Wallau Named President of ABC Television

ABC has a new top executive familiar with uppercuts--and not just in the office.

Alex Wallau, appointed president of Walt Disney Co.’s ABC television network Monday, is also ABC’s on-air boxing analyst. Besides programming the top-rated network, Wallau will continue to call the shots on boxing.

Wallau has been interim chief at the network since Patricia Fili-Krushel resigned in March to become head of consumer products at Healtheon/WebMD Corp., an Internet site. Wallau reports to Robert Callahan, president of the ABC broadcast group.

In addition to programming, Wallau will head ABC sports, daytime shows, finance, research, affiliate relations, marketing and other areas. He takes over just as ABC has completed an unprecedented third-to-first jump in the season’s ratings, due largely to “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire.” Although the game show has brought in millions of dollars, critics think ABC is vulnerable if public taste proves fickle.

Also, broadcast networks are redefining their relationships with affiliated stations, seeking to cut payments to affiliates. In some cases, networks want the stations to pay them. Most ABC affiliates have contracts that last until 2004 or 2005, but ABC may seek to renegotiate, Wallau said.

Wallau began his career in ABC sports. Previously, Wallau was president of operations and administration at the network.