Berning Named Chief Revenue Officer at A+E

Mel Berning has been named president and chief revenue officer, a new title, at A+E Networks.

Also promoted was Peter Olsen, who becomes executive VP, ad sales at A+E Network and reports to Berning. The A+E ad department under Olson is being divided by the demographic skew of its network, with female-oriented Lifetime, LMN and FYI in one group and A&E, History and H2 in another.

"Structuring the sales team by these genres will allow A+E Networks to maximize our position in the marketplace and leverage more opportunities for cross-platform selling, marketing partnerships and efficiencies," A+E CEO Nancy Dubuc said in a statement.

In addition to ad sales and research, Berning will be overseeing distribution and a new marketing innovations team.

"Mel is one of the most respected executives in our business and has led the Ad Sales team to unparalleled growth and success for nearly a decade," said Dubuc. "In this new role he will have oversight of critical revenue streams, including how to best maximize our revenue and how to most effectively serve our partners and clients as technology pushes our monetization capabilities into the future."

Olsen, who had been executive VP overseeing sales for History and H2, will oversee all ad sales and ad sales partnerships.

Reporting to Olsen are executive VP Amy Baker, who is adding responsibility  for FYI in addition to Lifetime and LMN, and Brian Joyce, senior VP for ad sales, responsible for A&E Network, History and H2. Joyce was previously VP, east coast ad sales for A&E.

Jim Agius, who had been executive VP responsible for ad sales at A&E, is retiring, the company said.

Jon Lafayette

Jon has been business editor of Broadcasting+Cable since 2010. He focuses on revenue-generating activities, including advertising and distribution, as well as executive intrigue and merger and acquisition activity. Just about any story is fair game, if a dollar sign can make its way into the article. Before B+C, Jon covered the industry for TVWeek, Cable World, Electronic Media, Advertising Age and The New York Post. A native New Yorker, Jon is hiding in plain sight in the suburbs of Chicago.