President of Disney Unit Quits Abruptly

Garth Ancier, president of network television production at Walt Disney Co., resigned suddenly after he clashed with senior management over what he called “autonomy issues.”

Ancier, 33, was only 18 months into a five-year contract at Disney. He became widely known as the first programming head at Fox Broadcasting Co. when it started in 1986.

Rich Frank, president of Walt Disney Studios, said Ancier had “done a terrific job in building up the TV operation here.” Frank explained: “We just reached an impasse over management style. It was best for each to go his own ways.”

Disney over the past two years has made a big push into television and has been one of the studios bidding up the fees paid to writers and producers. The studio started the fall season with six series on the air, but one has been cancelled and the other is on hiatus.

Last month Disney decided to stop making one-hour shows, which are more difficult to sell as reruns and less likely to make a profit. But Ancier said that was not a factor in his decision to leave.

Frank will oversee the network TV division until a new head is named. “We will definitely restructure it or bring in someone from the outside, but I don’t know which at this point,” he said.