The President/CEO and the COO of Hearst Television’s Litton Entertainment arm have announced that they will each retire from their roles at the end of the year.
This puts Frank Biancuzzo, president of the recently created Hearst Media Production Group, in a position to directly oversee Litton.
Litton Entertainment is one of broadcast television’s top content providers, both in the U.S. and in the international marketplace. NATPE Miami is one of the big marketplaces for Litton, and come January its founder and chief executive, Dave Morgan, and Chief Operating Officer Pete Sniderman will no longer be involved in the operation.
Commenting on their retirement, Biancuzzo said, “Over the course of three decades, Dave has built a tremendous organization, recognized by the industry for unique programming that entertains, educates and inspires. Together with Pete Sniderman, they’ve positioned the company for an exciting and innovative period of growth.”
Commenting on his departure on December 31, Morgan said, “I’m most proud of our Litton partnerships and my Litton colleagues who helped me define the gold standard in quality, educational television in America. I leave the television industry better than I found it. We created a great company, and we’re pleased that Hearst Media Production Group will bring the resources to help grow Litton to the next level.”
Sniderman added, “I’m so gratified to have had the opportunity to make a contribution to programming that educated generations of young people. And I’m excited for the future of the enterprise — the people and the projects.”
Moving forward, Litton Entertainment’s management and creative teams, under the direction of Biancuzzo and the Hearst Media Production Group, will continue to expand original programming across linear and streaming platforms for domestic and international distribution.
Hearst acquired a majority interest in Litton Entertainment in 2017, and the balance in 2021, perhaps explaining the timing on the retirement of its founder/CEO and its COO.
Morgan created Litton Entertainment in 1989; he resides in Charleston, S.C.
Sniderman has been with Litton since 1995.