ABC Family tapped ABC daytime president Angela Shapiro to be network president Wednesday, one day after Maureen Smith resigned from the position.
Shapiro, credited with turning around ABC's daytime block, now needs to reinvent
ABC Family and find a way to balance repurposed ABC fare with originals and
acquired shows.
Shapiro said balancing the programming mix, from kids' shows to adult series
like Alias, will be a challenge. "When you say 'family channel,' the
concept is quite broad to address ages and tastes in a family," she said on a
conference call with reporters.
Smith's resignation Tuesday came five months after The Walt Disney Co. ponied up
$5.2 billion for the former Fox Family Channel. A longtime Fox programmer,
Smith said in a prepared statement that she only expected to stay on through the
channel's ownership transition.
