Peter Rice Out at Disney as Dana Walden Rises to Top TV Content Post

Jon Burlingame editorFor years, music for documentaries was an afterthought that came when scant money was left in the budget and little consideration given to how music might help tell a story.Times have changed. Today’s documentaries attract Oscar, Emmy and Grammy winners who are brought on early and given the resources to properly score these nonfiction gems.Tom Howe (“Ted Lasso”) spent eight months on “The Mating Game,” the five-part BBC nature documentary that aired on Discovery+.

Russia’s foreign minister on Wednesday banned around 121 Australians, including out gay ABC journalist Patricia Karvelas, from entering the country “indefinitely” over what it termed a “Russophobic agenda”. The list included prominent Australian journalists, mining magnates Gina Rinehart and Andrew “Twiggy” Forrest, ABC chairperson Ita Buttrose and South Australian Premier Peter Malinauskas.The foreing ministry’s statement said that “entry to the Russian Federation for these persons is closed on an indefinite basis in response to the growing sanctions of the Australian government, which apply to an increasing number of Russian citizens – both officials and their families, as well as representatives of the business community and the media.”I’m not sanctioned in Australia so I can bring you @RNBreakfast https://t.co/QT0ZaqAWEd #auspol pic.twitter.com/pYOAxFwRbF— Patricia Karvelas (@PatsKarvelas) June 16, 2022The RN Breakfast host said she woke up to the news of being added to Russia’s ‘stop-list’ early in the morning.  “Waking to news of being sanctioned by Russia at 3:30am was a hallucination reality dreamscape I didn’t imagine for my Friday,” Karvelas posted on . Karvelas also posted a video from the ABC studio.

The Television Academy is looking to nab either Chris Rock or The Rock as host for this year’s Emmy Awards.

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at LargeDana Walden is ready for this moment. On the heels of a shocking Hollywood management shake-up at Disney, the newly promoted chairman of Disney General Entertainment Content now oversees a massive portfolio that includes the programming arms of Hulu, FX, ABC, Freeform, Nat Geo, 20th Century Television, ABC Signature and more.Walden’s ascent at Disney is not a surprise, but the sudden departure of her predecessor and longtime boss, Peter Rice, surely was when the news surfaced on June 9 that Disney CEO Bob Chapek had fired him.Walden has the respect of the Hollywood community, the chops of having run (or co-run) two broadcast networks and multiple studios, plus deep relationships with towering creatives like a certain superstar producer (ahem, Ryan Murphy) who is, by all accounts, itching to reunite with her after a rocky run at Netflix.

Claudia Eller Co-Editor-in-ChiefThe abruptness and timing of Peter Rice’s firing last week by Disney CEO Bob Chapek remains a complete mystery to many, including Rice, I’m told. The move came as a total shock to the industry and to the well-respected media executive, who is unusual in having spent his entire industry career at one studio, 20th Century Fox, and then its successor company, Disney.As everyone now knows, Rice had absolutely no idea what was about to happen when his boss called him into a meeting on June 8, and I hear he was told that Chapek wanted to discuss the Disney board meeting taking place in Orlando later this month, at which Rice was scheduled to make a presentation.Instead, in a conversation that lasted all of seven minutes, Chapek informed Rice that he was letting him go because he wasn’t a good fit for him or the “new culture” at Disney.

In her first public comments since she was elevated to Chairman of Disney General Entertainment, Dana Walden sent a memo to staff Monday morning. In it, she expressed her “immense appreciation to Bob Chapek for giving me this opportunity of a lifetime,” noting that “is enormously proud of what we do.” She also praised Peter Rice, “a gifted executive,” for his mentorship and friendship and highlighted the achievements of each division in the content group’s portfolio.

William Earl Dana Walden, newly promoted to Disney’s top TV post, addressed the shocking management shakeup that saw her elevation and the ouster of her longtime boss, Peter Rice.Walden sent a note to Disney General Entertainment staffers detailing the vast unit’s many recent success stories across ABC, FX, Hulu, Freeform, National Geographic and the production units that Walden now oversees. She noted the surprising transition that was unveiled June 9.

Prince Harry has reportedly seen the "curtain come down" on any possibility of harmony between him, his wife Meghan Markle and the rest of his family, after a meeting with his father Prince Charles whilst he was in the UK. Prince Harry, 37, and Meghan, 40, and their children, Archie, three, and Lilibet, one, made the transatlantic trip from their home in Montecito, California for the Queen's Jubilee celebrations just over a week ago. According to reports, the Duke and Duchess were hoping for a peace meeting with Prince Charles whilst they were in the UK, however a royal expert reported that there were "no touchy feely" vibes coming from the 73 year old first-in-line to the throne.

Fans tuning in to watch the annual Soccer Aid charity match for UNICEF were eagerly anticipating Liam Payne's pre-match interview. Liam, who is captain of England in the England vs World XI game on ITV, were wondering what his accent would be after his famous chat from the Oscars earler this year.

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at LargeWarren Littlefield is looking to make more Must-See TV with Disney’s 20th Television and ABC Signature. The network president-turned-producer, whose prolific output in recent years has included “Fargo,” “The Handmaid’s Tale” and “Dopesick,” has sealed a multi-year overall deal with 20th and ABC Signature that will keep him exclusive with those studios through 2026.Littlefield was most recently in a joint deal with 20th Television and Fox 21.

In 2004, Disney’s cable networks executive Anne Sweeney was named co-chair, Disney Media Networks, and president, Disney/ABC Television Group. The promotion, announced by then-Disney CEO Bob Iger, to whom Sweeney reported, set off a decade-long reign of Sweeney as one of the most powerful women in entertainment, with a vast TV portfolio encompassing a broadcast network and cable networks, Disney’s TV studio and news.

Hi everyone:I am incredibly sad that this will be the last “weekend read” that I will be sending you. It has been such a pleasure and a privilege to work alongside each of you here at Disney and many of you at 21st Century Fox.I am so proud of the work we have done together, the friendships we have forged and the consistent success we have celebrated.

As Chairman of Walt Disney Television and Co-Chair, Disney Media Networks, Peter Rice had a tradition of sending off his staff for the weekend with “weekend read” memos highlighting show premieres and major milestones for the divisions under his purview and congratulating people on their accomplishments.

Selome Hailu After being ousted from his post as Disney’s head of TV content, Peter Rice sent a final memo to staffers.The news came Thursday morning as a shock to the industry, including many at Disney. Rice is being replaced by his top lieutenant, Dana Walden.View the memo in full below.Hi everyone:I am incredibly sad that this will be the last “weekend read” that I will be sending you.

Peter Rice was known for turning down opportunities to take a public victory lap.The soft-spoken British executive, who was ousted on Wednesday from the top TV job at Disney, has a reputation for quietly cultivating relationships with producers and directors such as Baz Luhrmann and Danny Boyle. In the 2000s, he leveraged those ties to boost the performance of Fox Searchlight Pictures with hits such as “Moulin Rouge!” and “Slumdog Millionaire.” More often than not, Rice let the directors, producers and actors take the bows.That low-maintenance demeanor would serve Rice well in Murdoch’s empire as he became close to the family and rose in 2009 to oversee all of Fox’s entertainment networks.

William Earl After the shocking news that Peter Rice has been ousted as the head of TV content for Disney, and will be replaced by his top lieutenant, Dana Walden, media insiders are left scratching their heads and speculating about the behind-the-scenes dealmaking taking place. For the uninitiated, Variety has put together a primer on the incoming and outgoing heads of Disney television.*Bio:Born and raised in the U.K., Rice’s family was close to Rupert Murdoch’s family, which lead to a Fox film internship in 1987.

Disney CEO Bob Chapek and his leadership team have the “support and confidence” of the company’s board of directors, according to a statement by Chairman Susan Arnold.

shakeup of its TV division.“The strength of The Walt Disney Company’s businesses coming out of the pandemic is a testament to Bob’s leadership and vision for the company’s future,” the board said in a written statement.

The New York Times, his departure is not due to any behavioral issues. In a statement that pointedly does not acknowledge Rice’s years of service, Disney announced that Walden will become chairman of Disney General Entertainment Content, effective immediately.

UPDATED: Disney has confirmed the exit of Peter Rice and the ascension of Dana Walden. Release is below.