Top Crown Media Executive Steps Down

Margaret Loesch resigned as president and chief executive of Crown Media United States, the owner of the Hallmark Channel, which until recently was known as the Odyssey Network.

Loesch will be succeeded by Lana Corbi, the firm’s chief operating officer, who had served as president of network distribution at Fox Broadcasting Co.

Loesch said that after building the cable channel to 40 million subscribers and overhauling its image, she was eager to take a break and perhaps return to her roots in programming.

A veteran of children’s programming, she was previously president of Jim Henson Television and is credited as the architect of Fox’s children’s television business.

Crown stock gained 70 cents to $10.70 on the NYSE.