Andrea Wong
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Andrea Wong is the Chief Executive Officer and President of Lifetime Networks.[1] She oversees Lifetime, Lifetime Movie Network, the myLifetime.com website and Lifetime’s public advocacy campaigns, among other areas of the company.[2]
Wong came to Lifetime in April 2007[3] from ABC where she was Executive Vice President of Alternative Programming, Specials and Late Night. In her tenure at ABC, she oversaw the development of The Bachelor as well as the U.S. versions of Dancing With the Stars and Extreme Makeover: Home Edition.[4][5]
Wong graduated MIT in 1988 with a degree in electrical engineering and received an MBA from Stanford University.[6] Her interest in television began when she interned at NBC News while in graduate school.[7]
Wong first came to ABC in 1993 as a researcher for ABC News PrimeTime Live. Within a year, she became an executive assistant at the network. In 1997, Wong was named Vice President and Executive Assistant to the President, ABC, Inc. The following year, Wong was promoted to Vice President, Alternative Series and Specials.[8]
[edit] Footnotes
- ^ Conkling named exec VP at Lifetime - Variety.com
- ^ Andrea Wong - Women's Impact Report 2007 - Variety
- ^ Q&A: Lifetime's Andrea Wong - TVWeek - News
- ^ Future of Entertainment Conference - Keynotes
- ^ http://money.cnn.com/news/newsfeeds/articles/newstex/RBI-0059-16345968.htm
- ^ Future of Entertainment Conference - Keynotes
- ^ Reality As They Know It - 8/30/2004 - Broadcasting & Cable
- ^ http://www.hearst.com/news/press_042607b.html
Andrea Wong is facing sharp criticism after her hand in an apparent directional shift for the Lifetime Network toward reality tv. With Wong at the helm, two brand new series were cancelled after just one summer season State of Mind and Side Order of Life. The most outcry came from fans of Side Order of Life which was a critically acclaimed series that featured a central character dealing with her best friend's cancer diagnosis. The show was well received and had a fan base that included many cancer survivors. The move provoked angry emails, phone calls and a mailing campaign of take-out menus and even outraged fans who have threatened to compltetely boycott the network. One comment on the Lifetime website read "Wong was wrong. Bring Side Order of Life back!"
A mere weeks after this shake-up with which Lifetime made no attempt to explain save a public relations statement on the website, it was announced that Lifetime was buying Project Runway. Wong is reportedly a fan of the show. The deal did not come without some litigation attached, as NBC and Universal filed suit against The Weinstein Company alleging that this deal violated NBC Universal and Bravo's alleged right of first refusal.
Many fans see this reality shift as not only ending that beloved series but have expressed fear that other Lifetime dramas such as Army Wives are in jeopardy of reality programming preference.
