A&E Networks Said to Tap JPMorgan Media Banker as New CFO<br />By Alex Sherman and Andy Fixmer April 14, 2014 <br /><br />David Granville-Smith, JPMorgan Chase & Co. (JPM:US)’s media investment banker, is joining A&E Television Networks LLC as chief financial officer, said two people with knowledge of the situation.<br /><br />Granville-Smith, also known as “Digger,” resigned last week as a managing director at JPMorgan, where he oversaw the media investment banking group, said the people, who asked not to be identified because the job change hasn’t been announced.<br /><br />Nancy Dubuc, chief executive officer of the company, which goes by A+E Networks, is hiring Granville-Smith to bring new thinking into the senior executive team, one person said. While A+E Networks, a joint venture between Walt Disney Co. (DIS:US) and Hearst Corp., isn’t seeking immediate acquisitions, it wants to create new networks out of its less-watched channels, the person said.<br />Story: Star-Struck Bankers Are Investing in Movies Again<br /><br />As the pay-TV business evolves, with more people viewing programming on the web, Dubuc was seeking a finance chief who could offer strategic advice, said the person.<br /><br />With Granville-Smith, A+E Networks is gaining an executive who has worked on large media deals. At JPMorgan, he advised A+E Networks on the repurchase of a stake held by Comcast Corp. (CMCSA:US)’s NBCUniversal in 2012. He also represented Madison Square Garden Inc. (MSG:US) on the sale of its Fuse TV network.<br /><br />The hiring requires the approval of A+E Network’s board, which is scheduled to meet in a couple weeks, said one of the people. Granville-Smith is expected to start in July.<br />Story: Twitter Loses a Powerful Executive<br /><br />Michael Feeney, a spokesman for New York-based A+E Networks, declined to comment, as did Tasha Pelio, a spokeswoman for JPMorgan. Granville-Smith didn’t respond to an e-mail seeking comment.<br /><br />Gerard Gruosso, who has been A+E Network’s finance chief since 2002, announced his retirement two months ago, according to an internal company memo obtained by Bloomberg News. Gruosso is remaining through a transition period.<br /><br />A+E Networks operates the A&E, History and Lifetime channels, which carry the popular “Duck Dynasty” and “Pawn Stars” series.<br />Story: Is the U.S. Government Extorting the Banks?<br /><br />