With the deal between Astral Media and BCE Inc. closing today, Bell Media has announced a new executive leadership team and new programming initiatives.
Luc Sabbatini
Among the changes, the most notable are the appointment of Luc Sabbatini as president of Bell Media sales, and the departure of Rita Fabian, who held the title SVP, advertising sales, and who will remain with the company overseeing transition until October.
Fabian has been with the Bell and CTV (which Bell acquired in 2011) since 1986.
Sabbatini had led Astral Out-Of-Home since 2007. Now overseeing all media properties (TV, radio, OOH and digital), he will work primarily out of Montreal and Toronto.
“Rita is one of the advertising industry’s most-respected executives,” said Kevin Crull, Bell Media president. “She has led a team that has become the industry leader, delivering tremendous results in often very challenging times. All of us at Bell Media are very appreciative of her talent and contribution, and wish her the very best.”
The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission announced last week that it was green-lighting Bell’s second bid to buy Astral Media and its suite of TV specialty channels and radio stations in a deal worth $3.2. billion.
Crull announced a new senior leadership team that includes both Bell and Astral employees.
• Jacques Parisien, president, national specialty and pay TV, radio, and out-of-home
• Charles Benoît, president, television and radio, Québec
• Rick Brace, president, specialty channels and CTV Production
• Chris Gordon, president, Bell Media Radio and local TV
• Luc Quétel, president, Astral Out-of-Home
• Luc Sabbatini, president, Bell Media Sales
• Phil King, president, CTV Programming and Sports
• Bart Yabsley, executive vice-president, content sales and distribution
• Wendy Freeman, president, CTV News
• Adam Ashton, senior vice-president, business operations
Flashback
• With Bell taking over, CTV cleans house at the top
“Our objective is to create content and build brands that entertain, inform, engage, and inspire audiences through the platforms of their choice,” said Crull, in a statement.
“We will deliver on our commitment to provide world-class content to our listeners and viewers, as we make significant investments in the Canadian broadcasting system.”
In the coming months, Bell plans to launch a new French specialty channel, the expansion of its Go TV Everywhere product suite to include Super Écran, Ztélé, Canal D, Canal Vie, and VRAK.TV, and content integration across its new platforms. For instance, CTV National News segments will run on news/talk radio.
