Luc Sabbatini to Depart Bell Media at Year-End

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TORONTO, Sept. 2, 2014 /CNW Telbec/ - Kevin Crull, President, Bell Media, announced today that Luc Sabbatini, President, Bell Media Sales has decided to leave Bell Media and will depart the company at the end of 2014. Succession plans will be announced this fall.

"This spring, Luc informed me of his desire to pursue other business and personal interests," said Crull. "While saddened by his decision, I nonetheless respect it and appreciate the fact that he gave us such long notice. Luc has been a fantastic partner and I'm extremely grateful to him for executing his vision of a new way for our sales teams to work together and do business. In just 15 months, Luc has completed a major transformation of Bell Media Sales. I'm very excited for the new adventures that await Luc and wish him well in the future."

"My time at Bell Media has been extremely rewarding on a professional and personal level," said Sabbatini. "We built a strong and dedicated team and positioned our brand in an increasingly competitive marketplace. I met and had the pleasure to work with some incredible individuals, including Kevin Crull, whom I'm grateful to for his support and openness, as well as Perry MacDonald, Lesley Conway, Patrick Jutras, and so many others. I have complete confidence in the future of Bell Media Sales and wish them great success."

Appointed President, Bell Media Sales, in July, 2013, Sabbatini brought together all Bell Media sales divisions under one organizational structure. He is responsible for all national conventional and specialty TV, national radio, out-of-home, digital and multi-platform (Mix) sales, as well as brand partnerships/media creativity and sales marketing.

Prior to joining Bell Media, Sabbatini was an executive of Astral for more than 10 years, most recently as President, Astral Out-of-Home. He has also held the position of Executive Vice-President and Chief Operating Officer of Astral Radio and Astral Out-of-Home, Executive Vice-President of Astral Radio, and Vice-President Sales and Marketing of Astral Radio. His previous experience includes working at Groupe TVA and also Radio Plus, the largest radio sales representation company in eastern Canada.

Sabbatini has been a board member of BBM (Bureau of Broadcast Measurement), CAB radio and television (Canadian Association of Broadcasters), COMB (Canadian Outdoor Measurement Bureau), BCRQ (Bureau de commercialisation de la radio du Québec), OMAC (Out-of-Home Marketing Association of Canada), and RMB (Radio Marketing Bureau). In 2012, he was appointed to Chair of the Board of Directors for Metropolitan Montréal's Board of Trade.

Sabbatini holds a Bachelor's degree in Business Administration (with a specialization in Marketing and Financial Management) from École des Hautes Études Commerciales (HEC) in Montréal. He is also a graduate of the Advanced Management Program at Harvard University and in 2004 was a recipient of the prestigious Top 40 Under 40 Award, honouring excellence in business leaders across Canada.

About Bell Media
With passion and an unrelenting commitment to excellence, Bell Media creates content and builds brands that entertain, inform, engage, and inspire audiences through the platforms of their choice. Bell Media is Canada's premier multimedia company with leading assets in television, radio, out-of-home advertising, and digital media. Bell Media owns 30 local television stations led by CTV, Canada's #1 television network; 35 specialty channels, including TSN and RDS, Canada's most-watched specialty channels in English and French; four pay TV services, including The Movie Network and Super Écran; and is managing shareholder of premium pay-per-view service Viewers Choice Canada. Bell Media is also Canada's largest radio broadcaster, with 106 licensed radio stations in 54 markets across Canada. Bell Media owns Astral Out-of-Home, one of Canada's most dynamic and innovative out-of-home advertising companies with a network of more than 9,500 advertising faces in Québec, Ontario, Alberta, and British Columbia. Bell Media also operates more than 200 websites, delivers TV Everywhere with its innovative GO video streaming services, including CTV GO, TMN GO and Bravo GO, and owns Dome Productions Inc., a multi-platform production company. Bell Media is part of BCE Inc. (TSX, NYSE: BCE), Canada's largest communications company. For more on Bell Media, please visit www.bellmedia.ca.

** Media Note ** Download Luc's photo at http://files.bellmediapr.ca/Corporate/l-sabbatini.jpg

Image with caption: "Luc Sabbatini, President, Bell Media Sale (CNW Group/Bell Media)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20140902_C1472_PHOTO_EN_5274.jpg

SOURCE: Bell Media

Amy Doary, Bell Media, 416.384.2593 or [email protected]