Trio of execs ankle

Tollinger, Kresch, Ryan walk from women's web

By RICHARD KATZ

NEW YORK -- Four months after Carole Black took over as president and CEO of Lifetime, three high-ranking execs are out at the cabler.

Jane Tollinger, executive VP; Barry Kresch, senior veep of research and marketing services; and Mary Pat Ryan, senior veepee of marketing, all left the women's web last week.

Tollinger was the No. 2 exec at Lifetime under former president Doug McCormick. Both Tollinger and Kresch have been with Lifetime since the web launched in 1984. Ryan has been with Lifetime only since September 1998.

None of the vacant positions have been filled yet.

Black was named Lifetime's topper in mid-February and joined in mid-April. Previously, she was president and general manager of NBC's owned Los Angeles TV station KNBC.

McCormick's contract, which ran through the end of 1998, was not renewed by Lifetime owners ABC and Hearst.

A Lifetime rep said the network never comments on personnel matters.