Nancy Dubuc was appointed executive vice president and general manager of The History Channel, succeeding Dan Davids, who will leave A&E Television Networks after 22 years Dec. 31.
In her new post, Dubuc will be responsible for History’s strategic planning, programming, consumer marketing and brand development. Dubuc will also oversee History Channel International, The History Channel en Español and Military History Channel.
Previously, Dubuc -- who was promoted to senior VP, nonfiction programming and new-media content in June -- was in charge of all program development for History, as well as multiplatform initiatives for AETN.
She also kept her hand in supervising development of creation of all of A&E Network’s nonfiction fare. Under her leadership, A&E’s Real Life push yielded Dog the Bounty Hunter, Intervention, Inked and Criss Angel: Mindfreak, among other series.
“Nancy’s proven programming track record during her tenure at both A&E Network and The History Channel, combined with her creative instincts and business acumen, make her the ideal person to turn the History brand into the definitive source of history across multiple platforms,” AETN CEO Abbe Raven said in a prepared statement.
Davids had been serving as president of The History Channel-USA since 2004. Davids -- who joined AETN in its inaugural year, 1984 -- oversaw strategic planning, programming, consumer marketing and brand development for History, History International and THC en Español in the United States.
Davids served as GM and executive VP of A&E Network from April 2000-October 2002. At that point, Davids and Raven essentially switched jobs -- he moved to History from A&E, while she moved into his position. Two years later, they were named presidents of the respective channels before Raven became AETN’s leader in the wake of Nick Davatzes’ retirement in April 2005.
“For 22 years, Dan has played a vital role in cultivating and launching some of the most prominent brands on the television landscape, including The History Channel, A&E Network, History International, The History Channel en Español and Military History Channel. We will miss him as he embarks on the next phase of his career,” Raven said.
