be Friday.
“After 11 years, Bill Abbott, president and CEO of Crown Media is leaving the company,” said Mike Perry, president and CEO of Hallmark Cards, Inc. in a press release. “I want to thank Bill for his many years of success and contributions to Crown Media and wish him continued success.”
Abbot was with the company for 11 years, during which Hallmark Channel became one of the highest rated networks. The success of the channel was due in part to the annual fan favorite holiday movie lineup.
“In a time when there is immense competition among television networks and streaming services, it is more important than ever that we find relevant new ways to grow our business and continue to produce high quality programming that resonates with our growing audience,” Perry said.
The change in leadership comes after Hallmark’s controversial decision to pull an ad from the bridal registry website Zola, which featured two women kissing. Perry issued an apology days later, after receiving backlash, saying that they had made “the wrong decision” in pulling the ad. The statement about Abbott’s departure did not address the ad.
Perry will now be searching for Abbott’s replacement. “I have tremendous confidence in the Crown Media management team and with this team in place, I will begin a search for Bill’s replacement,” he said. “In a time when there is immense competition among television networks and streaming services, it is more important than ever that we find relevant new ways to grow our business and continue to produce high quality programming that resonates with our growing audience.”
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