Sohmer Moves to Exec VP Post ABC Marketing
(Hollywood Reporter) -- Veteran network executive Steve Sohmer has joined ABC as head of marketing, advertising and promotion. Sohmer, who spent the past four years at Paxson Communications, presided over marketing at NBC and CBS during turnaround periods for those networks in the late '70s and '80s. He takes the executive vp post vacated by Alan Cohen when he left in January to head up marketing at 20th Century Fox. Cohen left the Fox post in April and has yet to land elsewhere. Mike Benson, Cohen's No. 2 at ABC, remains as senior vp marketing. "The two most exciting things you can do in business is turnarounds and startups," Sohmer said in an interview Monday. "I've done two turnarounds and one startup. They're in a major turnaround here, and I thought it would be very challenging and very exciting to join ABC now."
(Hollywood Reporter) -- Veteran network executive Steve Sohmer has joined ABC as head of marketing, advertising and promotion. Sohmer, who spent the past four years at Paxson Communications, presided over marketing at NBC and CBS during turnaround periods for those networks in the late '70s and '80s. He takes the executive vp post vacated by Alan Cohen when he left in January to head up marketing at 20th Century Fox. Cohen left the Fox post in April and has yet to land elsewhere. Mike Benson, Cohen's No. 2 at ABC, remains as senior vp marketing. "The two most exciting things you can do in business is turnarounds and startups," Sohmer said in an interview Monday. "I've done two turnarounds and one startup. They're in a major turnaround here, and I thought it would be very challenging and very exciting to join ABC now."