Top media executives leave in AT&T overhaul

Bloomberg

Richard Plepler and David Levy, two of the most powerful executives in US media, are leaving their posts at WarnerMedia as new boss AT&T Inc. overhauls the entertainment business it bought last year.
Plepler, who helped create some of TV’s most memorable programs over three decades at HBO, said he plans to step down as chief executive officer of the premium cable network. Levy, president of Turner Broadcasting, announced his departure.
“Hard as it is to think about leaving the company I love, and the people I love in it, it is the right time for me to do so,” the 60-year-old Plepler said in a memo to staff.
AT&T is in the process of reorganizing WarnerMedia and will announce additional steps in the next week or two, said two of the people, who asked not to be identified because the decisions aren’t public. AT&T plans to consolidate networks such as TNT, TBS and HBO in one division, and is in talks with longtime TV executive Bob Greenblatt to run that business, according to the people.
The phone company had to hold off on changes until it beat back an attempt by the US Justice Department to unwind the $85 billion deal. Plepler had communicated his plans to leave several months ago, the people said, but agreed to stay on until the case was resolved.
Jeff Zucker, head of WarnerMedia’s CNN division, is expected to oversee Turner Sports as part of the restructuring, the Wall Street Journal reported.
Plepler, who had enjoyed almost-complete autonomy, didn’t wish to surrender control under the new structure. The former public-relations executive joined HBO in 1992 and helped turn it into a jewel of the cable-TV industry. After ascending to the role of co-president and then CEO, he oversaw hits including “Game of Thrones” and “Silicon Valley,” and shepherded the network’s push into online TV. HBO has added 40 million subscribers during Plepler’s six-year reign as CEO, including nearly 8 million online.

MEDIA BARON
Plepler’s reach extends far beyond HBO. He is a fixture on the New York media scene and a political fundraiser who sits on the boards of the New York Public Library and the Council on Foreign Relations. The well-tanned, eloquent media baron is as comfortable hobnobbing with senators and journalists as he is with movie stars and filmmakers.
His departure prompted an outpouring of sadness from creative partners, including the actor Jeffrey Wright, who appeared in the network series “Westworld,” and David Simon, creator of “The Wire.” But he was never a natural fit with his new bosses at AT&T. “Richard is one of the most successful executives in our industry and I have been fortunate to have
his support over the last months,” WarnerMedia CEO John Stankey said in statement.