Disney-ABC Consolidates Daytime-Division Duties

Ann Lewis Roberts Promoted; Adam Rockmore Joins Programmer

By Anne Becker -- Broadcasting & Cable, 1/9/2008 3:10:00 PM

Disney-ABC Television Group created new positions in programming and marketing to report to the division’s president, Brian Frons. The move comes as the company aims to increase cooperation among the division’s various arms -- the ABC Daytime group, cable network SOAPnet and the Buena Vista Productions studio.

Ann Lewis Roberts, most recently vice president of development for Buena Vista, was upped to senior VP, Buena Vista Productions to oversee programming and production for the studio, as well as unscripted originals for SOAPnet.

Adam Rockmore, last a VP in marketing and retail for Calphalon, joined the group as senior VP of marketing for ABC Daytime and SOAPnet.

Roberts will now oversee development at the studio for primetime, syndication and cable programming, as well as its existing shows like Who Wants to Be A Millionaire, SOAPnet’s The Fashionista Diaries and GSN’s Camouflage. At SOAPnet, she will oversee development of original unscripted shows.

Rockmore will oversee marketing, branding, promotion and advertising for ABC Daytime -- network-owned soaps All My Children, One Life to Live and General Hospital, along with The View -- as well as for SOAPnet.

Both executives will report to Frons, who was also given oversight over Buena Vista and SOAPnet in May 2006. With his promotion, SOAPnet -- which runs same-day episodes of ABC Daytime soaps and others -- started producing original primetime series with Buena Vista as the studio. Several months later, SOAPnet president Deborah Blackwell resigned.

“The positions were structured to create greater strength and synergy across ABC Daytime, SOAPnet and Buena Vista Productions,” Frons said in a statement. “Ann and Adam will oversee initiatives that will be utilized across the entire television group.”

He added, “Ann is a brilliant television executive with a history of creating strong franchise players for syndication, cable and broadcast networks. I’m especially thrilled to have her expertise for a new level of story-driven programming at SOAPnet. Adam is a strategic marketing executive with the ability to innovate and direct creative ventures. He also has incredible experience building brands, and I am glad to have him lead the way as we create what is next for the division.”

At Buena Vista, Roberts has worked on SOAPnet’s Fashionista Diaries, as well as Sci Fi Channel’s Run for Money and truTV’s Inside Video Wars: Stringers. Before that, she spent 13 years in syndication, writing and producing for shows including Entertainment Tonight and Access Hollywood, and she was a VP in programming and production for E! Networks.

Prior to Calphalon, Rockmore was VP of marketing and public relations for Food Network and then senior VP of marketing and interactive commerce for its parent company, Scripps Networks. He has also worked in marketing, e-commerce and product management for Godiva Chocolatier, Parker Bros. and General Mills.