Freddy Rolón was promoted to senior VP, programming and scheduling at ESPN, tasked with leading the overall content strategy and schedule for the sports programmer’s linear networks, including ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU and ESPNews. 

Formerly VP, programming and scheduling, he will continue to oversee all aspects of the linear and digital business for Spanish-language network ESPN Deportes.

“The pause in sports caused by the COVID-19 break brought an unprecedented level of unpredictability due to the ever-changing landscape, thousands of cancelled events, altered or postponed seasons, and more,” said Burke Magnus, president of programming and original content at ESPN, to whom Rolón reports. “Throughout that time, one factor remained constant — Freddy’s steady hand. While new to his role in programming and scheduling when the pandemic started, he led with excellence, and his strategic thinking guided us during a very tumultuous period.”

Rolón joined ESPN in 2004 and was VP of ESPN Deportes programming and business initiatives from 2011 through 2016. He was promoted to VP and general manager of ESPN Deportes in 2016 and stayed in that role until last year. 

Throughout his tenure, Rolón has played a key role in developing its content strategy for reaching bilingual Hispanics who consume sports across all of ESPN’s English-language platforms, the programmer said.

BYU BROADCASTING 
Jeff Simpson was named managing director of BYU Broadcasting,
overseeing day-to-day operations of its BYUtv cable channel. He had been president and publisher of the Salt Lake City-based newspaper The Deseret News. 

CBS 
Adrienne Roark was named president, CBS Stations, tasked with work directly with general managers and their teams at the ViacomCBS-owned stations across the country. She comes from Meredith-owned KPTV-KPDX in Portland, Oregon, where she was GM.

C2HR
Kia Painter has been named to the board of directors of the Content & Connectivity Human Resources Association (C2HR). A 23-year Cox Communications veteran, she is  senior VP of business partnerships for the Atlanta-based cable operator.

CINEDIGM
Cinedigm has named Jennifer Soltesz as VP of business development and strategy, the primary business lead for new partnership engagements for the Digital Networks group. She had been director of content distribution at Epix. 

COMCAST
Comcast Cable has elevated Kalyn Hove to regional senior VP, Twin Cities region, overseeing cable operations in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Kansas and Missouri.
She had been VP of enterprise unit Comcast Business in the Twin Cities region.

CROWN MEDIA
Steve Handler has joined Hallmark Channel parent Crown Media Family Networks in New York as senior VP, pricing and planning. The ad-sales veteran most recently worked at Infinitive, where he had been business development lead. 

FOX ENTERTAINMENT
Darren Schillace was promoted to president, marketing at Fox Entertainment, overseeing the Fox broadcast network, Tubi, Bento Box, Fox Alternative Networks and Blockchain Creative Labs. He was executive VP, marketing.

HOTWIRE
Jeff Martin has joined telco and internet service provider Hotwire Communications as VP, sales, working with multiple dwelling units in the Tampa Bay, Florida, region. He comes from Comcast, where he had been an account executive.

INSP
Ken Reiner has joined INSP as VP, content acquisition, leading the team responsible for acquiring licensed programming for the network and associated brands. Most recently a consultant, Reiner has been an executive at Raycom Media, Newport Television and Tribune Media.  

JJP
Russell Jay-Staglik has joined Los Angeles-based studio Jeff Jenkins Productions as senior VP of development and current programming. He comes from Bunim/Murray Productions, where he had been VP of current and development. 

NBCUNIVERSAL
NBCUniversal has named John Lee to the new position  of chief data officer within its Global Advertising & Partnerships division. He had been global chief strategy officer at customer experience management firm Merkle. 

NEXSTAR
Donna D’Amico was elevated to VP and general manager of Nexstar Media Group’s Colorado Springs, Colorado, operation, overseeing KXRM, KXTU and Fox21News.com. She had been director of sales at KXRM and KXTU since 2016.

SAMBA TV
Divya Ghatak has joined the board of directors of omniscreen advertising and
analytics firm Samba TV. The Silicon Valley talent and human resources veteran currently works as chief people officer at SentinelOne. 

STARZ
Superna Kalle was elevated to president, international networks,
at Starz. She had been executive VP of international digital networks, having joined in 2018 to lead the international expansion of digital platform StarzPlay.

TEGNA
Tegna has tapped Christy Moreno as president and general manager of its NBC affiliate station KING Seattle. She comes from Tegna-owned ABC affiliate WHAS in Louisville where she had been president and GM since 2018.

TELSTRA
Noah Drake has joined Telstra as VP, customer solutions, based in
Denver and leading the company’s customer solutions group for the Americas. He had been VP of product management at fiber solutions provider Zayo Group in Boulder, Colorado. 

TV ONE
Charnelle Anderson has joined TV One and Cleo TV as senior VP of marketing and creative services. She comes from dfree Global Foundation, where she was head of marketing, branding communications and business partnerships for the  non-profit financial education firm.

TVU NETWORKS
Peter Wyrwich has joined Munich, Germany-based IP video solutions provider TVU Networks as sales director for the DACH region, which consists of Austria, Germany and Switzerland. He is a 19-year veteran of direct and indirect sales across Europe.

Briefly Noted

Other industry execs making moves

Patrick Butler, president and CEO of America’s Public Television Stations (APTS), and Hilton Howell, chairman, president and CEO of Gray Television and Atlantic American Corp., were named board members of the Broadcasters Foundation of America. … Broderick Johnson has joined Comcast as executive VP of public policy and digital equity. He comes from law firm Covington & Burling, where he was senior of counsel. … Mattoon, Illinois-based fiber provider Consolidated Communications has elevated Greg Flanagan to VP of carrier sales and business development and Travis Graham to VP of commercial and carrier products. … David Rawlinson II was named president and CEO of Qurate, parent to QVC and HSN, effective Oct. 1.
Rawlinson was hired by Nielsen in 2020 to run its Global Connect Business, which was renamed Nielsen IQ.

ALLEN MEDIA GROUP

Byron Allen’s Allen Media Group has tapped Geraldine Moriba as senior VP, news & entertainment for African-American-geared website The Grio. The veteran media executive, filmmaker and journalist has worked at ABC, CNN, NBC and PBS.

ALLEN MEDIA GROUP

Allen Media Group has added Matthew Signer as executive VP of production and content. He will focus on development and production of movies, TV series, documentaries, and other premium content for distribution via AMG’s platforms.

CBS NEWS

Rick Jefferson has  been named senior VP of news operations at CBS News, overseeing technical operations and production facilities worldwide. A longtime former NBC News executive, Jefferson was named as the division’s VP of news operations in 2017. 

CROWN MEDIA

Tom Ziangas has joined Crown Media Family Networks in New York as senior VP, revenue and strategic research, a newly created role.
He comes from AMC Networks, where he had been senior VP of research & insights for more than a decade. 

CROWN MEDIA

Crown Media Family Networks has named Michael Grover as VP, brand marketing, charged with developing consumer marketing initiatives for the Hallmark Channel parent’s linear networks and SVOD services. He was a content marketing manager at Hulu. 

FANDOM

Rachelle Savoia has joined Fandom as VP of communications, tasked with developing external, internal and executive communications strategy. She was VP of communications at WarnerMedia, overseeing domestic distribution comms for the Turner networks. 

FETV

Family Entertainment Television (FETV) has named Jaclyn Rann Cohen as executive VP, content acquisitions and strategy. The 20-year Viacom veteran had most recently worked as executive VP, content strategy and acquisitions at TV Land. 

FOX TV STATIONS

Marian Davey was named senior VP and GM of KMSP-WFTC, the Fox Television Stations-owned duopoly in Minneapolis. The 20-year veteran was VP and news director of the stations since 2013. Previously, she was managing editor and assistant news director.

HEARST TV

Paige Harrison has been promoted to VP of news at Hearst Television, based in New York. Formerly news director of WCVB Boston, she succeeds Andrew Vrees, who was named president and GM of WMUR Manchester, New Hampshire. 

NCM

Scott Felenstein has been named president, sales, marketing and partnerships at National CineMedia. He was executive VP and chief revenue officer
and will be succeeded by Mike Rosen, NCM’s senior VP of East Coast sales.

NEXSTAR

James Baronet was named VP/general manager of Nexstar Media Group’s Topeka, Kansas, operations, including NBC station KSNT, Fox outlet KTMJ and Vaughn Media-owned ABC/The CW affiliate KTKA. He had been GM of Sinclair Broadcast Group’s KSAS Wichita, Kansas.

NICKELODEON

Nickelodeon has promoted Eddie Gamarra to the newly created position of VP, literary affairs, Nickelodeon and Awesomeness, responsible for evaluating literary material to option and develop into content. He had been VP of studio business development. 

SBS

Albert Rodriguez was named president of Spanish Broadcasting System, succeeding
Raul Alarcón in the role. He will continue as the company’s chief operating officer, reporting to Alarcón, who will now be chairman and CEO. 

SCRIPPS

Ross White was upped to VP and general manager of E.W. Scripps-owned KOAA in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Formerly director of sales at KOAA, an NBC affiliate, since 2016, he started his career at KVII in Amarillo, Texas, as a news photographer before moving into several sales roles. 

WISH

Circle City Broadcasting-owned WISH Indianapolis has named Dr. Jerome Adams to its reporting team. Adams, a former vice admiral in the U.S. Public Health Service, served as U.S. Surgeon General during the Trump administration. 

WORLD OF WONDER

Los Angeles-based studio World of Wonder, producer of the RuPaul’s Drag Race franchise, has hired Johnni Javier to run its production arm in the United Kingdom. He is the former director of production & operations at Blast! Films. 

WPIX

Nicole Tindiglia has been named news director of WPIX New York, overseeing newsgathering for the TV station, PIX11.com and their related apps. She had been assistant news director at CBS-owned WCBS New York and WLNY Riverhead, New York. 

XYTECH

Broadcast facility management software firm Xytech has named Tanya Kelly managing director, APAC, following its acquisition of ScheduALL from Net Insight. She had been a sales and solutions consultant for ScheduALL.

BRIEFLY NOTED

Other industry executives making moves

Vickie Burns has joined Black News Channel as senior VP of content, overseeing all editorial operations. Her news career includes leadership positions at NBC, Tribune Media and Scripps. … Jeff Murphy has joined Charter Communications as senior VP, corporate finance and development. He comes from Credit Suisse Group. Charter also made organizational changes to its sales, marketing and field operations units: Adam Ray was named executive VP, sales operations & planning; senior VP of marketing Sharon Peters added marketing, creative services and digital marketing to her responsibilities; and Tom Monaghan, senior VP of field operations, will now oversee all 11 operating regions. … Andy Charalambous was named VP of sales for Europe, Middle East and Africa at OpenVault. He had been managing director at Prospect Theory.

A+E NETWORKS
Helen Jurado was promoted to VP, international content sales, Latin America and U.S. Hispanic at A+E Networks International. She had been senior director, overseeing A+E’s off-network sales to cable entities and new media platforms.

ALLEN MEDIA GROUP
John Buckholtz has joined Allen Media Group as VP of ad sales for AMG Global Syndication, responsible for Entertainment Studios TV series programming and content. He was VP of advertising sales at Warner Bros. Domestic Television. 

CROWN MEDIA
Crown Media Family Networks has named Toni Judkins as senior VP, programming & development for Hallmark Channel and Hallmark Movies & Mysteries. She had headed her own production company, Moxy Media, since 2013. 

CROWN MEDIA 
Jessica Callahan was promoted to VP, programming & development at Hallmark
Channel parent Crown Media Family Networks. Based in Los Angeles,
she had been Crown Media’s director of programming and development. 

DISNEY
The Walt Disney Co. has named Tara Duncan to head Onyx Collective, a new content brand on Hulu that highlights shows from creators of color and under­represented voices. She will continue as president of cable network Freeform. 

ESPN 
Brian Lockhart was promoted to senior VP, ESPN Plus Original Content and ESPN
Films, overseeing the 30 for 30 and ESPN Films franchises and ESPN Plus original series and studio shows. He had been VP of ESPN Plus Original Content. 

ESPN 
Mike Shiffman was advanced to senior VP, production, at ESPN. He will continue to oversee all production aspects of the network’s event and studio coverage of the National Basketball Association, the WNBA and men’s and women’s college basketball. 

FOURTHWALL
Paul Haddad was named executive chairman of the board of media and advertising analytics firm FourthWall Media. The media analytics veteran has worked with such companies as  Altice, A4 Media, Cablevision Systems and Nortel Networks. 

NEXSTAR
Nexstar Media Group has named Andrew Alford as president of its Nexstar Broadcasting division, responsible for overseeing its 198 owned-and-operated stations. He had been senior VP, regional manager for the station group. 

NEXSTAR
Nexstar Media Group has named Jim Rose VP and general manager of its San Francisco operations, including independent station KRON. He comes from Tegna-owned KING 5 Media Group in Seattle, where he had been president and GM. 

NEWSNATION
Michael Corn has joined Nexstar Media Group-owned network NewsNation as president of news. He is a former senior executive producer at ABC News, most recently in charge of Good Morning America and prior to that, World News Tonight.

NICKELODEON
Liz Paulson was named senior VP, talent and casting, Nickelodeon Kids & Family. Formerly responsible for overseeing animation casting and talent development, she will now oversee all live-action casting and talent under a consolidation. 

TEAM WHISTLE
Matt Koenig has joined Team Whistle in New York as VP, programming and monetization at WhistleTV. He comes from Jukin Media, where he was director of programming/streaming TV for the company’s library of streaming video channels.  

TEAM WHISTLE
Stacey Richman was named VP of communications at Team Whistle. She comes from Group Nine Media, where she most recently was director of consumer communications, responsible for The Dodo, Thrillist, NowThis, POPSUGAR and Seeker brands.

TEGNA
Tegna has tapped Julie Eisenman as president and general manager of ABC affiliate WNEP in Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. She comes from WLTX Columbia, South Carolina, where she was news director and content manager for Verify. 

TUBULAR
Social media measurement firm Tubular Labs has named Stephen DiMarco as chief strategy officer, tasked with broadening the company’s product offering beyond social media and into the OTT sector. He had been chief digital officer at Kantar. 

WARNERMEDIA
WarnerMedia Studios and Networks Group has named Suzanna Makkos as executive VP of original comedy and adult animation at Adult Swim and HBO Max. Makkos, who had been in that role at HBO Max, will now lead a combined team serving both brands. 

VIDEOAMP
VideoAmp in Los Angeles has added Paul Ross as chief financial officer and a member of the advertising technology firm’s board of directors. Ross comes from The Trade Desk, where he served as CFO during the company’s initial public offering.

BRIEFLY NOTED

Other industry execs making moves

The American Association of Advertising Agencies (The 4A’s) added several members to its executive team: Ashwini Karandikar as executive VP, media, tech and data; Mollie Rosen as executive VP, strategy, insight and innovation; Greg Walker as executive VP, member engagement and development–independent agencies and retention; and Brian Nienhaus as executive VP, member engagement and development–holding companies and growth. … Ampersand added Patty Keenan as chief people officer. She most recently worked at insurer AXA. … Cox Enterprises has named Scott LeTourneau as VP of corporate development. He comes from Cox Communications, where he has led M&A efforts as a VP since 2016. Jim Riley has joined Stingray Group as president of U.S. operations. He comes from Bitmax, where he led global product strategy, sales and marketing. 

ABC NEWS
Kimberly Godwin was named president of ABC News, overseeing editorial and business operations for broadcast, digital, streaming and audio news across the organization. She had been executive VP of news at CBS News. 

ALTMAN SOLON
Altman Solon, a consulting firm focused exclusively on the Telecommunications, Media, and Technology (TMT) sectors, has hired Mary Ann Halford as a partner. A former Fox and ITN Networks executive, she was senior adviser to OC&C Strategy Consultants.

AMERICAN DOCUMENTARY
American Documentary, executive producer of the series POV on PBS and America ReFramed on World Channel, has named Erika Dilday executive director. She comes from Futuro Media Group, where she was CEO since 2017. 

CBS
Neeraj Khemlani was named co-head of CBS News and CBS Television Stations, part of a restructuring that combines the two ViacomCBS units. He was executive VP and deputy group head at Hearst Newspapers.

CBS
Wendy McMahon was also tapped as  co-head of CBS News and CBS Television Stations. A former exec at WCCO Minneapolis and WBZ Boston, she rejoins CBS from The Walt Disney Co., where she was president of the ABC Owned Television Stations since 2017. 

COMCAST
Comcast Advertising has named Tony Sanchez to the new post of VP, customer experience. Formerly VP of operations for the customer experience product team, Sanchez will spearhead the company’s customer and employee focus.

COMMSCOPE
Cable technology vendor CommScope has appointed Justin Choi as chief legal officer, replacing the retiring Burk Wyatt. Choi had been executive VP, general counsel, secretary and chief compliance officer at Anixter International.

CROWN MEDIA 
Jonathan Sichel has joined Crown Media Family Networks as New York-based executive VP, general counsel, leading all legal and business affairs matters. He was executive VP of distribution sales and strategy at AMC Networks.

DOUBLEVERIFY
Digital media measurement software platform DoubleVerify has added Doug Campbell as chief strategy officer, responsible for global strategy and corporate development. He had been chief strategy officer at Telaria. 

EFFECTV
Effectv, the advertising sales division of Comcast Cable, has tapped Dawn Lee Williamson as head of its new sales development division that will accelerate the company’s move to audience delivery across screens. She was Southeast region VP. 

FRONTIER
Veronica Bloodworth has joined Frontier Communications as executive VP and chief network officer, overseeing all network operations. She comes from AT&T, where she was senior VP of construction and engineering. 

KYRA MEDIA
Shan Lui was named senior VP of talent at Generation Z-focused media company Kyra Media. She comes from Superfly, where she was VP of creative partnerships and senior producer, producing immersive experiences around TV properties. 

NBCUNIVERSAL
Kelly Abcarian has joined NBCUniversal’s Advertising and Partnerships division as executive VP of measurement and impact. The ad-industry veteran had most recently been general manager of Nielsen’s Advanced Video Advertising Group. 

NEWSNATION
Nexstar Media Group-owned NewsNation has added Allison Harris as a correspondent in its Washington, D.C., bureau, focused on news coming from the White House. She comes from KDFW Dallas-Fort Worth, where she was a reporter. 

NEWSNATION 
Adrienne Bankert has joined NewsNation as an anchor/correspondent, tasked with covering national affairs and delivering special reports. She had been a New York-based national correspondent for ABC News. 

PALEY CENTER
Paul A. Allen was named VP, development, at the Paley Center for Media, responsible for leading all organization fundraising initiatives. He comes from the 911 Memorial & Museum, where he was director, major gifts and grants. 

SAMBA TV
Tim Natividad has joined Samba TV as senior VP of agency of brand solutions. He comes from Roku, where he was head of performance advertising, focusing on bringing digital advertising solution to the platform’s customers. 

ZEFR
Kelsey Garigan was elevated to executive VP, head of North American sales for Zefr, a data company gauging brand suitability in video. A former executive with DoubleVerify, she had been West Coast VP. 

BRIEFLY NOTED

Other industry execs making moves

MediaMath has added three industry veterans to its senior management team: Ashish Shukla, formerly head of architecture at PayPal, was named chief technology officer; Ingrid Hackett, who had been general counsel and compliance officer at Quantum Spatial, was tapped as general counsel and Laurent Cordier, formerly chief revenue officer at Headspin, was appointed chief partnerships officer. … Charlyn Stanberry has joined the National Association of Broadcasters as VP of government relations. She had been chief of staff to Rep. Yvette Clarke (D-N.Y.), NAB also elected Byron Allen, founder, chairman and CEO of Allen Media Group, to a two-year term on the NAB Television Board. Re-elected to the board were: Robert Hubbard, Hubbard Television Group/Hubbard Broadcasting; David Bradley, News-Press & Gazette Co.; David Hanna, Lockwood Broadcasting; and Chris Ripley, Sinclair Broadcast Group.

CABLE ONE
Megan M. Dietz will join Cable One in Phoenix as senior VP, human resources.
She is senior VP of human resources & administration at Hargray Communications, which Cable One will acquire in the second quarter of 2021. 

CHARTER
Charter Communications has upped Alison Hellman to senior VP of content, strategy and marketing for Spectrum Networks. The former Madison Square Garden Co. and Rainbow Media executive  had joined Charter in 2016 as group VP, marketing. 

COMCAST
Brenda Laboy has joined Comcast as VP of network engineering and
construction for its Norcross, Georgia-based Big South region. The 16-year AT&T veteran had most recently been assistant VP of wireless and wireline construction in Los Angeles. 

COX ENTERPRISES
Cox Enterprises in Atlanta has elevated Deborah Lucy to VP, associate general counsel, corporate law, responsible for leading the company’s new corporate law Center of Excellence. She was AVP, associate general counsel, corporate and strategic transactions. 

CROWN MEDIA
Maureen Barrett has been named director of talent relations & events at Crown Media Family Networks in New York, charged with centralizing and streamlining the Hallmark Channel parent’s talent-relations function. She was president of That Girl Public Relations. 

DELUXE
Lena Wasikowski has joined Deluxe in Los Angeles as senior VP, global account strategy and business development. She comes from WarnerMedia, where she had been VP of global client relations & content distribution. 

‘ENTERTAINMENT TONIGHT’
Nischelle Turner was named co-host of Entertainment Tonight, alongside current host Kevin Frazier. Turner has been an ET correspondent since 2014, will host the fall CBS series Secret Celebrity Renovation and is a CNN contributor. 

EXTREME REACH
ER Payroll Solutions, an Extreme Reach division providing payroll, accounting and labor relations for production casts and crews, has hired Kathleen Thompson as head of production incentives. She was VP, sales and new business at GreenSlate.

FOX 
Jeff A. Taylor has been promoted to general counsel at Fox Corp. Taylor, who joined Fox in 2019 as executive VP and chief litigation counsel, is a former deputy counsel and chief compliance officer at  automaker General Motors. 

FOX DEPORTES
Sergio Verdu has joined Fox Deportes in Los Angeles as VP of production. The 20-year media executive comes from ESPN, where he most recently was director of product development and new products overseeing global strategic production based on partner needs. 

NEXSTAR
Nexstar Media Group has named Peter Saiers as news director of KTLA
Los Angeles. Saiers, who had been news director at KING Seattle, succeeds Jason Ball, who had been KTLA’s news director for 12½ years and announced plans to leave in February. 

NIELSEN
Sandra Sims-Williams has been named chief diversity officer at Nielsen, replacing
CEO David Kenny in that role. She joined Nielsen in January 2020 as senior VP, diversity and inclusion, after serving as chief diversity officer at Publicis Group. 

SCRIPPS
Kate O’Brian has joined E.W. Scripps as head of news for its national television networks business, responsible for the news and programming strategy for Newsy and Court TV. O’Brian is a 30-year veteran of ABC News, finishing as senior VP for news. 

SCRIPPS
E.W. Scripps has tapped Evan Pappas as VP and general manager of WFTX, the company’s Fox affiliate in Fort Myers, Florida. He had been VP and general manager of Scripps-owned NBC station KOAA Colorado Springs since 2011. 

SESAME WORKSHOP 
Wanda Witherspoon was named chief diversity, equity and inclusion officer at Sesame Workshop in New York, a new post. She had been the nonprofit children’s television producer’s VP of public affairs and special events. 

TEGNA
Kristie Gonzalez has been elevated to VP, media operations, at Tegna. She will continue as GM of KVUE Austin, Texas, adding oversight of KYTX Tyler, Texas,
as well as supervise recruiting across Tegna’s 11 stations in the state. 

VUIT
VUit, a streaming service featuring content from local TV stations, has named
Kevin Dunaway as VP of affiliate relations and content development. He comes from WWTV in Traverse City, Michigan, where he was general manager. 

WARNERMEDIA
Katrina Cukaj was named lead of ad sales and client partnerships at Warner­Media, overseeing the go-to-market sales team and their agency and client relationships, including the upcoming ad-supported HBO Max offering. She was lead of marketing, creative and network partnerships.

BRIEFLY NOTED

Other industry execs making moves

Effects studio AFX Creative has promoted Esther Minitser to head of production. Also, AFX hired Jessica Amburgey as senior color producer and Stefan Kim as production coordinator. … Daniel R. Hesse has been named as chairman of the board of Akamai Technologies, succeeding the retiring Frederic V. Salerno. Hesse is the former CEO of Sprint. … Fox Corp. also tapped Nicholas Trutanich as executive VP and chief ethics & compliance officer. Trutanich is the former U.S. Attorney for Nevada. … Nilay Shah was named executive VP and head of investor relations at Lionsgate. He comes from Citadel Global Equities, where he was technology, media and telecom (TMT) analyst. … Ad-tech firm Simpli.fi has added Lynda Clarizio to its board of directors. She is a former president, U.S. media at Nielsen. … Betty Wong was named chief financial officer at Velocity. She was VP of finance and operations at Unacast.

ABC NEWS
ABC News has added Averi Harper to its Washington-based political unit as deputy political director. Harper, who joined ABC in 2019, reported on the 2020 presidential primaries and the Biden-Harris campaign. 

BROADCASTERS FOUNDATION
The Broadcasters Foundation of America named Kathleen A. Kirby as secretary and general counsel to the board. She is partner and co-chair of the Telecom, Media & Technology group at Wiley Rein. 

COMCAST ADVERTISING
Pooja Midha has joined Comcast Advertising as chief growth officer, a new post overseeing global marketing across the division, Effectv and FreeWheel. She had been president of true[x]. 

KYRA MEDIA
Kyra Media, a Generation Z-focused media company based in New York, has tapped Kelsey Arnold as head of U.S. sales. She had been director of brand partnerships at Apartment Therapy Media. 

MEDIACOM
Media-buying agency MediaCom has named Liza Davidian as executive VP, investment and activation. The 20-year media veteran has worked with packaged goods, entertainment, financial and quick-service restaurant clients. 

MEDIACOM 
Yorele Goff has joined MediaCom as executive director, people. She comes from Publicis Spine, where she was chief talent officer responsible for the
Platform, Technology and Data and Analytics teams.

PBS
Andrea Downing was named president of PBS Distribution (PBSd), heading strategic, financial and operations at the for-profit distributor of public media content. She had been co-president of PBSd alongside David Bernstein. 

PBS NEWSHOUR
PBS NewsHour has named Talesha Reynolds as senior content and special projects producer for the nightly news broadcast. She had been a Washington-based producer of investigative, feature and breaking news for NBC Nightly News, Today and NBCNews.com.

ROHDE & SCHWARZ
Rohde & Schwarz has named Jörg Fries as VP, broadcast, amplifier & media solutions, heading the company’s Broadcast and Media division. He had worked in the Wireless Multimedia division. 

SAMBA TV
Jeremi Gorman has been named to the board of directors of San Francisco-based TV data and omni-screen measurement firm Samba TV. She has served as chief business officer of Snap Inc. since 2018. 

WHEELHOUSE
Studio Wheelhouse Entertainment has added Janell Coles-English as senior VP of business and legal affairs. She comes from Discovery Studios, where she was VP
of business and legal affairs. 

WHEELHOUSE
Chelsey Trowbridge has joined Wheelhouse Entertainment as senior VP of postproduction. She comes from Truly Original, where she was VP of postproduction overseeing schedules, budgets and the post team for more than 40 series.

BRIEFLY NOTED

Other industry execs making moves

AT&T has tapped Jason Porter as president of public sector and FirstNet, responsible for all federal, state, local government and education customers. … Advertising technology startup Advocado has named three members to its board and advisory council: Matthew Hong, former chief operating officer at Turner Sports; Gayle Meyers, former chief growth officer, Luma Partners; and Michael Beer, head of financial strategies at Luminar Technologies. … National Public Media president and CEO Gina Garrubbo was named chair of the Interactive Advertising Bureau’s board of directors. NBCUniversal president and chief business officer of global advertising and partnerships Krishan Bhatia was elected as vice chair. Also elected to three-year terms as new IAB board members were Renie Anderson, chief revenue officer and EVP, NFL Partnerships, National Football League; Jerry Dischler, VP and general manager, ads, Google; and Rob Master, VP, media and digital engagement, Unilever. … Wally Parks has joined Wheelhouse Entertainment as executive VP of production. He was executive VP of production at All3Media America.

ACA CONNECTS
ACA Connects has tapped John Higginbotham as executive VP and chief operating officer, responsible for all operations and staff. He had been the independent cable trade group’s EVP of membership and finance. 

BAI COMMUNICATIONS
BAI Communications has tapped Andrew McGrath as global chief commercial officer, based in London. He comes from Vodafone, where he was senior VP of Vodafone Carrier Services for the past eight years. 

CROWN MEDIA
Hallmark Channel parent Crown Media Family Networks has elevated Jennifer Lee Temple to senior VP, brand design, part of a restructuring creating the Crown Global Brand Group. She was senior VP, print, video & web design. 

CROWN MEDIA
Lissa Grunfeld was promoted to VP of brand production
and operations at Crown Media Family Networks, overseeing the Brand Production & Operations Division. She had been VP of design production. 

CROWN MEDIA
Crown Media Family Holdings upped Michael Grover to VP of brand marketing, assuming oversight of all marketing campaigns for the programmer. He had
been senior director of marketing. 

DAZN
DAZN Group has named Kevin Mayer chairman of its board of directors. Mayer is the former chairman of direct-to-consumer and international at The Walt Disney Co., where he launched Disney Plus and ESPN Plus.

LIVEXLIVE
LiveXLive has named Andy Vick as head of programming and executive VP of StudioOne, the company’s newly formed content division. He was president of virtual reality and immersive entertainment at STX Entertainment. 

REVOLT
Revolt Media, the music programmer owned by hip hop star and entrepreneur Sean “Diddy” Combs, has elevated Detavio Samuels to CEO. He had been chief operating officer of the company since June of 2020. 

SCRIPPS
E.W. Scripps has named J. Michael Durnil, Ph.D., as executive director of the Scripps National Spelling Bee. He most recently was the executive director of the Simon Youth Foundation in Indianapolis. 

SCRIPPS
Richard Steiner was named head of digital for the new national television division of E.W. Scripps, Scripps National Networks. A longtime Turner executive, he helped build the Watch TCM and FilmStruck streaming services.  

UNIVISION
Beatriz Pedrosa-Guanche was tapped as senior VP, corporate communications at Univision Communications in Miami. She has served in senior positions with Apple, Burson-Marsteller, Brazil Telecom of America and Verso Technologies. 

WARNER BROS. 
Kristy Chan was named senior VP, marketing and publicity, unscripted television at Warner Bros. Television, leading all marketing and communication initiatives. She was VP, publicity, at TBS, TNT and truTV.

BRIEFLY NOTED

Other industry execs making moves

Caroline Persinger has rejoined ACA Connects as grass roots manager of the industry organization. Also, ACAC promoted Tomeika Slappy to assistant to the president and CEO from executive assistant. … Crown Media Family Networks also promoted Danielle Mullin to senior VP of brand marketing and ad sales marketing from senior VP, marketing; Leilani Gushiken to senior director of brand production from director of EPK and gallery production; Joe Kordash to senior director of brand motion graphics from director of creative design; and Lyn Smith to senior director of brand editing from supervising editor. … NBC Sports EDGE and PointsBet have added Sara Perlman as a sports betting host and content creator. Perlman had hosted Talk the Line for Fox Sports during the 2020 NFL season. … Brian Chisholm was promoted to senior VP, strategic partnerships at Los Angeles-based ad tech firm OpenX. … At Revolt, chief finance officer Colin McIntosh added duties as chief operating officer, and Deon Graham was promoted to chief brand officer, Combs Enterprises, from VP of digital. 

BAI
BAI Communications has named Kathleen Abernathy as a non-executive director. The former FCC member also served as executive VP, regulatory and government affairs at Frontier Communications and as a Dish Network director. 

BECK
Beck Media & Marketing in Santa Monica, California, has promoted Tom McAlister to president and named him its first-ever partner. He had been a managing director, establishing Beck’s Austin, Texas, office. 

CHARTER  
Charter Communications has promoted Jessica Fischer to executive VP, finance, adding oversight of procurement, investor relations, internal audit and corporate planning. She had been senior VP, finance and treasurer.

DELOITTE
Deloitte has tapped Jana Arbanas to lead its telecom, media and entertainment (TM&E) sector in the United States. San Francisco-based Arbanas was a principal in Deloitte’s Risk & Financial Advisory (RFA) practice. 

FOX NEWS MEDIA
Suzanne Scott has signed a multi-year contract to remain as CEO of Fox News Media. Named Fox News’s first female CEO in 2018, she had been programming president of Fox News Channel and Fox Business Network. 

HOPPR
Ad-tech firm Hoppr has named Georges Laplanche as head of network service providers and pay TV partnerships. The longtime Technicolor exec is tasked with  pushing Hoppr into European markets.

MTV
Lance McPherson was elevated to executive VP, deputy general counsel, business and legal affairs at MTV Entertainment Group, adding responsibility for studios and MTV Documentary Films. He was senior VP, business and legal affairs.

MTV 
MTV Entertainment Group also upped Bahareh Kamali to executive VP, strategic development. The 20-year Viacom veteran had been senior VP of strategic development and has played a role in company diversity efforts. 

NEWSMAX
Newsmax TV has hired Rob Finnerty as anchor of its new weekday morning show Wake Up America. He most recently had been an anchor and reporter at Tegna-owned CBS affiliate WTSP Tampa. 

NEWSMAX
Rachel Rollar has joined Newsmax TV as a national and international news reporter on Wake Up
America. She is the former co-host of Wake Up Charlotte on WCNC Charlotte, North Carolina. 

NEXSTAR
Nexstar Media Group’s Nexstar Digital unit has elevated Lori Tavoularis to chief revenue officer/executive VP of revenue operations. Tavoularis joined Nexstar in June 2019 and had overseen digital revenue and operations. 

TEGNA
Tegna has named Bill Dallman as president and GM of NBC affiliate KARE Minneapolis. He comes from Sinclair Broadcast Group-owned KOMO Seattle, where he had been news director since 2018. 

BRIEFLY NOTED

Other industry execs making moves

The American Association of Advertising Agencies (4As) has added four new directors-at-large to its board: Vita M. Harris, chief strategy officer, FCB Global; Kate MacNevin, global chairwoman and CEO, MRM; and Megan Pagliuca, chief activation officer, Omnicom Media Group. … Fox Business Network has added Lydia Hu as a correspondent. She comes from Spectrum NY1 News in New York, where she was a general assignment reporter. … Mark Bauch has joined Imagine Entertainment’s film group as senior VP, features. He had been senior VP of Imagine Television, working on drama and comedy projects. …  Nexstar Digital elevated Jennifer Scilabro to senior VP, local digital sales, and Wil Danielson to senior VP, national digital sales, both reporting to Lori Tavoularis. … Video advertising software and insights provider Pixability has tapped Brian Atwood as chief revenue officer. He comes from video tech and data startup NOM, where he was CEO. 

ALIBI MUSIC
Alibi Music in Los Angeles has elevated Tim Hare to VP, business development. Hare, who joined Alibi in 2017 as a director, has held posts at Extreme Music, Sonic Librarian and Artist Arena. 

CROWN MEDIA
Hallmark Channel parent Crown Media Family Networks has named Jordan Neyer as senior VP, corporate strategy. He comes from Metrixlab, where he was VP of media and entertainment leading commercial strategy.

EMBRIONIX
Montreal, Canada-based Embrionix has named David M.H. Workman as global OEM (original equipment manufacturer) sales manager. He comes from Telemetrics, where he was director of sales and business development. 

NEWSMAX
Newsmax TV parent Newsmax Media has named Brian Peterson as senior VP of communications and marketing. The PR veteran has worked at Fox Cable Networks, Fox Regional Sports Networks, NFL Properties and Esri. 

NICKELODEON
Brian Keane has joined Nickelodeon Animation Studios as a New York-based executive VP of production and operations. He had been chief operating officer and executive VP of Blue Sky Studios. 

NICKELODEON
Jennie Monica has been named to the new post of VP, series production, at Nickelodeon Animation Studios. With Nickelodeon since 1998, she is co-executive producer of SpongeBob SquarePants. 

NICKELODEON
Nickelodeon Movies has named Kara Lord Piersimoni as VP, production, managing all aspects of physical production for theatrical films. She most recently was VP of production at GURU Studios. 

SCRIPPS
Jon Marks was named chief research officer for E.W. Scripps’s national TV networks business. Most recently a consultant, Marks headed programming and marketing analysis at Turner Entertainment Networks for 14 years. 

SCRIPPS
Michael Teicher was named chief revenue officer for the national television networks business at E.W. Scripps. He comes from 20th Television, where he had been executive VP, media sales, overseeing Fox and Debmar-Mercury shows. 

STARZ
Starz has elevated Karen Bailey to executive VP, original programming, based in Santa Monica, California. Most recently senior VP, the longtime executive joined Starz in 2006 as an executive producer. 

TVU NETWORKS
Allan Delaurier has joined TVU Networks as VP, sales, for Canada and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) region, based in greater Toronto. He comes from Avid, where he was sales manager for Canada.

WHIP MEDIA
Whip Media has elevated London-based Paul Hastings to senior VP, global sales, a new post leading global sales strategy and overseeing the global sales team. He had been senior VP, sales, Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA).

BRIEFLY NOTED

Other industry execs making moves

Inae Wilson was promoted to executive VP of broadcast distribution and marketing at Fox. Wilson, who has been with Fox for 22 years, had been senior VP. … Lightpath has tapped Chris Morley as its new CEO. The 20-year telecom veteran most recently was senior operating adviser for Stonepeak Infrastructure Partners. … Meredith has named Diane L. Parker as VP, diversity and inclusion. She had been director, staffing, global diversity and inclusion for the Associated Press. … E.W. Scripps has named Jeff Kiernan news director of WXYZ and WMYD Detroit. The local news veteran most recently was senior director of local content at Scripps-owned WTMJ Milwaukee. … Jeffrey Lewis was named chief compliance officer at Sinclair Broadcast Group, supervising regulatory, code of conduct, competition and privacy functions. He is the former senior VP and chief accessibility officer at AT&T. … TV Azteca has named Rafael Rodríguez Sánchez as CEO. He had been the Mexico-based broadcaster’s legal director. 

AMC
Christina Spade has joined AMC Networks as executive VP and chief financial officer. The longtime CBS and Showtime Networks executive most recently was executive VP and CFO of ViacomCBS. 

CINEDIGM
Cinedigm in Los Angeles has elevated Gary Loffredo
to president, responsible for day-to-day management. He will continue in his current roles as chief operating officer, general counsel and secretary. 

CINEDIGM
Yolanda Macias has been elevated to chief content officer, Cinedigm Entertainment Group, responsible for global content acquisition across all platforms and content marketing. She had been executive VP of CEG. 

INSP
INSP has promoted Tara Brown to senior director, media relations, leading a team responsible for all press and media activities for INSP series and films. She had been the network’s director of media relations. 

NBCU TELEMUNDO
NBCUniversal Telemundo Enterprises has added Ezequiel Fonseca Zas as senior VP, revenue strategy and distribution. He was GM of streaming platforms and senior VP of mobile partnerships at ViacomCBS International. 

NBCU TELEMUNDO
Malu Carmona-Botana was tapped as VP, content monetization at NBCUniversal Telemundo Enterprises. She comes from A+E Networks, where she worked as director of content distribution strategy. 

NEXT MEDIA
Chris Falkner has joined Next Media Partners as a partner. He is the former
VP of advanced TV at Cuebiq and a former senior VP, advanced TV and next generation TV strategy at NBCUniversal. 

NEXT MEDIA
Next Media Partners has added Patrick Donoghue as a partner He is a former VP, ITV product management at Time Warner Cable and senior VP, user experience and emerging products at Cablevision Systems.  

UNIVISION
Univision Communications has named Pierluigi Gazzolo as president and chief transformation officer. He had been president of streaming and studios at ViacomCBS Networks International. 

UNIVISION

Luis Silberwasser joined Univision Communications as president, Univision Television Networks Group. He was president of NBCUniversal’s Telemundo Networks from 2014 to 2018.  

UNIVISION
Donna Speciale was named president of advertising sales and marketing at Univision Communications. She most recently worked at Warner­Media, where she was president of Turner Ad Sales.

WHIP MEDIA
Whip Media has named Sherry Brennan as executive VP and general manager of its content licensing technology division. She was  senior VP, distribution of Fox Networks Group before becoming a consultant in 2019.

BRIEFLY NOTED
Other industry execs making moves

Adaptive Spirit, cable-industry organizer of the annual Denver benefit for the U.S. Paralympic Ski Team, added two board members: Colleen Langner, senior VP of field operations, Cox Communications; and Ewam de Freitas, VP of product and technology, Liberty Latin America. … Erick Opeka was named chief strategy officer of Cinedigm Corp. He will continue as president  of the Cinedigm Networks unit. … White-label over-the-top service OTTera has tapped Daniel Barnathan as executive VP, ad sales. He comes from Media Solution Worldwide, where he was president. … Sinclair Broadcast Group promoted Billy Robbins to VP and general manager of WBFF Baltimore, with oversight over the company’s provision of services to WNUV Baltimore. He had been WBFF’s station manager. … Cloud communications provider Vonage has named Jay Bellissimo as chief operating officer. He had been general manager of IBM U.S. Public and Federal Market. … Univision Communications promoted Amy Tenbrink and Glenn Dryfoos to co-interim general counsel and Friday Abernethy to executive VP, content distribution and partnerships. 

AD COUNCIL

Linda Yaccarino has been named chair of the board of directors of the Ad Council. The chairman of global advertising and partnerships at NBCUniversal, she succeeds Facebook chief revenue officer David Fischer. 

COMCAST

Comcast has named Dana Strong as CEO of its Sky Group direct-to-home platform in the United Kingdom. She had been president, consumer services at Comcast Cable, responsible for the MSO’s residential business. 

DISCOVERY

Eric Phillips was elevated to president of global distribution strategy at Discovery, focusing on direct-to-consumer partnerships for Discovery Plus. He had been president of affiliate distribution since 2013. 

DISCOVERY

Michele Barney was named president of affiliate distribution at Discovery, responsible for strategic oversight and distribution of its content in Canada and the U.S. She was  senior VP, content and programming at AT&T.

HEARST

Hearst Television has upped John Robertson to VP of distribution, tasked with supervising negotiations with over-the-top platforms and other digital video distributors. He had been senior director of finance. 

IRTS

The International Radio and Television Society Foundation (IRTS) has elected 25-year board member Leo MacCourtney as its new chairman. MacCourtney is president of Katz Television Group.

OPERATIVE

Ad management technology firm Operative has tapped Hans Fischmann as VP, product strategy, leading its multichannel video programming distributor (MVPD ) market. He had been VP, product management at Xandr.  

SCRIPPS

E.W. Scripps’s national network unit has named Yvonne Haugh as VP, distribution and affiliate relations. She was most recently senior VP, marketing and affiliate relations and chief of staff for Katz Networks.

SCRIPPS

Brad Samuels was named VP, distribution partnerships and strategy at E.W. Scripps, leading the national network unit’s crossplatform distribution efforts. He was most recently VP, distribution for Newsy.

SCRIPPS

Damian Riordan was named VP, broadcast distribution at E.W. Scripps’s national network unit. He had been senior VP, broadcast relations for Ion Media, which Scripps is in the process of acquiring.

WOW!

Rose Jerez has joined WOW! Internet, Cable & Phone as VP of customer success. Most recently a consultant on digital growth and delivery at Fox, she had been associate VP of retention marketing operations at AT&T/DirecTV. 

WTMO

Telemundo-owned station WTMO Orlando, Florida, has named Miguelangel Lopez as vice president of news. He comes from Telemundo station KTLM Rio Grande City, Texas, where he was VP of news since 2014.

BRIEFLY NOTED

Other industry execs making moves

John Kearney has joined Aero Wireless Group as chief commercial officer. He had been senior VP, carrier services, Life and Safety Division at Intrado. … Ingrid Ciprian-Matthews has been named executive VP and Washington bureau chief at CBS News. She had been the acting Washington bureau chief since July. … Estrella Media has promoted Arya Towfighi to executive VP, general counsel. He had been a senior VP, overseeing the Spanish-language media company’s legal functions. … The Wireless Innovation Forum has added two directors: Dawn Szelc, lead communications engineer at MITRE, and Claude Belisle, former CEO of Nordiasoft. … Pedro Muñoz has joined digital and programmatic ad firm Vidoomy as VP, Europe sales, based in Madrid, Spain. … Jeremy Darroch has been named executive chairman of Comcast’s Sky Group. He had been CEO. … WPIX New York, acquired Dec. 30 by Mission Broadcasting, has promoted Ofelia Castiblanco to station manager and community affairs director. She had been community affairs director since January 2020.

ASG

Media tech and engineering firm Advanced Systems Group has added Tim Cuthbertson as director of cloud production. The 30-year industry veteran was most recently managing director at Pixit Media USA.

COOLEY

Cooley added Tiana Demas as a partner in its cyber/data/privacy practice. She was Deputy U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York and associate general counsel of cybersecurity and investigations at Facebook.

COX 

Connie Walters has been named VP of employment law for Cox Communications parent Cox Enterprises in Atlanta. She was assistant general counsel of employment at Cox Automotive. 

CURIOSITYSTREAM

Brandon Fong was named senior VP and head of North American distribution at CuriosityStream. He comes from STX Entertainment, where he was senior VP of digital business development

DISCOVERY

Robert L. Johnson has joined Discovery’s board of directors, replacing the departing Decker Anstrom. Johnson is the founder of BET Networks and the founder and chairman of RLJ Cos. 

FRONTIER

Frontier Communications has named Nick Jeffery as its president and CEO, effective when Bernie Han steps down from that position on March 1. Jeffery had been CEO of Vodafone UK. 

THEGRIO.TV

TheGrio.TV has added April Ryan as White House correspondent and Washington, D.C., bureau chief. Ryan was Washington bureau chief for American Urban Radio Net­­- works and a CNN contributor. 

JIM HENSON

The Jim Henson Co. has added Sidney Clifton as senior VP, animation and mixed media, overseeing live-action and hybrid projects. The veteran producer  won an Emmy for Cartoon Network’s Hellboy.

PBA ATLANTA

Public Broadcasting Atlanta (PBA) has tapped Jennifer Dorian as the organization’s new president and CEO. Dorian is a 20-year veteran of Turner, most recently in the role of general manager at TCM. 

SCRIPPS

Jonathan Katz was named chief operating officer and head of entertainment for E.W. Scripps Co.’s national television networks business, consisting of Ion Media, Katz Networks and Newsy. He was head of Katz Networks.  

SCRIPPS

Jason Combs was elevated to chief financial officer at the E.W. Scripps Co., succeeding national networks chief Lisa Knutson in that role. He had been the company’s VP of financial planning and analysis.  

SMITHSONIAN

James F. Blue III has been named senior VP and head of Smithsonian Channel. Blue, who was a producer at PBS NewsHour, will also oversee all factual unscripted content for MTV Entertainment Group’s brands.

BRIEFLY NOTED
Other industry execs making moves

Ad agency DDB Worldwide has named Nikki Lamba as global head of diversity and inclusion. She was a senior director at Catalyst. … The Walt Disney Co. has named Alan Bergman as chairman, Disney Studios Content, and Alan Horn as chief creative officer, Disney Studios Content. The two executives had been co-chairmen of the Studios group since May 2019. … InterMedia Group of Cos. has named Michael Walters as VP, marketing and sales. He had been VP, West Coast sales at iSpot.tv. … James Peck was named CEO of NielsenIQ upon the sale of the former Nielsen Global Connect business to Advent International. He is former CEO of TransUnion. … Omnicom Group has named Emily K. Graham chief equity and impact officer and senior VP, diversity and inclusion communications. She had been chief diversity and inclusion officer at FleishmanHillard. …Beatrice Springborn was named president of Universal Content Productions, where she will oversee all aspects of original content production. She comes from Hulu, where she was VP, content development.

DELUXE

George Eyles has joined Deluxe in Los Angeles as executive VP and general manager, world­wide cinema, responsible for its digital cinema strategy and operations. He comes from Maccs, where he was CEO. 

FOX

Fox has tapped Sharri Berg, COO of news and operations at Fox Television Stations, as president of its new Fox Weather streaming service. She will step down as EVP, news operations at Fox News Channel. 

FREEWHEEL

Mark McKee was named chief revenue officer at New York-based FreeWheel, the Comcast-owned programmatic advertising firm. Formerly VP of marketing, he had been acting CRO since January. 

INFOSUM

Brian Lesser was named chairman and CEO of customer data platform InfoSum. Lesser is the former head of AT&T’s Xandr advanced-advertising unit, which was folded into WarnerMedia earlier this year.

MOONBUG

David Levine has joined Moonbug Entertainment in London as head of studio. He comes from The Walt Disney Co., where he most recently was VP, kids programming, Disney Channels Europe and Africa/U.K. & Ireland.

NBC SPORTS WASHINGTON

Jackie Bradford was named general manager of regional sports network NBC Sports Washington. She continues as president and GM of NBC-owned WRC and Telemundo-owned WZDC, Washington. 

PREMION

Connected TV/OTT ad platform Premion has added Amanda Dunlap as Southwest regional sales director. She was as West Coast Regional Sales Director for NBC Spot On and digital sales director for KNBC/KVEA Los Angeles.

PREMION

Tracy Kalfas joined Premion as Midwest regional sales director. The 25-year marketing and cross-media management veteran came from Initiative, where she most recently was group director, investments in Chicago. 

3SS

Set-top box software provider Screen Solutions (3SS) has named Adam
Nightingale as London-based chief commercial officer. He comes from OTT company Deltatre, where he was VP, commercial.

TVU NETWORKS

Liming Tu has joined TVU Networks as VP, sales for the APAC region, including greater China, Japan, Philippines, Singapore, South Korea and Thailand. He comes from EVS, where he was VP of media infrastructure.

VIACOMCBS

Raffaele Annecchino was tapped as president and CEO of ViacomCBS Networks International, He had  been president of ViacomCBS Networks Europe, Middle East, Africa and Asia.

WURL

Wurl, a provider of streaming video distribution and advertising services for connected TV, has named
Kris Johns to the new post of VP. advertising. Johns had most recently been VP of product.  

BRIEFLY NOTED
Other industry execs making moves

Fiber provider Fatbeam has named Paul Merritt CEO. He was global managing
director of the Lumen Technologies hyperscalers business. … Regional broadband network iRis Networks in Nashville, Tennessee, has named Chris Clark CEO. He was a GM at Lumen Technologies, leading business across six states. … Ad agency Ogilvy in New York has added Stacey Ryan-Cornelius as global chief financial officer and Jag Dhanji as global chief people officer. Cornelius most recently was global CFO and chief operating officer of Geometry Global; Dhajni had been Ogilvy’s chief talent officer for Europe, the Middle East and Africa. …  Jamie Calandruccio was named senior VP of product marketing & business development at Operative. She comes from Channel Media Solutions where she was SVP, advanced advertising solutions. … Law firm Wilkinson Barker Knauer in Denver has added Arthur M. Ortegon as a partner specializing in municipal, state and federal policy issues relating to the telecommunications, transportation and mass media sectors.

ABC NEWS

Galen Gordon has joined ABC News as senior VP for talent and strategy development. A former ESPN and WABC New York executive, he had been VP of the National Football League Media Group.

CROWN MEDIA

Hilary Silverboard has joined Crown Media Family Networks as senior VP, brand strategy. She comes from Public Broadcasting Atlanta, where she was chief marketing and development officer.

DISCOVERY

Discovery has elevated Karen Bronzo to group senior VP, marketing, adding responsibility for Food Network to her duties. She had been senior VP, marketing, for HGTV.

QUINCY MEDIA

Station group Quincy Media has tapped Anna Engelhart as VP and general manager of WKOW Madison, Wisconsin. She had been WKOW’s station manager and business manager. 

QUINCY MEDIA

John Huff was elevated to VP and general manager at Quincy Media’s KWWL in Cedar Rapids-Waterloo, Iowa. The 20-year vet has been local sales manager, general sales manager and station manager. 

QUINCY MEDIA

Quincy Media-owned WREX Rockford, Illinois, named Josh Morgan as VP and general manager. As the station’s news director, he led WREX to 13 regional and two national Edward R. Murrow Awards. 

MEREDITH

Meredith has elevated Ken Frierson to VP and general manager of CBS affiliate WNEM Saginaw-Flint, Michigan. Frierson, who joined WNEM in 2010, had been general sales manager since 2018.

SINCLAIR

John Siegler has joined Sinclair Broadcast Group as chief marketing officer, with an initial focus on the company’s network affiliates and regional sports networks. He had been VP of  YES Creative Group. 

TEGNA

Jessica Hagan was named president and general manager of KTVB Boise, Idaho, and KTVT, Twin Falls, Idaho. She was director of sales at Tegna’s KING 5 Media Group, comprised of KING and KONG Seattle. 

VIASAT

Mark Dankberg has been named executive chairman of satellite
communications firm Viasat, a new post. He had been the company’s chairman and CEO. 

VIASAT

Viasat has promoted Rick Baldridge to president and CEO of the satellite
services firm. He had been the company’s president and chief operating officer. 

WBZ

CBS Television Stations-owned WBZ Boston has named Jessi Miller Bradley news director. The 23-year station veteran most recently was executive producer of CBSN Boston, which launched last year. 

BRIEFLY NOTED
Other industry execs making moves

CBS Studios and the NAACP named Sheila Ducksworth as president of the new CBS/NAACP production partnership. She comes from Will Packer Media, where she was head of scripted television and production. … The NAB Leadership Foundation elected new board members: Artie Altman, Katz Media Group; Jan Goldstein, Gray Television; Brian Lawlor, The E.W. Scripps Company; DeDe Lea, Viacom CBS; Wendy McMahon, ABC Television; Ralph Oakley, Quincy Media and Gayle Troberman, iHeartMedia. … The New York State Broadcasters Association has named new officers for 2021: chairperson, Karen Carey of Townsquare Media; vice chair, Amy Collins of WSTM/WSTQ/WTVH, Syracuse; vice chair, radio, Roberto Yanez, Univision New York Local Media; secretary, Chris Musial, WBBZ Buffalo; and treasurer, Alan Bishop, Finger Lakes Radio Group/Chadwick Bay Broadcasting. … Ad agency Ogilvy New York has named Charlotte (Charlie) Tansill as chief transformation officer. She had been executive director of the social media practice.

BRITBOX

Emily Powers was promoted to executive VP and head of BritBox North America. A member of the streaming service’s original launch team, she had been senior VP and commercial head.

CBS

CBS Entertainment Group has elevated Bryon Rubin to chief operating officer, overseeing all financial and business operations that support its divisions. He will continue as chief financial officer.

INNOVID

Television analytics and advertising platform Innovid has named Dale Older chief operating officer. He had been  chief product officer at Integral Ad Science. 

MAGELLAN

Magellan Advisors has named John Williams engineering program manager. He led fiber-to-the-home deployments for Bristol (Tenn.) Essential Services and Erwin (Tenn.) Utilities.

SESAME WORKSHOP

Steve Youngwood was elevated to CEO of Sesame Workshop in New York. He had been the children’s TV producer’s chief operating officer and president of its Media & Education division.

SESAME WORKSHOP

Sherrie Westin was tapped as president of Sesame Workshop. She had been
the president of the educational TV nonprofit’s Social Impact & Philanthropy division.

SMI

Ad data company Standard Media Index has named Todd Koons as VP, strategic partnerships, a new post. He was manager, marketing & media, licensing management & contract compliance at PwC.

SYNAMEDIA

Video software provider Synamedia has named Paul Segre as CEO, replacing the departed Yves Padrines. Segre had been chairman and CEO of customer experience software firm Genesys.

TV ONE

Michelle L. Rice was named president of TV One and Cleo TV. Rice had been general manager of TV One since 2019 and spearheaded the 2019 launch of women-targeted network Cleo TV.

VIACOMCBS

Tom Ryan has been named president and CEO, ViacomCBS Streaming, overseeing CBS All Access (to relaunch as Paramount Plus next year) and Pluto TV. He was CEO of Pluto TV. 

VIACOMCBS

ViacomCBS Networks International (VCNI) chief operating officer Kelly Day will take on an expanded role as president of streaming, VCNI, overseeing all non-U.S. digital and streaming  platforms.

WARNER BROS. 

Channing Dungey has been named chairman, Warner Bros. Television Group, effective with the retirement of current chief Peter Roth early next year. She most recently was VP of original series at Netflix. 

BRIEFLY NOTED

Other industry execs making moves

Ryan Spoon has joined BetMGM as chief operating officer. He was senior VP of social and digital content at ESPN. … Firstlight Media has added Bal O'Neil as VP of solutions engineering, Eric Goldstein as head of business development, and John Ferrandino as head of sales. All three executives will be responsible for delivering partner and client solutions for video service providers. … Fox News Channel signed veteran on-air reporter John Roberts to a new multiyear deal as chief White House correspondent. …  Subscription commerce and customer experience platform Piano has named Joanna Catalano as chief growth officer. She comes from Dentsu Aegis. … Sinclair Broadcast Group has tapped David Morgan as VP of digital sports news for its 21 regional sports networks. The sports-media veteran has worked at USA Today Sports Media Group, Yahoo! Sports and the Los Angeles Times. … Sony/ATV Music Publishing has elevated John Pires to executive VP, global business development. Pires was senior VP, business development.

A+E NETWORKS

A+E Networks in New York has hired Matthew Glotzer as executive VP, strategy and business development. He comes from digital media firm Intertrust Technologies, where he was chief financial officer and head of strategy. 

COMCAST

Dalila Wilson-Scott was promoted to president and chief diversity officer at Comcast Corp., responsible for overseeing diversity, equity and inclusion activities. She will continue to lead the Comcast NBCUniversal Foundation.

CROWN MEDIA

Hallmark Channel parent Crown Media Family Networsk has tapped Robin Thomas as executive VP, consumer insights, strategy & analytics. Based in Los Angeles, she most recently was senior VP, research, at WGN America.

DISNEY

The Walt Disney Co. has named Kareem Daniel chairman of the Media and Entertainment Distribution group, part of a direct-to-consumer-focused restructuring. He had been president, Consumer Products, Games and Publishing.

ESTRELLA

Estrella Media has tapped René Santanella as executive VP, digital & streaming media. He comes from Sony Pictures Television Digital Networks, where
he had been senior VP, head of ad sales and operations. 

JJP

Unscripted TV producer Jeff Jenkins Productions (JJP) has promoted Jonny Cogut to VP of development. He had been director of development, shepherding projects for such outlets as Facebook Watch, Netflix, Lifetime and TLC.

NBCUNIVERSAL

NBCUniversal named Linda Yaccarino chair, global advertising and partnerships. Yaccarino, who heads national and global ad sales for all of NBCU’s platforms, will now oversee local ad sales, including TV stations and RSNs.

NICKELODEON

Magalie Laguerre-Wilkinson has joined Nickelodeon as VP of news programming and executive producer of the rebooted Nick News. She comes from CBS News, where she had been a producer on 60 Minutes.

SCRIPPS

E.W. Scripps Co. has tapped Lisa Knutson to lead the company’s new national television networks business, contingent on its acquisition of Ion Media. She had been executive VP and chief financial officer.

SCRIPPS

Laura Tomlin advanced to chief administrative officer of E.W. Scripps Co. Former executive VP, national media, she will lead human resources, information technology and enterprise strategy, with a focus on consumer technology, 

WJLA

Stacey Rusch has joined Sinclair Broadcast Group’s WJLA Washington as morning traffic anchor and lifestyle host on Let’s Talk Live. She had  been traffic reporter and lifestyle contributor at Fox’s WTTG Washington.

WNJU 

Telemundo-owned WNJU New York has added Carlos Zapata to its news team as a general assignment reporter. He comes from Telemundo’s KXTX Dallas, where he was an anchor/reporter.

BRIEFLY NOTED

Other industry execs making moves

Alyra Liriano, counsel for privacy and compliance at Comscore, was named deputy regional president of the New York region of the Hispanic National Bar Association (HNBA). … Deloitte has elevated Kevin Westcott to lead its U.S. technology, media and telecommunications (TMT) industry consulting efforts. He previously served as the global TMT consulting leader and the U.S. sector leader for the TM&E industry. … Discovery Education has named SMASH CEO Eli Kennedy to its board of directors. … Online and internet services provider EarthLink added Brigitte Wright-Roy as senior VP, customer operations. She comes from Sprint, where she led worldwide inside sales and operations. … Peter Glättli was elevated to director of research and development at communications networks company Riedel Communications He had been head of research and development at Riedel’s Zurich, Switzerland location. … Sinclair Broadcast Group has named Darrell Davis as VP of enterprise business transformation. Davis had been VP and chief process improvement officer of enterprise process management at Xcelerate Solutions.

COMCAST

Dalila Wilson-Scott was promoted to president and chief diversity officer at Comcast Corp., responsible for overseeing diversity, equity and inclusion activities. She will continue to lead the Comcast NBCUniversal Foundation.

COMCAST

Elaine Barden has beem tapped as VP, business development for Comcast’s West Division. She had been VP of business development and strategic initiatives for Comcast’s California Region for the past two years. 

CROWN MEDIA

Andy Rooke was elevated to chief operating officer at Hallmark Channel parent Crown Media Family Networks. Rooke, who will continue as CFO, will assume responsibility for strategy and business development and lead all non-cable business units. 

KEYSIGHT

Keysight Technologies has appointed Satish Dhanasekaran as chief operating officer. He had been head of the company’s Communications Solutions Group, addressing wireline and wireless providers, since 2017. 

PIANO

Ashley Deibert has joined customer experience platform Piano Software as chief marketing officer. She comes from Taplytics, where she had been the company’s senior VP of global marketing.

SEABORN

Steve Orlando was named CEO of Seaborn Networks, a developer-owner-operator of submarine fiber optic cable systems. He comes from from Zayo Group, where he served as the senior VP of fiber and network solutions.

TAG

Trade group the Technology Association of Georgia has named Mike Toplisek to its board of directors. Toplisek is president of Atlanta-based internet service provider EarthLink.

TELEMUNDO

Carlos Zapata is joining Telemundo-owned station WNJU New York as a general assignment reporter, effective Nov. 9. He was an anchor and reporter at Telemundo station KXTX in Dallas-Fort Worth. 

WARNERMEDIA

Jean-Paul (JP) Colaco has joined WarnerMedia as head of advertising sales. A former ad-sales executive at Hulu and Vessel, he comes to WarnerMedia from Apple, where he lead the Americas for the Apple Search advertising business.

WOW

WOW! Internet, Cable & Phone has promoted Gary Nilsen to senior VP, engineering. He will continue to guide development for the company’s network and engineering operations, focused on driving innovation for WOW!’s product and services offerings.

WOW

Ryan Mitchell advanced to VP, network, product and service engineering at WOW! Internet, Cable & Phone. He had been senior director, network, product and service engineering, where he led his teams in technology operations.

WWE

World Wrestling Entertainment has elected Erika Nardini to its board of directors. She is the CEO of Barstool Sports, where she helped launch more than 35 brands in sports, entertainment, female lifestyle and sports betting.

BRIEFLY NOTED …

Michael Snow has joined Extreme Reach as director of product marketing for its AdBridge cloud platform, with a specific focus on creative asset management. … Liberty Media has named Lamborghini CEO Stefano Domenicali as president and CEO of Formula 1, effective in January 2021. Chase Carey will become the racing circuit’s nonexecutive chairman. … Jennifer Yohe has joined MediaKind in Frisco, Texas, as executive VP of business affairs. A former senior VP at Comcast Cable, she was president and chief business officer of Xtreme Concepts Racing. …Redline Communications Group has named Dr. Aimee Chan to its board of directors. She is the president and CEO of Norsat International. … Sinclair Broadcast Group has named Darrell Davis as VP of enterprise business transformation. He was VP and chief process improvement officer of enterprise process management at Xcelerate Solutions. … Kevin Rocks has joined South Reach Networks as executive VP of sales and marketing. He had been manager for the International Carrier Group at Looking Glass Networks.

ALLEN MEDIA GROUP

Byron Allen’s Allen Media Group has promoted Melody Smalls to executive VP, human resources. She formerly served as VP, head of human resources at Allen-owned The Weather Channel.

CURIOSITYSTREAM

Matthew Blank has been named to the board of directors of factual media streaming service CuriosityStream. He is the former chairman and CEO of Viacom’s Showtime Networks.

DISNEY CHANNEL

Disney Channel promoted Theresa Helmer to executive director, Integrated Content Strategy and Development, a new post meant to foster diversity and inclusion in programming. She was director, social media strategy.

ENTERTAINMENT STUDIOS

Brooke Kahn was elevated to VP of digital sales and partnerships at Entertainment Studios. She will continue to focus on licensing theatrical titles to SVOD services, and will develop AVOD partnerships. 

FCC

Federal Communications Commission chairman Ajit Pai has tapped West Virginia State Sen. Robert H. Plymale to the agency’s Intergovernmental Advisory Committee, a panel of 30 elected and appointed officials. 

NICKELODEON

Ramsey Naito has been promoted to president of Nickelodeon Animation, based in Burbank, California. She had been executive VP of animation production and development for the Nickelodeon Group.

NICKELODEON

Zack Olin was appointed to the newly created position of senior VP, live action for Nickelodeon. A former VP, creative development at ABC Studios, Olin most recently was a live-action development consultant to Nick.

SEQUIN AR

Augmented reality services firm Sequin AR has named Brad Rumler as VP, sales, a new post. He most recently served as VP of sales for Brainstorm, a real-time broadcast graphics solutions company.

SMI

Jason Keown has joined New York-based Standard Media Index as VP, marketing. Keown, who was head of accounts at Community Agency in Canada, will focus on expanding SMI’s business in North America.

SOUNDEXCHANGE

Esther-Mireya Tejeda has joined SoundExchange in Washington, D.C., chief marketing and communications officer. She was senior VP and head of corporate communications at Entercom.

WEATHER CHANNEL

The Weather Channel parent Weather Group LLC has named Fred Bucher as senior VP and chief marketing officer. He had been senior VP and chief marketing officer of Spectrum Reach, Charter’s ad-sales unit. 

VIZIO

Adam Gaynor has joined Vizio as VP, network partnerships, tasked with building direct relationships with networks across the SmartCast and Vizio Ads businesses. He comes from AMC Networks, where he was VP, AMCN Agility.

BRIEFLY NOTED

Other industry execs making moves

The 4A’s Foundation has added five members to its board of directors: Walter Geer III, executive creative director of experience design at VMLY&R; Vann Graves, director of the Brandcenter at VCU; Ashley McGowan, global lead for business equality, Facebook; Sara Baiyu Porritt, senior director of integrated media planning and U.S. diversity and inclusion lead, OMD; and Renee Jennings, chief financial officer, Joan Creative. … Rory Read has been named CEO of cloud communications provider Vonage. He comes from Dell Technologies, where he was chief operating executive and CEO of its Virtustream unit. … Sinclair Broadcast Group has promoted Phillip Gharabegian to deputy general counsel and senior VP, business affairs for its regional sports networks. He had been senior VP, business and legal affairs. … Network development and information infrastructure firm Tilson had tapped Mike Dow as chief innovation officer. He will retain his postion as chief information officer. … Monica Fitzsimmons has joined ad-tech firm Vidoomy-USA as VP of multicultural sales.

BECKTV
Broadcast systems integrator BeckTV has added Brock Raum as product engineer. He was director of live production and broadcast technology for the University of Notre Dame athletics department.

BLACK NEWS CHANNEL
Princell Hair has joined Black News Channel as president and CEO. The former CNN executive most recently worked as senior VP and GM at NBC Sports Boston.

BROADCAST SOLUTIONS
European systems integrator Broadcast Solutions has promoted JPDelport to managing director, Broadcast Solutions U.K. The 15-year industry veteran had been sales director. 

CURIOSITYSTREAM
BakoriDavis has joined CuriosityStream as managing director and head of international. He was partner and managing director of Niche Media Global (NMG), an international media-services firm.

LITTON
AngelicaRosasMcDaniel has been named executive VP, strategy, for Litton Entertainment. She comes from CBS, where she was executive VP, daytime programs, overseeing the daytime lineup. 

NBCU TELEMUNDO ENTERPRISES
BeauFerrari was upped to chairman of NBCU Telemundo Enterprises. Formerly executive VP, he succeeds Cesar Conde, who was promoted to chairman, NBCU News Group.

THE TRADE DESK
Ad-technology firm The Trade Desk has promoted TimSims to chief revenue officer. The former OpenX and SpotRunner executive most recently was senior VP, inventory partnerships at The Trade Desk. 

TUBI
CarolynForrest has joined Fox Entertainment-owned Tubi as senior VP, general counsel, overseeing the business affairs and legal team. She was VP, legal affairs at Fox Television Stations.

WARNERMEDIA
WarnerMedia Entertainment has promoted New York-based JackieGagne to senior VP, multicultural marketing. She had been VP, multicultural marketing at premium service HBO for the past six years. 

WARNERMEDIA
RichardJennings was promoted to senior VP, design and production at WarnerMedia Entertainment, based in New York. He had been VP, design and production at HBO since joining from Warner Music Group in 2013. 

WARNERMEDIA
KristyChan joined WarnerMedia Entertainment as Burbank, California-based VP, publicity, TBS, TNT and truTV. She comes from Netflix, where she was director, original series publicity.

WWE
ChristinaSalen was named chief financial officer of sports-entertainment company WWE. Most recently CFO of online luxury fashion retailer Moda Operandi, she was CFO of Etsy from 2013 to 2017. 

BRIEFLY NOTED
Other industry execs making moves

Charles Watson has been named an Atlanta-based correspondent for Fox News Channel. He had been a multimedia reporter, based in Jackson, Mississippi. … Petersborough, Ontario-based Lindsay Broadband promoted JonathanHaight to senior VP, worldwide business development. He had been VP, U.S. sales and business development, responsible for U.S. sales strategy and execution. … ScottShapiro was tapped by Sinclair Broadcast Group as chief strategy officer, sports, a new post working closely with leaders from Stadium, Tennis Channel, RSNs and local stations. He will remain as chief development officer. … Spectrum Cable News in Dallas has named DerikLattig as planning manager, responsible for overseeing 10 multimedia journalists for a new venture launching Sept. 1. A former CBS Newspath staffer, Lattig has worked at stations in Dallas and Houston. … The Trade Desk also named MichelleHulst as executive VP, global data and strategy and MattGoldberg as executive VP, global operations, both new posts.

ANTHEM

Anthem Sports & Entertainment named Frank Tanki as general manager of its AXS TV and HDNet Movies. He comes from ViacomCBS, where he was general manager of TV Land and CMT.

CHARTER

Steve Raymond was named VP of accessibility at Charter Communications, leading its Accessibility Center of Excellence team. Most recently VP of client solutions at Nielsen Connectivity, he is board chair of Adaptive Spirit.

CONNECTED NATION

Connected Nation has named Emily Jordan as VP of its new Connect K-12 initiative, which aims to improve school connectivity nationally. She had been director of operations for the Lincoln Policy Group in Washington, D.C.

CURIOSITYSTREAM

Bill Goodwyn has joined CuriosityStream as chief revenue officer and executive VP of strategy, business development and partnerships. He most recently was vice chairman of Discovery Education. 

FOX NEWS CHANNEL

Patricia Peart advanced to VP of weekend booking at Fox News Channel, responsible for managing weekend breaking news coverage and guest booking. She was director of weekend booking. 

NAB

The National Association of Broadcasters in Washington, D.C., has named Michelle Duke as the trade group’s chief diversity officer. She will continue as president of the NAB Leadership Foundation.

OPENVAULT

OpenVault has elevated Josh Barstow to chief revenue officer, a new post. The longtime Metrocast Communications executive was OpenVault’s executive VP of corporate strategy and business development. 

STREAMING GLOBAL

Brandon Farley has joined Streaming Global in Atlanta as senior VP and chief revenue officer. He most recently served as chief revenue officer of FanBeat, a live-action sports gaming company.

SWIRL FILMS

Robert A. Boyd has joined independent urban film production company Swirl Films in Atlanta as chief operating officer, He comes from BET Networks, where he was senior VP of programming operations.

SWIRL FILMS

Swirl Films named Tony L. Strickland head of unscripted and co-executive producer. He was VP of physical production at BET Networks, where he was responsible for tentpoles and music specials. 

VIACOMCBS

ViacomCBS has tapped Yolanda T. Cochran as senior VP, live-action longform production, ViacomCBS Kids & Family, responsible for the Nickelodeon brands. She was previously VP, production at Freeform. 

VIAMEDIA

Jim Loughran has joined advertising rep firm Viamedia in New York as senior VP of digital. He had been VP, national addressable, OTT and digital sales at Ampersand (formerly NCC Media).

BRIEFLY NOTED
Other industry execs making moves

Charter named Adam Ray as executive VP, multi-dwelling unit markets, a new post. He had been regional VP, field operations for the Florida Region. The MSO also upped Magesh Srinivasan to executive VP, network operations, succeeding retiring Scott Weber. Srinivasan had been senior VP, network operations in video operations. … NBCUniversal and Sky named KC Sullivan as president and managing director of their global advertising and partnership division. He was president and managing director of CNBC International. Also, Andrew Mortimer, previously Sky Media U.K.’s director of client strategy, was named senior VP of global partnerships for NBCUniversal + Sky Global Partnerships, and Max Raven, who had been senior VP of Catalyst, CNBC International’s commercial agency, will lead Advertising & Partnerships for Global News. … VUniverse has named Julie Rieger CEO of VU, a web, mobile ad TV app designed to serve as a smart channel guide for streaming services. She is a former president, chief data strategist and head of media at 20th Century Fox. 

COMCAST
Jason S. Armstrong was named executive VP and treasurer of Comcast, based at its corporate headquarters in Philadelphia. He comes from Comcast-owned U.K. satellite provider Sky, where he was chief financial officer. 

COMCAST
Mitch Rose was elevated to executive VP, federal affairs, and head of the Washington office of Comcast NBCUniversal, succeeding the retiring Kathy Zachem. He had been senior VP, federal government affairs.  

COX MEDIA GROUP
Dan York was named president and CEO of Cox Media Group in Atlanta. The veteran industry exec most recently served as senior executive VP and chief content officer of AT&T and its DirecTV subsidiary. 

DISH NETWORK
Dish Network has promoted Jeff Blum to executive VP, external and legislative affairs, based in Washington, D.C. A Dish executive since 2005, he will continue to oversee public policy, regulatory and government affairs.

DISH NETWORK
John Swieringa was named as Dish Network’s group president, retail wireless. He will continue to serve as the satellite TV provider’s chief operating officer, a role he has held since December 2017. 

FREEFORM
Tara Duncan was appointed as president of Freeform. A producer, Duncan joins the Walt Disney Television-owned network from her overall deal at Hulu. Prior to that, she was a senior creative executive at Netflix.  

NICKELODEON
Syrinthia Studer was named executive VP, Nickelodeon and Awesomeness Films, overseeing all live-action feature-length content. She had been executive VP, worldwide acquisitions at Paramount Pictures. 

PEGASYSTEMS
Pegasystems has tapped Hayden Stafford as president of global client engagement. He comes from Microsoft, where he was corporate VP of global Microsoft business applications, responsible for Microsoft Dynamics 365. 

SCRIPPS
E.W. Scripps has tapped Tregg White as VP and general manager for KGUN and KWBA, its ABC and The CW affiliates in Tucson, Arizona. He had been GM of KGWN, KSTF and KNEP in Cheyenne, Wyoming.

SHORTS TV
Shorts International has named Jeff Allen as president of short-form video over-the-top linear channels ShortsTV (U.S.) and TVCortos in Latin America. He was VP of operations at Hallmark Cards subsidiary Hallmark Labs.

SLING TV
Sling TV has promoted Michael Schwimmer to group president, overseeing all aspects of the Dish Network unit’s business. He had been executive VP, international, business development and strategy at Dish.  

WARNERMEDIA
Richard Tom has joined WarnerMedia as chief technology officer. Most recently adviser and consultant to technology companies, he is a former senior VP and chief technology officer at Hulu.

BRIEFLY NOTED
Other industry execs making moves

Jeremy Legg has joined AT&T Communications as executive VP and chief technology officer. He had been CTO at Warner Media. … Dish Network has also added Dave Mayo as executive VP, network development, responsible for the company’s wireless buildout strategy and 5G network deployment. He was senior VP of T-Mobile USA. … Meredith tapped Deborah Collura as VP and general manager of WGCL/WPCH Atlanta. She was GM of WCNC Charlotte, North Carolina. Also, Meredith upped Corey Hanson to VP and GM of WALA Mobile, Alabama. She was station manager of KPTV/KPDX in Portland, Oregon. … Mobility advertising startup Nickelytics has added Anthony DeRico as head of sales, leading sales and business development. He was VP, head of sales at Skift, a business media company serving travel professionals. … Viamedia has named John Piccone to the new post of president of QTT, its newly formed cloud-based television advertising unit. He had been president and chief revenue officer of ad-tech firm Simulmedia. 

AT&T

Ed Gillespie has joined AT&T as senior executive VP–external and legislative affairs. Most recently with Sard Verbinnen & Co., he was chair of the Republican National Committee from 2003-04.

CURIOSITYSTREAM

Jason Eustace has joined Silver Spring, Maryland-based CuriosityStream as chief financial officer. He was head of finance at Bluemercury, Pet360 and Discovery Networks U.S.

CURIOSITYSTREAM

CuriosityStream has also tapped Damone Jones as senior VP of corporate and education partnerships. He was senior director of marketing partnerships for MaxPreps at CBS Interactive.

DIGITALKITES

Digital advertising firm DigitalKites has added Amit Lall as senior VP, partnerships, leading its Audience Prime Partnerships team. He was VP, digital, at media agency OMD.

MEREDITH

Broadcaster Meredith has named James (JD) Sosnoff as VP and general manager at KMOV St. Louis, succeeding the retiring Mike Murphy. He had been the CBS affiliate’s director of sales.

PBS

Tina Sharkey was named to the board of directors of PBS. A veteran media and commerce executive for more than 20 years, she was co-founder and CEO of Brandless.

RAINE GROUP

The Raine Group, a global merchant bank focused on technology, media and telecommunications, has added David Levy as a senior adviser. Levy is the former president of Turner.

SNAP

Peter Naylor has joined Snap as VP, Americas, responsible for driving growth in the U.S., Canada and Mexico. He had been senior VP and head of advertising sales at Hulu.

SNAP

Also at Snap, Kelly Coffey was named to the company’s board of directors. Coffey is the CEO of City National Bank, a subsidiary of the Royal Bank of Canada.

STARZ

Alison Hoffman advanced to Santa Monica, Californiabased president, domestic networks, at Starz, responsible for domestic networks operation. She had been chief marketing officer.

WARNER BROS.

Tom Ascheim has joined Warner Bros. as president of Global Kids, Young Adults and Classics, leading global strategy for Cartoon Network, Adult Swim and Boomerang. He was president of Freeform.

WARNERMEDIA

Jason Kilar has been named CEO at WarnerMedia. The founding CEO of Hulu and a former Amazon executive, Kilar most recently was co-founder and CEO of streaming service Vessel.

BRIEFLY NOTED
Other industry execs making moves

Nexstar Broadcasting has promoted John Lewis to VP and general manager of CBS affiliate WNCN Raleigh, North Carolina, CBS17.com and related social media channels. He had been VP and GM of Nexstar’s WNCT Greenville, North Carolina. … The Paley Center for Media added three members to its board of trustees: Eddy Cue, senior VP, internet software & services, Apple; former Major League Baseball player Alex Rodriguez; and Andrew Wilson, CEO, Electronic Arts. It also added three to its Los Angeles Board of Governors: Charles D. King, founder/CEO, Macro; Keith Le Goy, president, worldwide networks & distribution, Sony Pictures Television; and Michelle Sneed, president of production and development, Tyler Perry Studios. Finally, Paley trustee Shari Redstone, chair of ViacomCBS, was named to the board of trustees’ executive committee. … Heather Ace has joined Qualcomm in San Diego as executive VP of human resources. She comes from medical device company Dexcom. … Chad Conklin was named general manager of Sinclair Broadcast Group’s Seattle properties, including TV stations KOMO and KUNS. He was GM of Sinclair’s WSMH Flint, Michigan.

ANRITSU

Allen, Texas-based 5G and Internet of Things test and measurement firm Anritsu Americas Sales Co. has named Robert Johnson VP and general manager. He had been the company’s assistant general manager.

CAA

Alison Pepper has joined Creative Artists Agency in New York as an agent in its Television-News Sports & Media department. An 18-year veteran of CBS’s 60 Minutes, she most recently served as a senior producer.

COMCAST

Jennifer Khoury was promoted to chief communications officer at Comcast in Philadelphia, succeeding the retiring D’Arcy Rudnay. She had been senior VP of corporate and digital communications.

C2HR

Kara Anderson has joined the board of directors of cable industry human resources group Content & Connectivity Human Resources (C2HR). She is VP of compensation, HRIS and HR Analytics at ESPN.

C2HR

Content & Connectivity Human Resources has also tapped Jennifer Dunn as a member of the board of directors. Dunn is senior VP of people & culture at AMC Networks in New York.

DISCOVERY

Lisa Holme has joined Discovery as group senior VP, content and commercial strategy, Direct-to-Consumer, based in Los Angeles. A 10-year Hulu veteran, she was the streaming platform’s VP of content acquisition.

DISNEY

Bob Chapek was named CEO of The Walt Disney Co., succeeding Robert Iger who became Disney’s executive chairman. He had been chairman of Disney Parks, Experiences and Products.

ENTERTAINMENT STUDIOS

Entertainment Studios hired Barbara Bekkedahl as president of advertising sales for The Weather Group, including The Weather Channel and Local Now. She was VP of client solutions at NBCUniversal.

HULU

Kelly Campbell was named president of streaming service Hulu in Los Angeles. Formerly chief marketing officer of the platform, she will report to Disney Direct-to-Consumer and International unit president Kevin Mayer.

LIGHTBOX

Out-of-home video network Lightbox has tapped Christopher Negron as Chicago-based senior VP, sales, responsible for the Central region. He comes from Twitch, where he led Midwest sales for the video platform.

SHOWTIME

Puja Vohra has joined Showtime Networks as executive VP, marketing and strategy. She comes from BSE Global, where she directed marketing, creative and digital efforts for the Brooklyn Nets and Barclays Center.

WILKINSON BARKER KNAUER

Suzanne Tetreault has joined Washington, D.C., law firm Wilkinson Barker Knauer as a partner. A 30-year FCC veteran, Tetreault was deputy chief of the agency’s Wireless Telecommunications Bureau.

BRIEFLY NOTED
Other industry execs making moves

Los Angeles-based telecom provider Broadvoice tapped several new sales execs: Mike Gottwalt as VP, strategic relationships; Jason Shawgo as area VP, East Coast; and Nick Madsen as area VP, West Coast. … Jason Frierott was named VP and chief financial officer at Meredith. He had been a CFO at several of General Electric’s large business units over a 21-year run at the company. … The National Association of Broadcasters in Washington, D.C., has added Liliana Ranon as VP of external affairs. She comes from the Obama Foundation, where she was a community manager. … Streaming news service Newsy has added Steve Turnham as its managing editor. … Londonbased video ad platform Preach has named Ben Regensburger CEO. He comes from ProSieben Sat.1 unit SevenOne Media, where he was managing director. … Garrett Wagner has rejoined Showtime Networks as senior VP, executive creative director. He was director of global creative marketing for Netflix.… Jo Kinsella was elevated to president of TV attribution firm TVSquared in New York. She was chief revenue officer and executive VP.

ACA CONNECTS

John Higginbotham has joined ACA Connects as executive VP, membership and finance, and chief of staff. He had been assistant general manager of telecommunications for the Frankford (Kentucky) Plant Board.

AMAZON

Amazon has tapped Mike Hopkins as senior VP, Prime Video and Amazon Studios, overseeing the streaming service and movie and television unit. He had been chairman of Sony Pictures Television.

COMCAST VENTURES

Former NBA player Andre Iguodala has joined the Comcast Ventures Capitalist Fund as a venture partner. He will focus investments in companies founded by African-American, Latinx and women entrepreneurs.

COM NET

Rob Shema was named CEO service provider Com Net in Wapakoneta, Ohio, as CEO. He had been executive VP of Pittsburgh-based trade group ACA Connects, which represents smaller, independent cable operators.

ES BROADCAST

Ryhaan Williams has joined broadcast reseller and systems integrator ES Broadcast as senior VP for the North American market. She had been VP, sales and marketing at Comprehensive Technical Group (CTG).

FUTURE TODAY

Miami-based advertising video-on-demand platform Future Today has added David Di Lorenzo as senior VP and head of the Kids & Family business. He was president of kids’ video-on-demand programmer Kabillion.

LOTAME

Amy Yeung has joined data company Lotame as general counsel and chief privacy officer, responsible for developing privacy protocols across the company’s business. She had been deputy general counsel at Comscore.

NICKELODEON

Darlene Caamaño Loquet has joined Nickelodeon’s animation studio as senior VP, Nickelodeon Movies, tasked with overseeing the network’s movie business. She comes from Fox Animation, where she had been VP of production.

NICKELODEON

Liz Paulson was named senior VP of Nickelodeon Animation Casting & Talent Development. She comes from 20th Century Fox Television, where she was senior VP of casting, overseeing scripted and animated TV projects.

NICKELODEON

Also at Nickelodeon, Camille Eden was named VP of Nickelodeon Recruiting and Talent Development. She most recently oversaw recruitment and outreach at Walt Disney Animation Studios.

NIELSEN

Sean Cohan has joined Nielsen Holdings as chief growth officer and president, international. A veteran A+E Networks executive, Cohan most recently was president of Wheelhouse Entertainment.

XYTECH

Media and broadcast facility management software firm Xytech has tapped Matt Waldock as VP and director of business development, EMEA. The broadcast industry veteran has worked at ITV and Deluxe Media Europe.

BRIEFLY NOTED: Dr. Kelly Wright has joined Black NewsChannel in Tallahassee, Florida, as special contributor and host of The Kelly Wright Show. He is a former Fox News Channel correspondent. … Ashley Strohmeier has joined Fox News Channel as overnight anchor and news correspondent. She comes from KMIZ Columbia, Missouri, where she was a general assignment reporter and anchor. … Philip Lomax has joined Austin, Texas-based neuromarketing firm MediaScience as senior VP of business development. He comes from Uber Eats, where he was senior enterprise account executive. … Nielsen also promoted Peter Bradbury to chief commercial officer U.S. from executive VP and managing director, U.S. Media Sellers Group; to and Karthik Rao to chief operating officer, Nielsen Global Media, from chief product, technology & operations officer, Global Media. … Tel Aviv, Israel-based TAG Video Systems has tapped Paul Briscoe as chief architect for the company’s global operations. Formerly R&D manager at Leitch Technology, he most recently worked as a consultant.

ALTICE
Michael Grau was elevated to chief financial officer at New York-based cable operator Altice USA. The veteran of Altice and predecessor Cablevision Systems had been executive VP of financial planning and control.

ATLANTIC BROADBAND
Frank van der Post has been named president of Atlantic Broadband by parent Cogeco Communications. He comes from Dutch multiservice telecommunications operator KPN, where he was chief commercial officer.

COURSE HERO
Education technology firm Course Hero has added Harriet Seitler as executive vice president chief brand officer. She had been chief marketing officer of OWN: The Oprah Winfrey Network and Harpo Studios.

CRITEO
Megan Clarken has joined Paris-based internet advertising platform Criteo S.A. as CEO. A 15-year veteran of Nielsen, she most recently served as chief commercial officer of Nielsen Global Media.

ENTERTAINMENT STUDIOS
Todd Johnson has joined Entertainment Studios-owned digital media platform The Grio as chief content officer. A former Grio managing editor, he was editorial director of NBC News Digital’s NBC BLK.

VAB
The VAB in New York has elevated Marianne Vita to senior vice president, director of integrated strategy and marketing. She had been the organization’s VP, strategic insights.

Berke Communications, a New York-based PR firm focused on entertainment, sports and other sectors, tapped Ryan Muscatel as executive vice president and chief operating officer. He was an executive VP at MWWPR and managing partner at Taylor. … Agency ForwardPMX has named Valerie Davis as its senior vice president of media. She was senior VP, U.S. head of accounts at IPG Mediabrands unit Reprise. … nCam, a London-based developer of real-time augmented reality technology for media and entertainment, named Mike Ruddell as global business development director. He is a former head of technology at Sky Sports. … The Public Relations Society of America’s Los Angeles board of directors named Bob Gold, president and CEO of Bob Gold & Associates, as its 2019 Communications Professional of the Year. … VAB has also added Nellie Chung as vice president, marketing and partnerships. 

ALIBI MUSIC
Julia Trainor has joined Alibi Music Library in Los Angeles as a music supervisor serving U.S.-based clients. She worked at companies such as Project X/AV, Cimarron, mOcean and Craig Murray Productions.

DHX MEDIA
Eric Ellenbogen has named CEO of Halifax, Nova Scotia-based global children’s content and brands company DHX Media. He had been co-president of NBCUniversal business unit Classic Media.

DISCOVERY
Donna MacLetchie was named general manager, programming, of the joint venture between Discovery and Fixer Upper stars Chip and Joanna Gaines. She comes from production company Jane Street Entertainment, which she co-founded in 2011.

42WEST
Entertainment PR agency 42West has tapped Jodie Magid Oriol as a vice president in its New York entertainment marketing division. She comes from agency PMK-BNC and was formerly senior VP, theatrical publicity at Lionsgate.

NICKELODEON
Angelique Yen has joined Nickelodeon as senior vice president, physical production, Nickelodeon Movies, overseeing production for all original long-form movie content including TV movies and SVOD. She comes from DreamWorks Animation.

NORTHLAND
Northland Communications, parent of Eagle Communications and Vyve Broadband, has named Andy Parrott as chief operating officer. He was senior VP of operations, technical services division at Altice USA.

***

Also at Discovery, Julie Morris was named senior VP, brand strategy and operations at the Gaines joint venture. She had been VP, brand research and strategy for HGTV, Food Network and Travel Channel. And John Marsicano, who led publicity efforts for Chip and Joanna Gaines’s Magnolia home lifestyle brand, will lead the venture’s publicity and communications strategy. … Nickelodeon also tapped Eddie Gamarra as vice president, studio business development, in charge of developing animated and live-action content for SVOD platforms and third party players. He was a literary manager at The Gotham Group. And Eryk Casemiro was named senior vice president of Nickelodeon Preschool. He will continue as executive producer of the network’s Rugrats reboot. … Anthony DiClemente was named executive vice president of investor relations of ViacomCBS, a role he will assume when the media companies’ merger is completed by year-end. DiClemente is currently EVP of investor relations at CBS.

AMC NETWORKS
Kim Kelleher was named president of advertising sales and partnerships at AMC Networks in New York. She comes from publisher Condé Nast, where she had served as chief brand officer.

AT&T
John Stankey was elevated to president and chief operating officer of AT&T, a new post reporting to chairman and CEO Randall Stephenson. He will continue to serve as CEO of its WarnerMedia unit.

IMAGINE
Rich Battista has been named CEO of Beverly Hills, California-based Imagine Media. He comes from Time Inc., where he served as president and CEO prior to the publisher’s sale to Meredith Corp.

MEDIAMATH
New York-based ad technology company MediaMath has named Konrad Gerszke as president. He most recently served as group president of Nielsen Lead Markets, the ratings company’s largest division with $2.2 billion in revenue.

NICKELODEON
Ashley Kaplan has joined Nickelodeon as Burbank, California-based senior vice president, digital studios. She was senior VP, creative and production, at Fullscreen Media, overseeing ongoing production and development of premium content.

VIACOMCBS
Julia Phelps was named executive vice president, chief communications and corporate marketing officer at ViacomCBS, effective at the close of the companies’ merger. She was Viacom’s executive VP, communications, culture and marketing.

Imagine Entertainment named veteran executive Rich Battista as CEO.

Imagine, headed by Brian Grazer and Ron Howard, said they are counting on Battista to build upon the company’s growth and expansion strategy.

Before joining Imagine, Battista was CEO of Time Inc. as it was sold to Meredith.

Before Time Inc., Battista was CEO of Mandalay Sports.

Earlier in his career Battista held a number of management jobs at Fox, including president of Fox’s national cable networks. He was also CEO of Gemstar-TV Guide.

Sports streaming service FuboTV has named Geir Magnusson Jr. chief technology officer.

Magnusson, previously co-founder and CTO of Sourcepoint Technologies, will be based in New York and report to David Gandler, co-founder and CEO of FuboTV.

He succeeds Jason Solinsky.

FuboTV last week announced that it has launched 4K HDR ahead of other rival streaming services. Also, after several months of testing, fuboTV launched dynamic ad insertion in January.

Related: FuboTV Preps 4K Beta

The company plans to double its engineering team under Magnusson over the next few months to accelerate tech development and operations. 

The vMVPD said it expects Geir to play a significant role in rolling out future, patent-pending technologies.

Related: FuboTV Adds Discovery Features Ahead of World Cup

“We are delighted to welcome aboard Geir," Gandler said. "He has a strong track record of scaling complex global platforms and a proven ability to guide transformation at leading tech companies.

“Although only three years old, fuboTV is an industry leader in delivering new and innovative live video technology and features to the virtual Pay TV space,” Gandler added. "We believe Geir’s expertise and passion for innovation will ensure we maintain our leadership position as we deliver to consumers a next-generation live OTT experience."

Before Sourcepoint, Magnusson was CTO at AppNexus, Gilt Groupe, 10gen, Joost Technologies, Intel and Bloomberg.

ESPN said Christine Driessen, its executive vice president and chief financial officer and one of the most prominent women executives in TV sports, will retire in January 2019.

"As you all know, Christine’s career is one of great accomplishment," ESPN president James Pitaro said in a note to employees announcing the move. "When she started with the company as its Controller in 1985, ESPN was a mere 450 employees, two buildings joined by a catwalk and a small offering of sports content. Today, ESPN represents the most preeminent brand in sports media entertainment, and Christine has played a major role in this growth story."

Driessen, who also is the longest serving member of ESPN's board of directors, made the decision months ago, Pitaro said.

A Multichannel News Wonder Woman (class of 2006) and a Women in Cable Telecommunications Woman of the Year (2014), Driessen was named ESPN's CFO in 1994. She will step down from day-to-day duties on July 1 and become an adviser to Pitaro, who succeeded former ESPN president John Skipper in March. 

"She has helped guide every significant business decision and every major negotiation (domestically and internationally) in which the company has engaged," Pitaro noted. "Christine’s keen financial acumen and business judgment are rivaled only by her boundless energy, humanity and courage. She has worked fiercely to grow and develop the members of her team, champion the cause of diversity and inclusion, and graciously serve as an example and sponsor for hundreds of women at ESPN, Disney, Hearst and companies throughout the media and sports industries." 

Merger talks between CBS and Viacom could hinge on who gets selected to take the No. 2 spot at the company behind expected head honcho Les Moonves, according to a CNBC report.

CNBC’s David Faber said that Moonves’ choice for the No. 2 executive slot – current CBS chief operating officer Joseph Ianniello – differs from the pick of top shareholder and vice chair Shari Redstone. According to Faber, Redstone wants current Viacom CEO Bob Bakish to take the No. 2 spot.

Ianniello has been a long-time favorite of CBS chair and CEO Moonves – he was chief financial officer for four years (2009-2013) before being named COO in 2013, and he has a stellar reputation as a deal maker and savvy business executive, having first joined CBS as a VP in 2000 from accounting firm KPMG. Ianniello has long been considered to be Moonves’ replacement when he eventually retires, and the COO has a clause in his employment deal that would pay him $70 million if he is no longer Moonves’ top lieutenant. Bakish apparently has a similar clause in his employment deal but the amount was not immediately known.

Earlier reports have said that CBS is planning a low-ball offer for a Viacom deal, proposing an all-stock offer that would value Viacom below its current market price. Faber said in his report earlier today that there is still a possibility CBS could offer an at or above market price for Viacom.

Investors, at least for the moment, appear to be favoring CBS’ stance, driving the stock up 2% ($1.11 each) to $51.82 per share in early trading. Viacom shares were down 3.4% ($1.04 each) to $29.51 per share in early trading.

Nancy Dubuc, stepping down as CEO of A+E Networks, is becoming CEO of Vice Media, succeeding founder Shane Smith.

Smith will become executive chairman of Vice, which has been challenged by disappointing revenue growth and accusations that women who work there have been subject to sexual harassment.

Under Dubuc, A+E was one of a handful of traditional media companies that invested in Vice. A+E also formed a joint venture with Vice to create the Viceland cable network, which is aimed at younger viewers.

Related: Nancy Dubuc to Leave A+E Networks

"Shane and the team at Vice have done what all of us aspire to do - build a brand and make content that people really care about,” said Dubuc. "Vice speaks to a generation that defines today’s cultural conversation, and the opportunity to partner with all of the incredibly creative people across the entire company was one of those rare moments in a career.”

Dubuc had been a candidate to run Amazon Studios, succeeding Roy Price, who departed amid sexual harassment claims.

She was also negotiating a new contract with A+E’s owners, Hearst and the Walt Disney Co., and those talks broke down.

Smith said that in his new role he would focus on strategic deals and content development.

Dubuc gives Vice an experienced chief executive with a proven record of running a media company and producing and distributing programming.

“Why Nancy Dubuc? Simply put, because rarely in business do you get to work in a perfect partnership,” said Smith.

“First off, she is better than me at everything," he added. "Second, it allows me to move to executive chairman, where I can concentrate on the only things that I am good at - content and deals. Thirdly, as we go forward Vice needs a best-in-class management team to harness all of this growth and control our own destiny, whether it be staying independent, strategically partnering with someone or going public.,” Smith added. “Lastly, I get to work with one of my best friends and media heroes. We are a modern day Bonnie and Clyde, and we are going to take all your money.”

Here is a memo Smith sent to Vice staffers:

As many of you have read, I have been in discussions with my friend, my partner, and board member Nancy Dubuc, to join the VICE family and become my successor as CEO.

While we tried our damnedest to have everything signed, sealed and delivered before sharing it with you and with the rest of the world, we seemingly can’t take a crap in this town without it leaking to the press.
Of course, as the bellwether for the modern media age, we should be no stranger to the rumors and speculation.

Today we put this speculation to rest and turn our focus toward executing our growth plans to maintain our hegemonic place atop the new media landscape which, in turn, will give us the ability to control our own destiny.

As founders, we take pride in the fact that we built an institution with some level of permanence, and while VICE has a strong foundation for the future, we realize that we need help for the next phase of our growth. We need to surround ourselves with the right people so our company, and our thousands of employees globally, can flourish.

In looking for a professional CEO, we are in need of one who can master; the content world, the digital world, the business world, and who is at the same time an operator extraordinaire. These people are obviously few and far between, but I believe we have found the absolute best in class with Nancy.

Nancy and I have spent much time deliberating on the best way for us to partner up in a shared mission of maximizing the great potential this company holds. She believes in VICE, she believes in our mission, and she believes in all of you.

Nancy has clearly proven herself with her stewardship of A&E Networks. As a partner, she’s helped grow VICELAND internationally and into the second fastest growing network in all of US cable among our audience.

Since joining our board, Nancy has been a trusted confidante whose every recommendation is driven by making the best programming possible. She has the rare combination of business and content chops, and an unparalleled record in running the daily operations of a sprawling global media company like our own.

A lot of people have been asking me what this means for me personally. Well, I have always said that I am good at two things, 1) creating content and 2) making deals, so that’s what I’m going to do. I will focus my energy on raising the bar for our content, and will serve as Executive Chairman of the Board.

Again, as I always say “I’Union fait la Force” or “together we are stronger.” This marks a new period in VICE’s history that will make us infinitely stronger. Nancy will run the company day to day from New York and we will work lock step with our partners, management, employees and board in making sure that VICE maintains its position as the leader of new media, and delivers on its commitment to 50/50 by 2020 as we work to become the most progressive workplace in the world.

This Friday we will be hosting a town hall in Brooklyn to welcome Nancy and introduce her to all of you. I hope that you will welcome her to the company with the same enthusiasm and open arms that I have.

Love S

The Walt Disney Co. on Monday (March 5) named James Pitaro as president of ESPN and co-chair Disney Media Networks.

Pitaro has been chair of Disney Consumer Products and Interactive Media since 2016.

Related: CNN’s Zucker a Candidate for ESPN Job: Reports

He replaces John Skipper, who stepped down last year because of personal issues. Since Skipper left, former ESPN chair George Bodenheimer has been running the sports network as acting chairman.

Though a leader in the sports business and a top rated network, ESPN has been hurt by the decline in pay-tv subscribers because it takes in the most revenue per subscriber of any cable network. At the same time as its distribution revenue growth has been throttled by cord-cutting, its costs for sports programming have been rising, putting pressure on profits.

ESPN is getting ready to launch a new app that will include ESPN Plus, a new subscription product that will offer live sporting events, origianl content and a library of on-demand programming.

Related | broadcastingcable.com: ESPN Plus Service Will Cost $4.99 Per Month

“As a passionate and lifelong sports fan, I am honored to be joining the ESPN team during such a pivotal time in its storied history,” Pitaro said. “The appetite for quality sports content across platforms has never been greater, and I am looking forward to working with the talented ESPN team as we continue to redefine the future fan experience.”

Pitaro’s appointment is effective immediately, and new leadership for Disney’s consumer products and interactive businesses will be named at a later date.

Before joining Disney, Pitaro served as head of Yahoo Media, where he helped build Yanoo Sports.

Disney CEO Bob Iger said that Pitaro's experence makes him the right person to head ESPN.

"Jimmy is a talented and dedicated leader with the right strategic vision, relentless drive and passion for sports required to lead the stellar ESPN team at this incredibly dynamic time," Iger said. "Jimmy forged his career at the intersection of technology, sports and media, and his vast experience and keen perspective will be invaluable in taking ESPN into the future. I also want to extend my utmost thanks to George Bodenheimer for serving as Acting Chair of ESPN these past few months; he is a true industry pioneer and helped make ESPN the undisputed leader in sports."

Discovery Communications, cleared to acquire Scripps Networks Interactive, on Thursday (March 1) announced new management for the combined company.

Among the top Scripps execs taking prominent roles are Jon Steinlauf, who will be chief U.S. advertising sales officer. Ben Price, currently president of U.S. ad sales for Discovery, will report to Steinlauf, along with Leigh Anne Brodsky, currently executive VP of Discovery Global Enterprises.

Scripps’s programming chief, Kathleen Finch, will become chief lifestyle brand officer for the combined company with oversight of HGTV, Food Network, TLC, ID, Travel Channel, DIY Network, Cooking Channel, Discovery Life, American Heroes Channel, Destination America, Great American Country and Lifestyle Digital Studios in the U.S.

Related: Discovery to Shut Down Maryland HQ, Move to New York

Henry Schleiff will continue as group president for ID, Destination America and American Heroes Channel. Howard Lee, currently executive VP, development & production for TLC and general manager of Discovery Life, will be the new president and GM for TLC and Discovery Life, effective immediately. Both Schleiff and Lee will report to Finch upon closing of the transaction.

Nancy Daniels, currently president of TLC, will assume the new role of Chief Brand Officer, Discovery & Factual, effective immediately. Daniels will lead all aspects of the Discovery Channel and Science Channel brands. Rich Ross, currently group president of Discovery Channel and Science Channel, will be leaving the company.

“Today’s announcement is another major milestone in combining these two fantastic companies into a new kind of media company with the most trusted portfolio of real life entertainment brands in the world,” said David Zaslav, president and CEO, Discovery Communications. “Upon closing, each division will have a best-in-class leader focused on quickly integrating the combined teams to create new ways for advertisers and distributors to reach highly targeted audiences at scale; capturing operating efficiencies across both companies; and driving innovation to continue telling great stories and nourishing our passionate, loyal superfans around the world across every consumer screen, service and platform.”

Related | broadcastingcable.com: Scripps Networks Interactive Has Higher 4th Quarter Profit

Other executives who will be reporting to Zaslav include:

Gunnar Wiedenfels, currently Discovery’s CFO, who will be CFO for the combined company.

Jean-Briac Perrette, currently president and CEO of Discovery Networks International, will continue in that role for the combined company.

Bruce Campbell, currently chief development, distribution and legal officer for Discovery, will continue in that role. Leading the combined company’s linear, non-linear and mobile distribution efforts in the U.S. & Canada will be Eric Phillips, president, affiliate distribution, reporting to Campbell. Discovery’s General Counsel, Savalle Sims, will retain that role for the combined company, also reporting to Campbell.

Adria Alpert Romm, currently serving as Chief Human Resources and Global Diversity Officer for Discovery, will continue in that role for the combined company.

Susanna Dinnage, currently serving as Global President of the Animal Planet network in the U.S. and Animal Planet brand worldwide, will continue in that role.

Erik Logan, currently serving as president of OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network, will continue in that role and report to the OWN Venture board of directors.

Karen Leever, currently serving as executive VP and GM, Digital Media U.S., and Mike Lang, currently serving as president, Discovery Networks International Digital & CEO TEN/MotorTrend, will continue in those roles for the new company reporting to Zaslav.

Current Scripps Networks executives not assuming roles in the company going forward will participate in the integration process following the deal's close to ensure a smooth transition of responsibilities, Discovery said.

Comcast confirmed that Dan Herscovici, the former SVP and GM of Xfinity Home, has left the company.

Comcast didn’t elaborate on Herscovici’s exit from the company, which happened earlier this month, but also confirmed that Dennis Mathew, who has held roles such as president, wholesale and VP of new business at Comcast, now leads the Xfinity Home business and reports to Matt Strauss, EVP of Xfinity Services at Comcast Cable.

The Philadelphia Business Journal first reported that Herscovici had left Comcast.

Herscovici was with Comcast for more than 10 years in exec roles that included VP of new business and VP of the MSO’s high-speed internet services, and was a key player in the rollout of Xfinity WiFi. Prior to Comcast, Herscovici was a product and operations exec with Motorola.

Under Herscovici, Xfinity Home, Comcast’s home automation and security service, grew to about 1.1 million subscribers and expanded its ecosystem of third-party product support via its "Works With Xfinity Home" program. During his tenure, Comcast also deepened its expertise in home security technology and services via the acquisition of a piece of Icontrol. Comcast has since rebranded that as Xfinity Home Wholesale. 

RELATED: Why Comcast Is Buying Icontrol

Herscovici’s departure also comes amid a shift and broadening of Comcast’s service and technology strategies involving the smart home and home automation.

For example, Comcast last month announced that it had extended home automation services and functionality to more than 15 million customers, centered on the company’s xFi Wireless Gateway and the xFi Advanced Wireless Gateway, along with plans to extend those capabilities across multiple services, including X1, Xfinity Home, Xfinity Mobile and xFi, its new home WiFi management service.

RELATED: Comcast Scales Home Automation Services to 15M Subs

Oversight of those automation-facing functions has been moved to Eric Schaefer, SVP and GM, communications, data and mobility, Comcast Cable; and Patti Loyack, the company’s VP of IP services.

ESPN and The Walt Disney Co. will be busy over the next few months sifting through candidates to replace former ESPN president John Skipper, who abruptly resigned Monday due to what he said in a statement was a “substance addiction.”

While former ESPN chief George Bodenheimer will step into an interim role to help run the network, assist in the search for a replacement and help in the transition, Skipper’s decision comes days after Disney announced a $66.1 billion purchase of assets from 21st Century Fox – including regional sports networks – and roughly three months before the planned launch of its direct-to-consumer offering ESPN Plus.

With those milestones looming, Skipper’s replacement will have to possess a number of talents. Not only will he or she have to be a savvy negotiator – ESPN has said about 50% of its pay TV carriage comes up for renewal before 2020, including deals with Verizon at the end of 2018 and Charter in mid-2020 – but will also have to have experience in launching digital offerings as well as figure out how to stop the bleeding with traditional pay TV distributors.

ESPN has a history of looking within for its top executives – Skipper was a 20-year veteran of the network and Bodenheimer famously started out as an intern at the channel when he was in college (as a driver for NBA color man Dick Vitale). Here are a few possibilities, in  no particular order, according to reports and conversations with industry executives:

* Exec VP/Affiliate Sales & Marketing Justin Connolly. Connolly oversaw ESPN’s more recent renewal – with Altice USA – that was largely considered a win-win for both participants (Altice was allowed to shed ESPN Classic while ESPN got bigger minimum carriage guarantees). Connolly is well regarded in the company and has had several roles – he launched SEC Network and has key affiliate sales experience.

* ESPN EVP, Content Connor Schell is executive producer and co-creator of ESPN’s Emmy, Oscar and Peabody Award-winning documentary series 30 for 30 and served as producer and executive producer for its Oscar winning documentary film, OJ in America.

* EVP and Managing Director of ESPN International Russell Wolff has been with the company since 1997 and with Disney expected to gain control of European satellite company Sky as part of the Fox deal, his expertise could be key. 

* ESPN EVP programming and scheduling Burke Magnus could also be among those internal candidates considered – among his duties is the oversight of recently acquired BAMTech, the engine for ESPN’s and Disney’s direct-to-consumer offerings.

* On the Disney side of the house, Senior Exec VP/Chief Strategy Officer Kevin Mayer (where since 2005 his team has been tasked with finding and developing new business models and technologies) and Disney Consumer Products chairman James Pitaro (who also served a stint as president of Disney Interactive, where he turned around the digital operation) are two names that have been mentioned.

* Former ESPN executive Sean Bratches, now Formula 1 managing director of commercial operations, could possibly be lured back to the fold, as could NBC Sports Regional Networks PresidentDavid Preschlack, but sources say that is a bit of a longshot.

* At least two women could be considered for Skipper’s role, including Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg – who some say was being considered to replace Disney chairman and CEO Bob Iger when he retires -- and ESPN EVP and chief financial officer Christine Driessen. Driessen has been with the sports network since 1985 and leads the team that has played key roles in obtaining multimedia rights for Major League Baseball, Monday Night Football and many other major sports.  

As he tries to turn around Viacom, CEO Bob Bakish has named Jose Tolosa as chief transformation officer.

Tolosa had been chief operating officer of Viacom International Networks, where he worked closely with Bakish before Bakish was elevated to CEO last year.

Related: Viacom Reports Higher Fourth-Quarter Earnings

In his new job, Tolosa will oversee a team responsible for developing and executing the company’s strategic priorities.

"Jose brings to this new role a strategic and global perspective and unmatched insights into Viacom's business,” Bakish said. “At VIMN, he played an instrumental role in evolving our international media business, including the launch of our highly successful Play Plex mobile apps and their ongoing expansion to the U.S. As chief transformation officer, Jose will build on this strong track record by ensuring we are aligning our operations to meet our goals and best position Viacom for the future."

Tolosa joined Viacom in 2008 and held a number of positions at Viacom’s international division.

Paul Guyardo, Discovery Communications's chief commercial officer, will be terminating his employment with the company to pursue other opportunities, effective Dec. 31, the programmer said.

Guyardo previously had been with DirecTV and was a key to Discovery getting into direct-to-consumer and over-the-top businesses.

Related: Discovery Puts Numbers on Direct-to-Consumer Business

Discovery will be treating Guyardo’s resignation as a termination without cause under his employment agreement, the company said in an SEC filing Thursday (Nov. 16).

The company said Guyardo has agreed to effectuate a smooth transition of his responsibilities, which will be allocated across existing leadership at the company, which is in the process of acquiring Scripps Networks Interactive.

Discovery said it does not plan to appoint another chief commercial officer in the near future.

Verizon Communications said it has hired Rima Qureshi, the former president and CEO of Ericsson North America, as executive vice president and chief strategy officer.

Qureshi, who starts that job effective Nov. 6, will succeed Roy Chestnutt, who had previously announced plans to pursue interests outside Verizon and is expected to leave the company by year-end. Chestnutt had joined Verizon in 2011 from Motorola.

Qureshi will report to Verizon chair and CEO Lowell McAdam, and will take over responsibility for development and implementation of Verizon's overall corporate strategy, including business development and strategic investments, the company said.

Prior to becoming president and CEO of Ericsson North America in 2016, Qureshi was Ericsson's chief strategy officer and head of M&A.

Qureshi, who joined Ericsson in 1993, is currently on the board of MasterCard Inc. and Great West Lifco. She earned her undergraduate and master's degrees from McGill University in Montreal.

"We thank Roy for his leadership and strategic focus, which have helped transform Verizon into a major player in next-generation markets," McAdam said, in a statement. “The addition of Rima is another game-changer for Verizon. She's a visionary leader, with a global perspective and a thorough understanding of our industry and where it's headed."

Mediacom Communications said Tuesday it has promoted Barry Paden to senior vice president of programming, the first in a series of key promotions at the mid-sized cable operator.

In his new position, Paden, who had been group vice president of programming, will continue to negotiate programming and retransmission consent agreements on behalf of Mediacom. He will also focus on securing media rights for strategic multiplatform initiatives, including video-on-demand and out-of-home authenticated TV Everywhere content. Paden began his career in the cable industry in 1988 with Multivision Cable TV, and joined Mediacom as director of programming in 1999.

In addition, Mediacom said it promoted vice president of internal audit Louis Gentile to group vice president of internal audit, where he will take on a principal role in providing internal audit compliance and other field audit activities for the company. He began his career in the cable industry in 1989 as an internal auditor with Multivision Cable TV, and joined Mediacom in 1998 as business manager of the Gulf Coast Region.

Mediacom also upped Mary Green from senior director of internal audit to vice president of internal audit. In this role, she will oversee the Sarbanes Oxley related audits conducted by Mediacom as well as the operational audits the company performs at its 100+ business office locations throughout the country. She entered the cable industry in 1989 as a manager trainee with Tele-Communications, Inc., and joined Mediacom in 2005 as a senior manager of internal audit.

Joseph Michulski has been promoted from senior director of finance to vice president of finance and will continue to play a major role in administering the company’s 401(k) plan, overseeing medical benefit expenditures and purchasing corporate insurance among other responsibilities. Michulski began his career in the cable industry in 2000 as a financial analyst with Mediacom.

Debra Zullo has been promoted from senior director of IT to vice president of IT where she will lead the LINUX system engineering and Oracle database administrative teams. In this role, she will work with both internal and external groups on new system and data requirements as well as design, implementation, testing, validation and automation. Zullo began her career in the communications industry in 1994 with AT&T, and joined Mediacom in 2005 as senior manager of system engineering.

Pop network has named industry veteran and former Pivot general manager Kent Rees as its new chief marketing officer, the company announced Thursday.

In the newly created position, Rees will oversee the CBS/Lionsgate-owned cable network's brand strategy, creative and research in addition to consumer, ad sales and affiliate marketing duties, said network officials. Rees, who will report to Pop president Brad Schwartz, will also lead Pop’s digital business.

Rees was most recently general manager of the now defunct Pivot cable network where he oversaw the launch of such series as Please Like Me, Fortitude and Hit Record on TV. Prior to Pivot, Rees was head of marketing for Bedrocket Media Ventures, where he led brand and digital marketing for a series of YouTube channels.

“It is rare that you get to add such an accomplished media crusader, brand-builder and digital innovator to your executive team,” said Schwartz in a statement. “Kent has a demonstrated track record of building disruptive channels, break-through multi-platform brands and award-winning creative. As we leap from emerging network to prominent media brand, there is truly nobody better to help get us there. We are lucky to have him join our extraordinary team.”

Added Rees: “I am really excited to join Pop at this moment in time. It’s a fast-growing network with a lot of momentum already built. I look forward to accelerating the brand and digital growth as we prepare for a terrific slate of original programming in the near future. I love the energy that Pop brings to the brand and the viewer experience. It’s just a blast to watch.”

Univision Communications announced that Steve Mandala will become president of advertising sales and marketing, succeeding Keith Turner, who recently announced plans to retire at the end of the year.

Mandala, who had been executive vice president for sales at Univision, will report to Tonia O’Connor, who earlier this week was named to the new position of chief revenue officer.

“Steve is an exceptional media industry leader whose reputation for being effectual and original precedes him,” O’Connor. said “His unique sales and marketing acumen and strong leadership have been instrumental in delivering UCI’s engaged audiences to our advertising partners across the portfolio. We are delighted to have Steve at the helm of our sales team to continue to foster existing relationships as well as introduce new ones to UCI.”

Mandala will oversee advertising sales and marketing for Univision’s array of media offerings, including the Univision Network, UniMás, UCI’s cable networks including Galavisión and UDN (Univision Deportes Network), as well as Local Media and Digital. As he transitions into the role, he will work closely with Turner.

“I am honored to lead our remarkable UCI Advertising Sales and Marketing team as our industry and our company continue to rapidly evolve,” Mandala said. “I have the utmost respect for the company’s ubiquitous, valuable brand and the service it renders to our growing audiences. As the industry continues to evolve and diverse audiences, including U.S. Hispanics, influence our country and culture, UCI will provide unparalleled experiences for advertisers to interact with these consumers.”

Mandala had been executive VP of cable entertainment ad sales at NBCUniversal before rejoining Univision in 2012.

Turner has named Richard Warren president of Turner Content Distribution, replacing Coleman Breland who remains president of Turner Classic Movies and FilmStruck while taking on a new role as head of content experiences. Both execs are based in Atlanta and will report to Turner president David Levy.

Warren, in his new role, will oversee all brand distribution, affiliate marketing, interactive television and business development for Turner's 10 domestic entertainment, news and kids networks as well as continued oversight of TCD’s strategic planning, business operations, and legal and business affairs. Previously, he served as executive vice president of content negotiations & strategy and associate general counsel, where he led the company’s efforts in structuring and negotiating Turner’s linear and digital content agreements with its distribution partners, as well as oversaw the strategic planning, operations, distribution technology and TCD legal and business affairs teams.

“Rich is a tremendous leader and has played an integral role in the growth and success of Turner’s content distribution division for the past 17 years,” Levy said in a statement “I have tremendous respect for Rich and I’m confident his extensive experience in the distribution space, and his relationships in the industry, as well as his strong and strategic deal-making abilities, will steer Turner to continued growth in the distribution space.”

In the newly created positon of president, content experiences, Breland will lead a cross-functional, company-wide initiative to explore new content strategies for business models both inside and outside traditional TV. Breland will work with business leaders across the company to develop an approach for the company’s content portfolio that reflects rapidly shifting consumption behaviors, technology advancements, set-top-box evolution and disruption. He will remain responsible for oversight of TCM and FilmStruck, including the development of new distribution opportunities, digital brand extensions, e-commerce and direct-to-consumer engagement opportunities for both brands.

“For more than 23 years, Coleman has played a vital role in the growth and success of Turner, leading one of the industry’s most dynamic and creative divisions and, together, they have delivered outstanding results for our partners and company,” Levy said in a statement. “There is simply no one better than Coleman to lead this new effort in developing innovative content-driven strategies and initiatives for our company so we can remain agile, keep our competitive edge, and be poised for success in the future.”

Johanna Fuentes, who was senior vice president of corporate communications at Showtime, has been named executive VP, the company’s top communications post.

She will succeed Trisha Cardoso, who is leaving Showtime in June to become president and chief giving officer of the Chuck Lorre Family Foundation.

Fuentes, an MCN "40 Under 40" honoree in 2015, will report to David Nevins, president and CEO, Showtime Networks, and Gil Schwartz, senior executive VP and chief communications officer, CBS Corp.

She will be responsible for “the strategic planning and execution of all global public and media relations initiatives enhancing the corporate and programming interests for Showtime Networks and Smithsonian Channel,” according to Showtime. She will oversee programming publicity, media and talent relations, events, photography, sports and corporate branding. Fuentes will also supervise all corporate and business press outreach and be the company’s communications liaison with parent CBS Corporation.

Fuentes will relocate to Showtime's West Coast office.

“Johanna is one of the smartest people in our business and the epitome of dedication to her work,” Nevins said. “She understands not only Showtime but the entire industry inside and out, navigating the complex world of communications with both nuance and clarity, not to mention good humor. With her extensive and diverse experience, she is perfectly positioned to drive our communications strategy forward as our business grows into the future.”

Fuentes joined Showtime in 2010. Previously, she was VP of communications at Bravo. Fuentes also spent six years at CBS, with a hand in entertainment communications.

Update: Kelly Kahl Named CBS Entertainment President

Glenn Geller, CBS Entertainment president, is leaving the network.

CBS said Geller, who Geller stepped into his role in September 2015, succeeding Nina Tassler, “advised” the network that he is stepping down. The two parties are in discussion over a production deal with CBS Television Studios.

Geller joined CBS in 2001 as director and vice president of current programming. He had been executive vice president of current programming for CBS Entertainment and CBS Television Studios before moving up to the entertainment president’s post.

Geller went out on medical leave in March following a mild heart attack and was due back on the job in late May.

Read more at broadcastingcable.com.

David Diederich has been promoted to senior vice president, national ad sales at WGN America, from VP, ad sales and brand partnerships, Western region.

He will oversee national ad sales, based in Los Angeles. He will report to David Rotem, executive VP, ad sales, for WGN America.

“David is a talented leader within the ad sales and marketing organization and we are fortunate to have his vision and creativity as we continue to build something very special at WGN America,” Rotem said. “His role has grown in concert with the ascension of our network and we thrilled that he will continue to help lead this team.”

Tribune Media’s WGN America is in 80 million homes and airs such original series as Outsiders, Underground and Salem.

Before joining Tribune, Diederich was local sales manager at KCBS-TV Los Angeles.

Univision has tapped former Comedy Central International global production and development chief Lourdes Dias as president of the Univision Entertainment division.

Diaz started in her new Los Angeles-based role on Nov. 1, reporting to Univision chief news, entertainment and digital officer Isaac Lee. The Miami native was responsible for commissioning all scripted and non-scripted productions at Comedy Central International and was the executive producer of such international scripted series as I Live with Models, Brotherhood, Medics and Wasteman.

Adrian Santucho has also joined the programmer as Miami-based executive vice president of Univision Studios, reporting to Diaz. Santucho was most recently CEO of FremantleMedia Latin America, a global content company that creates such competition series as Univision’s La Banda and 100 Lations Dijeron, the Family Feud adaptation airing on soon-to-close network MundoMax (and predecessor MundoFox).

“With over 20 years of experience, Lourdes has a proven track record of curating fresh and exciting new programming that attracts diverse audiences,” Lee said in statement. “At the same time, Adrian’s extensive experience in development, direction and production will be extremely valuable as we look to further strengthen our in-house production capabilities and develop new multi-genre content and original productions through Univision Studios. Together, the two have deep industry insights and are the ideal executives for these critical roles. We’re pleased to have Lourdes and Adrian as part of the team.”

Before joining Comedy Central, Diaz had been vice president of primetime Programming for NBCUniversal Media, overseeing comedy and drama series. She began her career in 1993 as a motion picture agent for ICM.

Prior to joining FremantleMedia in 2013, Santucho spent more than a decade with reality TV programming innovator Endemol, serving in various senior production and development roles for Endemol USA Latino, Endemol Mexico and Endemol Argentina.

Crown Media Family Networks, parent of Hallmark Channel and Hallmark Movies & Mysteries, said Deanne R. Stedem will succeed longtime executive vice president of business affairs and general counsel Charlie Stanford, who is retiring after 17 years at the company, in that role.

Stedem joins from Crown Media's parent company, Hallmark Cards Inc., will report to Crown Media CEO Bill Abbott and is based in Kansas City, Mo. 

“Charlie is one of the most well-liked and respected people in entertainment. His integrity, keen insights, and knowledge of the industry have been instrumental in establishing and guiding our business from the very beginning,” Abbott said in a release. “As an integral member of the Crown Media family, he will be deeply missed and we wish him the best of luck as he embarks on this new chapter in his life.”

“Deanne, a former member of Crown Media Family Networks’ Board of Directors, already knows our business inside and out,” Abbott said in the release. “Her extensive legal expertise and strategic mind will be central to the continued growth of our business well into the future and it is with great pleasure that we welcome her to Crown Media.”

In her new role, Stedem will have responsibility for all aspects of the company’s legal and business affairs, as well as distribution, Crown Media said.

The programmer also said Mark J. Kern is back at the company in a newly recreated role of senior vice president, corporate communications & media relations, charged with strategic oversight of all aspects of corporate communications and program publicity. In addition to serving previously at Crown Media he had held senior executive positions at Discovery Communications’ joint venture, Hub TV Network, and at Fox Broadcasting Co. He will be based in Studio City, Calif., and report jointly to Susanne McAvoy, EVP, marketing, creative & communications and Michelle Vicary, EVP, programming & network publicity.

“While both our networks continue to grow, increasing the visibility of our company among consumers and within the industry is crucial to the continued success of our ratings and bottom line,” Abbott said in the release. “Mark’s creativity, understanding of the business, and strong leadership will play an important role in further raising awareness of Crown Media during this exciting and pivotal time in our history.”