PR Execs Among Layoffs at A&E Television Networks

The merger of A&E Television Networks and Lifetime Entertainment Services will not be without layoffs, as the company eliminated 10% of its workforce – 100 people – this past Friday. Among the layoffs were “two senior PR executives.” We hear that the layoffs mostly affected Lifetime, and the network has not responded to PRNewser as of the time of this post.

The Dowd Agency, recently acquired by Middleberg Communications, does work with multiple AETN programs, and a source at AETN tells PRNewser that the agency “definitely still works with them,” and added there is “no reason that they’d be eliminated.” Dowd is hired mostly for project work, the source said. The agency declined to comment to PRNewser and directed media requests to internal PR at AETN. AETN is jointly owned by Disney-ABC and Hearst, who both own a 42.5% stake, and NBC Universal which controls 15.5%.

UPDATE: AETN SVP of Corporate Communications Michael Feeney would not comment on specific executives laid off, but did confirm that there were 100 laid off in total. PRNewser has learned that the “two senior PR executives” mentioned in The Hollywood Reporter story are Cindy Ronzoni, Director of Corporate Communications and Online Media Relations and Josh Sabarra, Senior VP, Corporate Communications and Publicity, both at Lifetime.

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