ABC made it official Friday: Paul Lee is the new President, ABC Entertainment Group. He had been thought to have the inside track for the job since Steve McPherson’s abrupt resignation.
Anne Sweeney, Co-Chairman Disney/ABC Media Networks and President, Disney/ABC Television Group, announced that Lee would move to the broadcast job from serving as president of the cable channel ABC Family. “Paul was hired six years ago because of his great creative instincts and his ability to identify an audience and develop programming that resonates with them, and those same strengths are why he was tapped for this new responsibility. Paul’s success at ABC Family is as amazing as it is indisputable, and I’m looking forward to his continued success on ABC,” said Sweeney.
Lee arrived at ABC Family in 2004 and revitalized it with an ambitious slate of original and acquired programs. He is credited with launching a plan to target the young adult Millennial audience on multiple platforms with relatable programming like “Kyle XY,” “The Secret Life of the American Teenager,” “Pretty Little Liars,” “Greek,” “Make It or Break It” and “Huge.”
“I’m proud of everything we achieved at ABC Family, and I’m looking forward to working with another great team at ABC Entertainment Group to bring even more compelling stories to viewers. ABC is a great network defined by creativity and known for delivering some of the best shows on television. I’m excited to be part of it, and deeply honored to be chosen for the unique opportunity to lead the network and the brand into the future,” Lee said.
ABC Family said a successor to Lee will be named shortly.
