A little sports, a little news, a little shopping

IT folks are sometimes the Rodney Dangerfield’s of the entertainment, broadcast, cable, TV business. But they keep us all going. Admit it…you panic when your computer doesn’t work. Liberty Sports Group has named BRIAN McHALE as the Chief Technology Officer. Brian will handle all the IT needs of the regional sports networks in Denver, Seattle and Pittsburgh. He’s an old hand at keeping it all together, having worked in IT management slots at Starz and Discovery Communications. Great to hear, Brian!

Keeping with the sports theme, FOX Sports Communications Department has two promotions they want you to hear about. St. Johns U grad ILEANA PENA is now Director of Communications, upped from Manager, while another St. Johns grad, EDDIE MOTL, is now a full Publicist up from Jr. Publicist.  Eddie majored in Sports Management, btw. They’re New York based.

Down the road in West Chester, PA is Liberty Media’s QVC, where shopping is a sport to many. I consider shopping as much an endeavor as curling, for instance. JEFF TARASCHI is a man to know – he’s returning to QVC as Senior Vice President of Jewelry, Fashion and Beauty. It’s a newly created position and he’ll be in charge of 70 buyers and over 100 brands. No wonder he looks so happy. He was at QVC from ’92 to ’95 and has recently had two positions concurrently: President/General Manager of Interactive Group and Managing Partner for Eurobrands. Welcome back, Jeff!

CNN’s AMERICAN MORNING
has a new Executive Producer. JANELLE RODRIGUEZ moves over from being Sr. Producer for THE SITUATION ROOM. She’s also worked on ANDERSON COOPER 360, Headline News, WOLF BLITZER REPORTS and other specials at CNN. Now based in NY, she once lived and worked in San Francisco as an independent filmmaker and has more than 15 years experience in film, video and television, and holds a master’s in fine arts in film production from San Francisco State University and a bachelor’s degree in rhetoric from the University of California, Berkeley.

What’s your Fate? E-mail me at BCFates@reedbusiness.com, attn Kate Fates & Fortunes.