Management Team
BRIAN SCOTT FRONS
President, Daytime, Disney-ABC Television Group
As president Daytime, Disney/ABC Television Group, Brian Frons oversees the Daytime Division which includes ABC Daytime, SOAPnet and ABC Media Productions. He took the reins of the coordinated business unit, in May 2006, and is responsible for the creation, production and delivery of all product for the Division. The unit also develops programming that can be utilized both within and outside The Walt Disney Company. Mr. Frons reports to Anne Sweeney, co-chair, Disney Media Networks, and president, Disney/ABC Television Group.
Mr. Frons joined ABC Television Network in 2002 as president, ABC Daytime. Upon his arrival, Mr. Frons returned the daytime lineup to the number one spot and since has led the Daytime Division to rank #1 with the key target demo, women 18-49, for five seasons. Under his watch, "The View" has had a considerable rise in popularity and has catapulted to ranking 2nd among all network daytime programs with women 18-49. During the 2009 Political Season, the daily talk show achieved the #1 spot among all daytime network shows for the first time in the history of the program. 2009 was also a record breaking year for SOAPnet and delivered the nets highest ratings in key target demos including total viewers and women 18-49.
Most recently, Mr. Frons initiated "All My Children's" move from New York to Los Angeles enabling the show to double its studio space, transition immediately to high definition and make considerable production cost savings.
Mr. Frons maximizes the interaction among all his divisions to expand and evolve daytime. By leveraging the strength of his Division and tapping into its multitude of talent and resources Mr. Frons exposes daytime to a wider audience. Under his guidance, ABC has previewed SOAPnet original series; SOAPnet has run specials promoting important daytime moments and ABC Media Productions has produced many reality series for SOAPnet including "Southern Belles: Louisville," the networks highest rated original series since the record breaking series "General Hospital: Night Shift" which was also produced within his Division.
Each of the shows under Mr. Frons' guidance have garnered the highest industry and critical acclaim, including multiple Emmy and GLAAD Awards, plus Gracie, NAACP, Gabriel and PRISM Awards. In 2008 ABC Daytime was honored by the Candies Foundation at their annual Event to Prevent for its efforts in raising awareness on the topic of teen pregnancy. Continuing the grand tradition of exploring important social issues in daytime storytelling, Frons continues ABC Daytime's commitment to "Broadway Cares Equity Fights AIDS." Originally designed as a celebration for the 35th anniversary of "All My Children" the stage-show has grown into an annual fundraising event for the charity.
Mr. Frons joined ABC Daytime from the London-based SBS Broadcasting, S.A., where he served as senior vice president of Programming. He oversaw all programming, promotion and research operations for 12 SBS-owned and operated national networks in numerous countries across Europe including: Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Holland, Switzerland, Poland, Romania, Slovenia, Hungry and Belgium. Under Mr. Frons' guidance, the SBS stations were among the earliest to enter into reality television with shows like "Big Brother," "Survivor," "Fear Factor" and "Who Wants to Be A Millionaire." Each show was tailored to the specific countries national norms and languages. When Mr. Frons left SBS, 11 of the 12 national networks had achieved record primetime ratings.
Earlier in his career he was president, Creative Affairs, for New World Entertainment in Hollywood, where he directed program development and production for network, first-run syndication and international co-production.
Mr. Frons has held various executive positions, including vice president, Daytime Programming, for NBC Entertainment where at 26, was that company's youngest-ever VP. He ran the division and managed nearly 1,500 hours of television a year including the notable shows "Days of our Lives," "Santa Barbara" and "Wheel of Fortune." As vice president, Creative Affairs for NBC Productions, Mr. Frons launched "The Fresh Prince of Bel Air," and had creative oversight of "Saved by the Bell." He also served as director, Daytime Programming, for CBS Entertainment.
Mr. Frons began his television career in 1978 as one of three program management trainees chosen during a national search by CBS Entertainment. He holds a Master of Science degree in Communications from Syracuse University and a Bachelor of Arts degree in History from the State University of New York at Fredonia.