You are viewing the archive: “Suzanne Kolb”

E! Tells Striking ‘Fashion Police’ Writers That WGA Costing Them Money

By DOMINIC PATTEN | Wednesday May 15, 2013 @ 12:21pm PDTTags: E! Entertainment, Fashion Police, Suzanne Kolb

E! president Suzanne Kolb wants the writers who went on strike in early April against the Joan Rivers-hosted Fashion Police to know that the WGA West is their real enemy not the network. “The WGA has convinced you that a strike is necessary in order to gain a union contract. But history at E! has shown that not to be true. You are actually losing paychecks because of the guild’s dislike of elections,” she wrote in a letter to the striking scribes that was released today. The writers have said that because a majority of them already want to be represented by the WGA, no election is required. The WGA West assisted the scribes in their complaint last month to the California Division of Labor Standards Enforcement. In her letter today, Kolb also made a point of deflecting any blame for the situation from WGA member Rivers, whose production company the writers added on April 10 to their complaint to the state. “Joan Rivers has been and remains emphatically supportive of you,” she wrote. “The responsibility of the show lies on my shoulders, not hers,” Kolb added.  The first public remarks from Kolb on the matter didn’t seem to get to her intended audience in a timely fashion. Two writers from the show tell me that they haven’t received a copy of the letter this morning. One writer says he got the letter after it was released to the media. An E! spokesperson says the letter was sent out via email earlier today. Seeking about $1.5 million in back wages and penalties from the non-union show, the Fashion Police writers have a sold out benefit planned for tonight at LA’s Laugh Factory comedy club. But if you want a laugh now, read the full letter from Kolb here:

Let me begin by thanking you for the work you have done for Fashion Police, and for your time in reading this letter.  My purpose in writing is to share with you the network’s position, as well as correct some of the false information that surrounds this issue, and most importantly reemphasize the resolution that can bring us all to the negotiating table.

First, Joan Rivers has been and remains emphatically supportive of you.  And, despite what has been reported to the contrary, her company does not produce Fashion Police nor set the compensation of E! Networks Productions’ writers.  The personal attacks on Joan have been grossly unfair and inaccurate as the responsibility of the show lies on my shoulders, not hers.

Additionally, I want to make it clear that E! is not anti-WGA. We have other WGA shows, and we will negotiate with the guild should you formally elect them as your representative.  We require an NLRB administered election prior to collective bargaining because it is a fair and important part of the process.  Although the WGA claims to have a practice of not participating in NLRB elections, they in fact participated in them for Chelsea Lately and The Soup, both of which now have guild deals.  The WGA has convinced you that a strike is necessary in order to gain a union contract. But history at E! has shown that not to be true. You are actually losing paychecks because of the guild’s dislike of elections.

This leads me to ask you, why strike over an election if you believe the vote will be in favor of representation?  Please reconsider striking over something as democratic as an election. There will be no resolution to this matter without one.

Thank you,

Suzanne

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James Hitchcock Named E! Marketing Head

By NELLIE ANDREEVA | Monday October 10, 2011 @ 9:34am PDTTags: E! Entertainment, Suzanne Kolb
Nellie Andreeva

James Hitchcock has joined E! Entertainment as EVP Marketing, reporting to the network’s new president Suzanne Kolb. The appointment stems from Kolb’s promotion in July to E! president, which left vacant her previous post as President, Marketing, News … Read More »

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Additional Duties For E! Exec Pair

By THE DEADLINE TEAM | Wednesday August 10, 2011 @ 1:07pm PDTTags: E! Entertainment, Suzanne Kolb

E! Entertainment is shifting some responsibilities on the corporate side now that new president Suzanne Kolb is on the job. Today, the network said that Cyndi McClellan has been promoted to President of Network Strategy and E! News, adding oversight … Read More »

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Suzanne Kolb Named President of E! Entertainment

By THE DEADLINE TEAM | Thursday July 7, 2011 @ 10:00am PDTTags: Bonnie Hammer, E! Entertainment, Promotion, Suzanne Kolb, Ted Harbert

Back in May, we reported about rumblings that E! Entertainment marketing president Suzanne Kolb had emerged as the top internal candidate to replace Ted Harbert as the network’s president, after Harbert moved on to NBC to oversee stations, affiliates, and sales alongside Bob Greenblatt. NBC Cable chairman Bonnie Hammer took her time, but today she made it official about Kolb. Here’s the release:

Los Angeles, July 7, 2011 – Suzanne Kolb has been named President of E! Entertainment, reporting to Bonnie Hammer, Chairman, NBCUniversal Cable Entertainment and Cable Studios. Kolb previously served as President, Marketing, News and Online for E! and The Style Network and has played a key leadership role in driving the networks’ record-breaking growth over the past six years. As E! President, Kolb’s senior management team will include longtime E! executives Steve Dolcemaschio, Chief Operating Officer, Lisa Berger, President, Entertainment Programming, and Cyndi McClellan, Executive Vice President, Research & Program Strategy.

“As a member of E!’s leadership team, Suzanne has played a pivotal role in getting the network to the great place it is today,” said Hammer. “Her strong oversight of three areas key to E!’s success — news, online and marketing — makes her the perfect person to lead the brand through the important next phase of its evolution.”

“I am incredibly grateful to Bonnie for the opportunity to lead E! during this wonderfully exciting and unique time in the brand’s history and equally thrilled to do that in partnership with a management team I know and love,” said Kolb. “E! has enjoyed great success in the past but we’re just getting started.”

In her previous role as President, Marketing, News and Online, E! Entertainment and The Style Network, Kolb led all marketing, communications and brand alliances for both networks, and oversaw the networks’ popular non-linear destinations E! Online and mystyle.com. Most recently Kolb successfully unified and expanded E!’s news entities, including E! News, E! Online and E! News Now, and has helped to establish E! News as the top global entertainment news brand.

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E! Narrows Field For Ted Harbert’s Successor

By NELLIE ANDREEVA | Wednesday May 25, 2011 @ 3:25pm PDTTags: Bonnie Hammer, E! Entertainment, Suzanne Kolb, Ted Harbert
Nellie Andreeva

Like she had said, NBC Cable chairman Bonnie Hammer is taking her time with finding a new president of E! to succeed Ted Harbert. Word is she is a few weeks away from making a final decision and is still considering a couple of outside candidates. Internally, marketing president Suzanne … Read More »

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