Discovery Communications promotes TLC boss Eileen O'Neill

Maybe Sarah Palin, the Cake Boss and Kate Gosselin should get thank you notes.

Eileen O'Neill, the president of the TLC cable channel, home to such hits as "Jon & Kate Plus 8," "Sister Wives" and "Sarah Palin's Alaska," has been given a big promotion by her bosses at Discovery Communications.

O'Neill will now have oversight over not only TLC, but also Discovery Channel, the flagship network of the cable programming giant. Her official title is Group President, Discovery and TLC Networks.

As a result of the restructuring, current Discovery Channel President Clark Bunting will report to O'Neill. TLC Chief Operating Officer Edward Sabin has been named interim general manager of TLC.

In making the announcement, Discovery Communications Chief Executive David Zaslav noted that under O'Neill, TLC has become a top-10 network for women. O'Neill has been with the company for more than two decades.

Others who got bumped up include Marjorie Kaplan, the president of Animal Planet who will now also have oversight over Science Channel, as well and Henry Schleiff, the president of Discovery ID who has added responsibility for Planet Green and FitTV to his business card.

-- Joe Flint

Photo: Discovery Communications Group President Eileen O'Neill with Buddy Valastro of "Cake Boss" and Jon and Kate Gosselin in 2009. Credit: Amy Sussman / Discovery Communications

Comments

[Discovery Employee]

In the last four years, I've had four, (yes, that's four), different General Managers at Discovery Channel. David Zaslav fires them all. The last one, Clark Bunting was by far the worst. Poor Clark doesn't have an original idea in his head, preferring to hide at the gym "perfecting" his karate "expertise". The biggest mistake Clark made was to surround himself with even bigger idiots who directly reported to him. These SVPs and EVPs single handedly drained all the creative energy and vision out of the network - while Clark sat in his office whining and berating the employees who were trying to save Discovery and himself. I've never worked for a more deceitful and mean spirited person, who was so uninspiring to work for that I'm surprised he lasted the full year. Clark didn't even stay and help when a crazed killer entered the Discovery building last spring. Instead Clark abandoned his team and drove away - WITHOUT TAKING ANYONE WITH HIM! It's Discovery’s dirty secret that Clark Bunting was the only person who did this. But that's Clark, our fearless leader.

I want to welcome Eileen O’Neill to Discovery Channel with open arms. Not only because she is a genius and a fearless programmer and surrounds herself with sharp top management, but because she is not Clark Bunting.