(Reuters) – Hallmark Cards Inc said on Wednesday Bill Abbott, chief executive officer of its unit Crown Media Family Networks, will step down after 11 years at the helm, a month after he faced criticism for pulling advertisements featuring same-sex couples.
“…I will begin a search for Bill’s replacement,” Mike Perry, chief executive officer of Hallmark Cards, said in a statement.
In December, Crown Media-owned Hallmark Channel faced a public outcry after it pulled television advertisements featuring same-sex couples from the wedding registry and planning website Zola under pressure from the conservative group One Million Moms.
The group’s website said that it personally spoke with Abbott who confirmed that Hallmark pulled the commercial and said the advertisement was aired in error.
(Reporting by C Nivedita in Bengaluru)
