Nancy Dubuc named president of Lifetime

2:04 AM PDT 10/14/2010 by Elizabeth Guider, James Hibberd

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Also continues as president, GM of History brands

Nancy Dubuc

Nancy Dubuc has been tapped as president and GM of Lifetime Networks, adding to her duties as head of the History brand. The appointment, effective May 1, was made Tuesday by A&E Television Networks president-CEO Abbe Raven, to whom Dubuc will report.

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"She's going to do a terrific job," Raven said. "She's an extremely successful executive and totally tapped into what viewers want to watch. Lifetime is one of the preeminent brands on TV, and she'll make sure the brand continues to rise."

Raven said Lifetime's programming focus will continue unabaited -- strictly female-targeted with an array of dramas, reality and original movies.

"We're committed to Lifetime's core programming strands," Raven said. "One of the things I think Nancy has done well is look at those genres and figure out how to make them more contemporary."

Dubuc will be charged with turning around Lifetime's struggling brand, which was once basic cable's top-rated network. She replaces Andrea Wong, who left in February in the wake of the consolidation between Lifetime and A&E.

The Dubuc appointment at Lifetime has been long-rumored.

During her three-year tenure at History, Dubuc greenlighted top-rated series including "Ice Road Truckers," "Pawn Stars," "The Universe" and "How the Earth Was Made." History also premiered its five top-rated specials, including "America: The Story of Us," "WWII in HD" and the Emmy-nominated "Life After People." In 2009, "102 Minutes That Changed America" nabbed three Emmys.

Before History, Dubuc was senior vp programming at A&E Network. She joined A&E in March 2003 as vp nonfiction & alternative programming. Before that, she supervised the development and creation of A&E's nonfiction programming, including the cabler's signature "Real Life" series, justice franchises, the "Biography" skein, marquee specials and lifestyle series.

AETN, which reached 250 million households worldwide, is a joint venture of Disney-ABC Television Group, Hearst and NBC Universal.