Time Warner Cable Sports President DAVID RONE, who oversaw the Dodgers and Lakers RSNs, is leaving the company. TWC will not replace Rone when he leaves his post, which he has held for four-and-a-half years, at the end of the month. His direct reports, including GM MARK SHUKEN, Affiliate Relations VP DAN FINNERTY and Marketing VP SCOTT PRUITT, now will report to TWC Exec VP, Chief Content Officer & COO MELINDA WITMER. Rone will remain on as a consultant until the end of the year. Hired in '11 from CAA, Rone oversaw the successful '12 launches of TWC SportsNet and the Spanish language TWC Deportes, with programming from the Lakers, Galaxy and WNBA Sparks. Rone has run into troubles launching a third RSN with the Dodgers. SportsNet LA is owned by a group affiliated with the Dodgers; TWC Sports distributes the channel. Meanwhile, TWC Sports' parent, Time Warner Cable, is in the process of merging with Charter. The deal currently is in front of regulators and could close as soon as the end of the year (John Ourand, Staff Writer). In L.A., Tom Hoffarth notes the move comes as SportsNet LA "finishes its second full season stalled without full distribution" since Rone helped the channel launch prior to the '13 MLB season. It also comes as the company "recently began layoffs and cutbacks in its programming and is rumored to be on the verge of shutting down the Spanish-language channel" following the Lakers' season, which begins tomorrow (L.A. DAILY NEWS, 10/27). Also in L.A., Meg James notes TWC SportsNet ratings "have slipped amid the Lakers' on-the-court struggles," while SportsNet LA "loses more than $100 million a year" (L.A. TIMES, 10/27).
