New ABC head Paul Lee says fall schedule is ‘locked and loaded’ and won’t be changed

New ABC head says he won’t change fall schedule

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. — The new head of ABC says he won’t shake up the TV network’s schedule on the brink of the fall season.

Paul Lee said that ABC’s slate of programming is “locked and loaded” and that more damage than good could be done by making last-minute changes.

Lee, speaking Sunday to a meeting of the Television Critics Association, noted that he’s logged just 36 hours on the job as president of the ABC Entertainment Group. Lee, who was head of the ABC Family channel, was appointed to the network position after the abrupt resignation of Stephen McPherson.

During the question-and-answer session with reporters, Lee declined to comment on McPherson’s exit. ABC finished last season in third place among the big four networks.