Nickolas Davatzes, A+E Networks Founder, Dies at 79
Nickolas “Nick” Davatzes, the founder of A+E Networks and its signature channels A&E and History, died Saturday at his home in Wilton, Connecticut, the company said. He was 79.Davatzes, who served as CEO Emeritus of A+E Networks at the time of his passing, previously worked as the president and CEO of A+E from December 1983 to April 2005. The company, a joint venture between Hearst Communications and Disney-ABC Television Group, started out with just one channel, A&E, under Davatzes’ leadership.“Davatzes joined the company in 1983 following the merger of the Entertainment Network, owned by RCA and the Rockefeller family and the ARTS Network, owned by Hearst and ABC,” A+E Networks said in a statement.