CBS STUDIOS
Kristen Hall has rejoined CBS Studios in Los Angeles as executive VP of communications, overseeing all publicity and communications strategies. She returns after four years at Amazon Studios/Prime Video, where she was director of original series publicity. 

COMCAST
Michael Slovin was named VP and general manager of Comcast Smart Solutions, based in Philadelphia and tasked with overseeing integration of the cable company’s advanced connectivity options with leading smart technology partners. He was VP, national field sales. 

COMMON SENSE MEDIA
Sharon Kroll Cohen advanced to chief marketing officer at Common Sense Networks in Los Angeles, parent of kids’ streaming service Sensical. Formerly VP, marketing, she joined the company in December 2021 from Nickelodeon, where she had been EVP. 

THE CW
The CW Network has appointed Rebekah Dopp as executive VP of distribution, strategy and affiliate relations. The former CBS and HBO affiliate relations executive was most recently global head of diversity, equity and inclusion, brand and reputation at Google. 

FOX
Cheryl Dolins was named senior VP, comedy programming and development at Fox Entertainment, based in Los Angeles. She was senior VP, comedy development at 20th Television, leading the development of all studio comedies for streaming, broadcast and cable.  

GRAY TELEVISION
Gray Television has elevated Jaime Sayre Kawaja to general manager/general sales manager of Fox affiliate WFLX West Palm Beach, Florida. She had been general sales manager at Gray-owned CBS station WKYT Lexington, Kentucky. 

HALLMARK MEDIA
John Matts joined Hallmark Media as chief financial officer, based in New York and reporting to president and CEO Wonya Lucas. Most recently CFO of Golf Channel, he also held financial leadership posts with NBCUniversal in the broader NBC Sports Group and at NBC News. 

HALLMARK MEDIA
Hallmark Media added Alice Rao as senior VP, publicity, based in Los Angeles. She was a communications and publicity consultant working with Netflix, HBO Max, Turner Networks and MRC Media on series such as Stranger Things, Emily in Paris, Russian Doll and The Upshaws. 

HEARTLAND VIDEO 
Heartland Video Systems named Alex Hudgins as Middle Atlantic regional sales manager. He comes from Videndum Production Solutions, where he handled Midwest and Southeast accounts for brands such as Vinten, Sachtler, Autoscript, Anton Bauer, Litepanels and Quasar Science.

NICKELODEON
Makeda Mays Green was elevated to senior VP, cultural and consumer insights at Nickelodeon, based in New York. An 11-year veteran of the network, she is the
former director of education and research, digital media, at Sesame Workshop. 

NICKELODEON 
Nickelodeon promoted Andrea Strauss to senior VP, content and brand insights, adding oversight of the West Coast insights group to her duties. A Nick veteran of more than two decades, she will continue to lead the brand, consumer insights and content insights teams. 

RELO METRICS
Jay Prasad, a veteran ad technology and measurement executive, was named CEO of Relo Metrics, formerly known as GumGum Sports, which uses artificial intelligence to measure the value of sports sponsorships. Prasad was most recently LiveRamp’s chief strategy officer for TV.

SINCLAIR 
Valerie Koonce was named VP and general manager of Sinclair Broadcast Group’s stations in Boise, Idaho, CBS affiliate KBOI and The CW affiliate KYUU. She most recently was marketing sales manager at Sinclair’s KUTV Salt Lake City, Utah.

SINCLAIR 
Sinclair Broadcast Group also named John Manzi VP and general manager of KRCR (ABC), KRVU (MyNet) and KUCO (Univision) in Chico, California. He will also oversee Sinclair’s provision of services to KCVU (Fox). Manzi was VP/GM at Sinclair’s KSAS-KMTW in Wichita, Kansas.

STUDIO RAMSAY GLOBAL
Cyrus Farrokh has joined Studio Ramsay Global, the production company created by Gordon Ramsay and Fox Entertainment, as senior VP, strategy. He had been president, distribution at Propagate Content, where he launched international operations. 

TRULY ORIGINAL
Christy Coffey has joined Truly Original as VP, development and talent, overseeing casting and talent relations. She had been casting director with Big Fish Entertainment as well as with Netflix and Viacom, with credits including Teen Mom, The Hills and Martha Knows Best. 

WARNER BROS. DISCOVERY
Warner Bros. Discovery upped Marybeth Strobel to executive VP, advertising sales, responsible for Food Network, TLC, OWN, Cooking Channel, TBS Entertainment, Cartoon Network and WB Syndication. She had been at Warner Bros. Discovery Sports.

WSB
Cox Media Group-owned WSB Atlanta has elevated Brad Nitz to chief meteorologist and leader of Severe Weather Team 2. A meteorologist with the CBS station for 17 years, he has also worked for NBC News and at stations in Orlando and Jacksonville, Florida.  

Briefly Noted

Other industry executives making moves

Streaming technology provider Brightcove tapped Scott Levine as senior VP, head of product, based in New York. He was senior VP of product and technology at TelevisaUnivsion. … Ross Liberman has joined Hotwire Communications as senior VP of government affairs, based in Washington, D.C. He had served in the same role at ACA Connects.  … Camie Nicholas was named VP and general manager of Sinclair-owned Fox/MyNet affiliate KSAS in Wichita-Hutchinson, Kansas. She will also oversee Dabl station KMTW. She had been general sales manager of the stations. … The Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers (SMPTE) has elected its officers for 2023: Richard T. Jenkins of Warner Bros. Discovery, president; Richard Welsh of Deluxe Media, executive VP; Michael Zink of Warner Bros. Discovery, education VP; and Lisa Hobbs of MediaKind, secretary/treasurer, all for two-year terms. ▪️

WJLA Washington, the Sinclair Broadcast Group-owned ABC affiliate in the nation’s capital, has named Veronica Johnson as its new chief meteorologist, the first woman to hold the post in the station’s 75 years on the air.

Johnson has been WJLA's lead morning meteorologist since 2016 and has been reporting on the weather for over three decades.

Her resume includes stints at The Weather Channel and ABC-owned WABC New York, as well as E.W. Scripps’s WMAR Baltimore and NBC-owned WRC Washington.

She was also the meteorologist on the initial newscast for Sinclair’s WBFF Baltimore in 1991.

She is the past chair of the American Meteorological Society’s Board of Enterprise Communications and participated in then-Sen. Barack Obama’s Task Force on Climate Change in 2007.

The station has also promoted meteorologist Eileen Whelan to morning news meteorologist. She has been with the station since 2011. Whelan will continue to co-host lifestyle show Good Morning Washington. ▪️

Mike Pandzik, 77, former head of the National Content & Technology Cooperative (NCTC), has died, according to that group’s current CEO.

“I wanted to reach out to the NCTC member community and let you know we lost an incredible force this week. Mike Pandzik, former CEO of NCTC, passed away,” NCTC CEO Lou Borelli said. “Mike started in the early days of the cable industry and was the founding CEO of NCTC and served for the next 20 years.” 

“Mike Pandzik was a great leader in our industry, and his vision led to the creation of NCTC, which stands strong today for ACA Connects members,” said former ACA Connects president and CEO Matt Polka. “But more than that, Mike was a warm and welcoming friend to me and ACA Connects in our earliest days and every day thereafter, and I will always be grateful to him.”

Pandzik retired in 2005 from the group he launched from his living room office.

Recruited by the Mid-America Cable TV Association, Pandzik helped launch NCTC, then called the National Cable Television Cooperative, in 1984. NCTC represented about a dozen cable companies  with fewer than 110,000 subs at the time.

NCTC represents smaller operators in joint negotiations with programmers to help give them more bargaining power.

After service in the Navy, Pandzik started his career in TV in 1966 as a cameraman for the Nebraska Public Television. After graduate school, he transitioned to the cable side at Sunflower Cablevision in Lawrence, Kan.

He joined HBO in 1978 to head up sales and marketing in Kansas City, then moved to New York to head up new business development before being lured back to Kansas City and NCTC. ■

Comcast said chief financial officer Mike Cavanagh has been promoted to president, working with chairman and CEO Brian Roberts.

Cavanagh will remain as Comcast's CFO, a position he has held since joining the company seven years ago.

"Today's promotion will come as no surprise — Mike is admired and trusted by those who know and work with him," Roberts said. "Mike has brought incredible operational and financial expertise to Comcast and is an integral part of our special company. He's an outstanding partner and together we are focused on continuing to create new and exciting opportunities for growth."

The promotion comes at a time when media companies, Comcast included, are getting downgraded by Wall Street because of the crumbing of the traditional pay television business. Comcast is also seen as a mixed bag as the industry turns to streaming. It is one of the largest providers of broadband, but subscriber growth has slowed. Its NBCUniversal unit's Peacock streaming service is an also-ran behind Disney Plus and Netflix, which could mean the company needs to make an acquisition to become a player.

Before joining Comcast, Cavanagh was co-president and co-chief operating officer of The Carlyle Group. Previously he was co-CEO of JPMorgan Chase's corporate and investment bank from 2012 to 2014.

"It's an honor to work with Brian to lead this great company," Cavanagh said. "We have exceptional businesses with world-class executives in [Sky Group CEO] Dana [Strong], [Comcast Cable president and CEO] Dave [Watson] and [NBCUniversal CEO] Jeff [Shell] and I’m proud to call them my partners. I look forward to working together to shape the bright future of Comcast." ■

Fox News Channel has named network veteran Jennifer Griffin as its new chief national security correspondent as part of a new multi-year agreement.

Griffin has reported on national security issues around the world for more than 30 years, covering every major story impacting the United States’s security at home and abroad, the network said.

Prior to serving as the network's national security correspondent, Griffin was the network's Jerusalem correspondent. Before joining Fox News, Griffin covered the Middle East region for NPR, U.S. News & World Report and other U.S. news agencies.

Also: Weekly Cable Ratings: ESPN Nets Second Straight Primetime Ratings Win

“Jennifer is one of the industry's premier journalists and has proven to be an indispensable asset on a consequential beat with unrivaled experience spanning more than three decades in multiple war zones,” Fox News Media CEO Suzanne Scott said in a statement. “We are extremely proud that she will continue her incredible career at Fox News Media.” ■

With the connected TV advertising business growing , LG Ads Solutions said it hired former Integral Ad Science executive Tony Marlow as global chief marketing officer.

LG Ads also named Barbie Brewer as global head of human resources and Edward Wale as VP, Europe.

“Since launching LG Ads Solutions last year, our team has doubled in size, reflecting the rapid growth in CTV advertising globally,” said CEO Raghu Kodige. “These key hires help accelerate our existing momentum even further. With one of the world’s largest footprints in TV audience data and premium CTV media, our opportunity is massive. Scaling our services, partnerships, and team to better service customers everywhere is a top priority.”

Also: LG Ads Solutions Guarantees Outcomes for Ads on CTV

Marlow was CMO at IAS, which went public in 2021. Before IAS, he was with Data Axle and Yahoo.

Brewer was chief people officer at mParticle. Before that she worked at Gillab, Netflix and Cisco Systems.

Wale joins LG Ads from Magnite, where he was managing director, CTV EMEA. Previously he was with SpotX. He will be based in London. ■

Qurate Retail Group, parent of TV shopping channels QVC and HSN, said it hired Soumya Sriraman as president of streaming as the company looks to build its streaming commerce business. 

Sriraman, previously head of Prime Video Channels at Amazon, joins Qurate Retail as it executes Project Athens, a three-year turnaround plan designed to stabilize its core businesses and expand the $8.3 billion in video-commerce revenue generated by its streaming operations.

The company also named Stacy Bowe chief merchandising officer, QVC U.S. Bowe held senior merchandising positions at G-III Apparel Group and Macy’s.

“These appointments reflect Qurate Retail Group’s ability to attract the most accomplished and ambitious executive talent in retail,” said Qurate Retail CEO David Rawlinson. “Our vCommerce teams — QVC, HSN and vCommerce Ventures — are disrupting video shopping and we believe we have a right to win in this growing industry. In addition, we are accelerating the pace of change within Qurate Retail Group through Project Athens, our turnaround plan, which touches nearly every facet of our business. We’re pleased to welcome Soumya and Stacy to our team.”

In her newly created post, Sriraman will head Qurate Retail's streaming commerce businesses including QVC Plus and HSN Plus, as well as the networks' presence on digital livestreaming TV.

Reporting to Mary Campbell, president of vCommerce Ventures at Qurate effective Wednesday, she is expected to expand the staff of the company's streaming unit, the company said.

Before Amazon, she was founding CEO of the BritBox SVOD service. Previously she held positions with BBC Studios, Tartan, Vivendi Universal, Warner Bros. and Universal Studios.

Bowe will oversee QVC's Buying, Planning & Programming organization and will lead QVC's Design Development & Global Sourcing unit, an in-house agency that brings new brands, products and concepts to life in apparel, accessories, outerwear and home décor

Effective Tuesday, Bowe reports to Mike Fitzharris, president of QVC U.S. ■

Federal Communications Commission chair Jessica Rosenworcel has named Brad Berry senior adviser for diversity, equity and inclusion.

Berry will work with the FCC’s Task Force to Prevent Digital Discrimination, which is headed up by D'wana Terry and Sanford Williams, who are special advisers to Rosenworcel, and Alejandro Roark, chief of the Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau.

A former general counsel of the NAACP, most recently Berry was VP of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under the Law.

Rosenworcel also announced that Deena Shetler has been named deputy chief of staff for administration. Shetler has been the deputy chief of the Office of Economics and Analytics. Shetler also brings experience at the National Telecommunications & Information Administration — which oversees government spectrum use, among many other things — and the U.S. Justice Department. ■

Studio Ramsay Global, the production company formed by Fox Entertainment and TV chef Gordon Ramsay has named Cyrus Farrokh as senior VP of strategy. 

Cyrus Farrokh will work with Ramsay, Rob Wade, Fox Entertainment’s president of alternative entertainment and specials and Studio Gordon Ramsay’s chief creative officer Lisa Edwards in leading the company’s U.S. operations, business development and global growth strategy.

Previously president, distribution, at Propagate Content, Farrokh will be based in L.A.

Also: Fox Moves Forward on ‘Gordon Ramsay’s Food Stars’

“I’ve known and admired Cyrus for many years as he’s represented FAE’s intellectual property with great energy, creativity and aplomb,” Wade said. “He’s played an invaluable role in growing our presence around the world, and as we mark the first anniversary since SRG’s formation and start building out its leadership team, we’re excited to bring Cyrus in-house to focus his talent, experience and instincts on Gordon’s rapidly expanding content portfolio and growth plans.”

Before Propagate, Farrokh was with Electus, Shine International and Media Rights Capital. He began his career as an agent trainee at Endeavor. 

“I am thrilled to join the fantastic Studio Ramsay Global team as they continue to innovate and represent excellence in food, lifestyle and so much more,” said Farrokh. “I want to thank Gordon, Lisa, Rob and Fox Entertainment CEO Charlie Collier for their incredible energy and support, and for placing no limits on this ambitious new growth phase as we enter exciting new markets, verticals and business ventures.” ■

Sony Pictures Television said it has named veteran TV executive Katherine Pope as president of its Sony Pictures Television Studios, overseeing all domestic scripted productions. Pope, who has been head of original content for Charter Communications since 2018, starts her new position on August 22.

Pope will report to Ravi Ahuja, chairman, Global Television Studios and Sony Pictures Entertainment Corporate Development.

“Katherine has proven herself as a dynamic leader with impeccable taste and the ability to successfully develop and produce content that resonates with audiences,“ Ahuja said in a statement. “She is an excellent fit for this role and I’m delighted that she has chosen to join us at SPT.

“Katherine brings vast experience that will help us build on the overall strength of our global production capabilities at the studio,” he continued. “With Katherine leading our scripted production business in the U.S. and Wayne Garvie leading our international production business, we have an incredible leadership team dedicated to working with the industry’s top talent to produce undeniable content around the world.”

Also: Five Spot Conversation With Katherine Pope 

Pope has more than two decades of experience in the TV business, including a 10-year run with NBC/NBCUniversal Television Studios in a number of leadership roles, including executive VP of the network and president of the studio. She developed such hit shows as Heroes, Friday Night Lights, 30 Rock, and The Office. Pope later launched the television division at Peter Chernin’s Twentieth Century Fox-based production company, Chernin Entertainment, overseeing all creative development and production. She also executive produced several series, including Fox comedy New Girl.

She was tapped to run Charter’s original content division, Spectrum Originals, in 2018, curating a slate of premium series such as the upcoming A Spy Among Friends, starring Damian Lewis and Guy Pearce, as well as Beacon 23, starring Lena Headey and Stephan James; Panhandle, starring Luke Kirby, and George & Tammy, starring Jessica Chastain and Michael Shannon. She also greenlighted L.A.’s Finest, starring Gabrielle Union and Jessica Alba, the limited series revival of Mad About You, and Joe Pickett, which became Spectrum Originals’ most-watched series.

Pope also served as executive producer, along with Elizabeth Meriwether, of the Emmy-nominated Hulu limited series The Dropout, based on the podcast of the same name and starring Amanda Seyfried.

In May, Pope was named one of Multichannel News's Wonder Women of Los Angeles.

“I am thrilled to be joining the incredibly talented team Tony and Ravi have assembled at SPT — a studio with the strength, expertise and independence to lead amidst the challenges of a rapidly evolving marketplace,” Pope said in a statement. “I have long admired the creativity and high-quality work SPT consistently produces and can’t wait to explore all the opportunities that lie ahead. I am excited to step onto the lot and get started!”

No word on who Charter will name as Pope’s replacement, but sources familiar with the operator said they are working on transition plans. ■ 

Kathleen Gerrow has been named VP and news director of KYW-WPSG Philadelphia, part of CBS News and Stations. She succeeds John Wilson and begins July 25. 

Gerrow was a news producer at KYW from 1983 to 1996. She spent the last 26 years at NBC-owned WCAU Philadelphia and was assistant news director for the last 10. 

“We are thrilled to welcome Kathy back to KYW,” said Kelly Frank, president and general manager, KYW-WPSG Philadelphia. “As someone who has had a hand in producing coverage of every big story in this market for four decades, there are few, if any, broadcast and streaming news managers who have more Philly news experience than Kathy. Additionally, she has earned a wonderful reputation as a respected and collaborative team leader.”

Frank took over as GM in March.

CBS Television Stations president Adrienne Roark called it “a pleasure to be able to add someone with Kathy’s passion for local news and commitment to serving her fellow Philadelphians as we continue to build on CBS Philly’s momentum and success across our broadcast and streaming platforms.”

After graduating from the University of Pennsylvania, Gerrow began her news career as a reporter for KYW Newsradio.

“As someone who began my television news career at KYW it is an absolute joy to return to a place where I learned so much and so many wonderful friendships were established,” Gerrow said. “The opportunity to take on an exciting new role in my hometown, come back to a news organization with such a great legacy and work alongside the outstanding team at CBS News Philly is a humbling honor.” ■

Cindy Fitzgibbon has been named chief meteorologist at WCVB Boston and Mike Wankum was elevated to StormTeam 5’s weeknight meteorologist, handling weather for the 4, 5, 6, 7 and 11 p.m. news, as well as the 10 p.m. news on MeTV Boston. 

Fitzgibbon will continue to cover weather for the weekday morning and noon newscasts, and will be the principal meteorologist for WCVB’s Forecasting Our Future special ongoing coverage. 

Wankum had been weekend evening meteorologist at the station. 

WCVB chief meteorologist Harvey Leonard is stepping down, and transitioning to an emeritus weather role at the station in the fall.  

“Both Cindy and Mike are outstanding meteorologists who have proven track records for excellence in weather reporting,” said Kyle Grimes, WCVB president and general manager. “Over the course of their distinguished careers, Cindy and Mike have helped keep viewers safe while forecasting some of the most significant storms in the history of our region. They are dedicated to serving our community by providing the most accurate weather information and both are perfectly suited for their respective new leadership positions.”

WCVB is owned by Hearst Television.  

Fitzgibbon grew up near Portland, Maine, and got a meteorology degree at Lyndon State College in Vermont. Prior to WCVB, she worked at WFXT Boston; WBBH Fort Myers, Florida; and WPTZ Burlington, Vermont. She joined WCVB a decade ago. 

“It is an honor and a dream come true to be named chief meteorologist at WCVB and to lead this incredibly talented and dedicated group of meteorologists,” Fitzgibbon said, “I’m delighted to stay on NewsCenter 5’s EyeOpener and Midday newscasts and remain a part of our incredible morning team, helping viewers start their day. I’m also grateful to my predecessor, Harvey Leonard — a legend, dear friend, and colleague who I was fortunate to forecast alongside for nearly a decade. He set high standards for our team, and I look forward to helping build on his legacy and StormTeam 5’s success as chief meteorologist.”

Wankum joined WCVB late in 2006. He was previously chief meteorologist at WLVI Boston. Before that, he held that title at WTVR Richmond, Virginia, and KTIV Sioux City, Iowa. 

“I am excited to join Ed Harding, Maria Stephanos and the entire weeknight NewsCenter 5 team,” Wankum said. “Over the past 16 years at WCVB, I’ve had the great honor and pleasure to work with some of the best meteorologists in the business, including Dick Albert and Harvey Leonard. I’ve learned so much from these legends, and I’m honored to carry on their excellent tradition of forecasting with our WCVB viewers. Alongside Cindy and the rest of our StormTeam 5 colleagues, I look forward to delivering the area’s most accurate daily forecasts and unmatched coverage of severe weather during all four dynamic seasons in New England.”

WCVB news director Margaret Cronan said the pair’s dedication to informing and protecting Boston residents is “unmatched.”

“Both have deep roots in Boston and share a passion for delivering forecasts that help our on-air and online audience make important decisions in good weather and bad,” she added. “StormTeam 5 is very fortunate to have these two highly experienced and energetic meteorologists leading the way.” ■

National Geographic has tapped Karen Greenfield to fill the newly created position of senior VP of content, diversity and inclusion.

In her new role, Greenfield will work with Nat Geo content creative teams to “develop and produce inclusive storytelling for a multicultural and multigenerational audience,” according to the network. Greenfield, who previously served as senior VP of business operations as well as National Geographic content, diversity and inclusion council chair, will also work with leaders across The Walt Disney Co. to ensure Nat Geo talent and programming are integrated into company-wide DEI initiatives.

Greenfield will report to National Geographic content president Courteney Monroe. “For 134 years, National Geographic has used the power of storytelling to change the world. An essential component of that is ensuring that everyone’s voice is included,” Monroe said in a statement. “Karen is an exceptional executive with a proven track record leading diversity and inclusion initiatives and working with the world’s leading content creators. I am thrilled that Karen will be leveraging her extraordinary talents and passion to help guide us in our mission to inspire and elevate diversity and inclusion in every aspect of our work and storytelling, pushing the boundaries of what’s possible.”

Nat Geo also announced that it has renewed for the second year its Nat Geo Media Scholarship program for students who attend historically Black colleges or universities (HBCUs). The initiative, led by Greenfield, last year awarded four recipients a $10,000 scholarship, an opportunity to participate in a two-week immersion program at National Geographic headquarters, and a mentorship with a Nat Geo employee, said the company. 

“I could not be prouder to not only work for National Geographic, an iconic brand whose mission is to ensure all voices are included in storytelling, but also work alongside Courteney and her senior team, who believe in this value,” Greenfield said. “The green-light of the second year of the Nat Geo Media Scholarship is a testament to their commitment.” ▪️

Gray Television said it named Brad Moses as general manager of WTVG Toledo, Ohio, effective July 25.

Moses worked at WTVG from 1994 to 2000 as operations manager and director of creative services. Over his 30 years in the business, he was general manager of stations in Tampa, Raleigh and Savannah before joining Gray in 2015 as GM of KAKE Wichita, Kansas.

After Gray divested KAKE in 2016 because of the acquisition of Schurz's stations, Moses was named GM of KWCH and KSCW in Wichita. Over the past six years, KWCH and KSCW expanded local news programming to more than 95 hours per week and received numerous awards. 

Moses succeeds Chris Fedele, who moved to Fort Wayne, Indiana, to run Gray’s stations there. ■

Pat McAdaragh, president of Midco, has been elected chairman of the board of NCTA-The Internet & Television Association. He succeeds the outgoing chairman, Comcast Cable president Dave Watson, who, not surprisingly, becomes immediate past chair.

That June 22 election also saw the following officers installed: Charter chairman Tom Rutledge, vice chairman; Cox Communications president Mark Greatrex, treasurer; and Paramount Global president and CEO Bob Bakish, secretary.

Other board members elected were Ron Duncan, CEO, General Communication, to a three-year term as at-large system director; Dick Sjoberg, president, Sjoberg’s, Inc.; to a two-year term as rural/midsize director.

At-large programmer directors elected were Paramount Global's Bakish; David Nevins, chief content officer, scripted originals, Paramount Plus, and chairman and CEO, Showtime Networks; and Paul Buccieri, president, A+E Networks Group, all for for two-year terms.

Alfred Liggins, CEO, Urban One, was elected to a one-year term to fill the seat vacated by David Zaslav, who became president of Warner Bros. Discovery.

Elected associate director was Frank Drendel, chairman, CommScope, for a two-year term.

Joining the NCTA board was Kathleen Finch, chairman and chief content officer of Warner Bros. Discovery's U.S. Networks Group, as corporate programmer director, succeeding former WarnerMedia CEO Jason Kilar, who exited after the WarnerMedia-Discovery merger.

The E.W. Scripps Co. said it appointed Quinn Pacini president and general manager of its TV stations in the Bozeman-Butte, Montana, market.

Pacini, a native of Helena, had been general manager of Learfield/Bobcat Sports Properties, which handles Montana State Athletics, since 2015.

In his new role, Pacini will oversee KBZK and KXLF. He succeeds Maureen Lang, who left to pursue other opportunities.

“Quinn has a unique background that combines expertise in creating high-profile content with the ability to market that content and find sponsors to support it,” Scripps Local Media president Brian Lawlor said. “His track record of driving revenue growth within the Montana media industry, paired with his experience leading multimedia marketing and advertising campaigns, make him a great addition to our teams at KBZK and KXLF and their community partners.”

Pacini graduated from Montana State University with a Bachelor of Science degree in psychology. He previously worked at CDK Global and digital marketing agency Rally Marketing Group.

“I look forward to continuing my Montana media career working alongside the great teams at KBZK and KXLF,” Pacini said. “Together we’ll find new ways to provide Montanans the news and entertainment that informs their days and connects them with their communities.”  ■

Melissa “Missy” Crawford has been named president and general manager of KNSD-KUAN San Diego, an NBC-Telemundo duopoly owned by NBCUniversal. She will report to Valari Staab, chairman, NBCUniversal Local, and will work closely with Manuel Martinez, president, Telemundo Station Group. 

Crawford has worked at NBCUniversal Local for nearly 11 years. She was VP of creative and marketing for WNBC New York for the last 10 years.

Also: Local News Close-Up: News Reboots in Sunny San Diego

“Missy is an inspiring leader. She is very innovative and one of the top broadcast brand directors in the country,” Staab said. “With San Diego being home to two successful stations that operate like one team to meet the needs of the market’s ever-changing communities, Missy is the perfect leader to help both businesses build upon their accomplishments and plan out the next phase in their evolution as our industry continues to change.”

She succeeds Todd Mokhtari, who shifted to the GM job at KNBC-KVEA Los Angeles in April.

“Missy has been a great partner to our Telemundo 47 team,“ Martinez said. ”I’m excited to see what she and our San Diego team will do together to build on the great work they’re already doing.”

Before WNBC, Crawford worked at KGO San Francisco for 15 years. She started as an intern and moved on to creative services roles, including creative services manager. ■

Industry veteran Ben Tatta was named chief commercial officer of Operative.

Tatta was previously president of Standard Media Index, which was acquired earlier this month by GTCR, which installed Scott Knoll as CEO of SMI.

Before joining SMI, Tatta helped Kristin Dolan and Dolan Family Venture launch the measurement firm 605 in 2016.

Tatta earlier had spent 10 years with Cablevision Systems, rising to president of Cablevision Media Sales. He also held posts at USA Network, IBM and CapCities/ABC.

Operative also said that it hired Michael Grossi, who has run enterprise software companies as its new CEO.

Also: Imagine, Operative Team Up To Automate Sales for Sinclair

Former CEO Lorne Brown will remain a member of the board and focus on market development and investment strategy.

“I’ve been following Operative as a leading player in this industry for many years, with a renewed focus over the past few years as they continue to bring new transformational capabilities to market with their AOS platform,” Tatta said. “When Lorne and Michael approached me about leading Operative to the next level of scale and growth, it was not only a very logical fit based on my experience but also an exciting opportunity to help transform the way media companies do business.” ■

Fox Corp. has tapped Gabrielle Brown to head up investor relations as executive VP and chief investor relations officer. She succeeds Joe Dorrego, who continued in that role after he was named chief operating officer and chief financial officer of Fox News Media.

Brown reports to Fox Corp. chief financial officer Steve Tomsic, who thanked Dorrego for doing double duty since 2020, when he was tapped for the Fox News Media posts, while his successor as chief investor relations officer was found.

Dorrego continues as COO and CFO of Fox News Media.

Brown joins the company from UBS, where she had been managing director, global internet and media industries. She had previously been a portfolio manager at BBT Capital Management, where she focused on the internet, tech, media, telco and cable sectors. ■

Byron Allen’s Allen Media Group named Tony Leadman executive director of international distribution for The Weather Channel.

Leadman is the former head of international distribution for Bell Media and president of MGM Productions.

“Tony Leadman is highly accomplished and respected in the international broadcast industry,” said Allen, founder, chairman and CEO of AMG. “With his extensive experience in media, sales and marketing, we are confident Tony will help us achieve our international programming initiatives and goals.”

Also: The Weather Channel Launches New CTV App for $2.99 a Month

At Weather Channel, Leadman will distribute original programming including the series Frozen Gold, Uncharted Adventure and The Earth Unlocked to broadcast and other platforms around the world.

“The Weather Group ownership and management consists of hugely talented and committed people,” Leadman said. “I am absolutely thrilled to be part of this team and to spearhead our international plans. We intend to form partnerships and supply agreements with the world’s major broadcasters and producers. It’s exciting to be joining a progressive team as The Weather Channel continues to innovate and adapt their primetime programming.”

Allen has been adding experienced executives to his growing media empire. Last month Allen hired Matthew Lipson as executive VP of marketing for digital platforms and content. ■

Gray Television named Chris Fedele as general manager of WPTA and WISE, its stations in Fort Wayne, Indiana.

Fedele, an Indiana native, will be returning to ABC affiliate WPTA, where he spent 14 years in sales positions before becoming the station’s GM.

Also: Gray Names More General Managers as It Prepares for Meredith Acquisition

He left the station, spending 10 years as director of sales and marketing for WLEX Lexington, Kentucky, and then serving the past four years as GM of WTVG, Gray’s station in Toledo, Ohio.

He started his broadcasting career with Blair Television in New York.

Fedele succeeds Merry Ewing, who had run WPTA for six years. ■

A+E NETWORKS

A+E Networks Global Content Sales has named Kerstin Gühne, Ph.D., as VP of global content sales, EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa), based in London. She joins after 15 years at Sony Pictures Television, where she was senior VP, sales and distribution. 

BRIGHTLINE

Advanced advertising veteran Michael Bologna has joined Brightline as chief accelerator, helping the company roll out its OTT Accelerator product. He was most recently president and chief revenue officer of startup measurement firm HyphaMetrics. 

CROWN MEDIA

Lauri McGarrigan joined Hallmark Channel parent Crown Media Family Networks as senior VP, business development, content distribution. She was head of distribution and partnerships at Common Sense Networks, a startup digital entertainment platform for kids.

DAZN

London-based sports streaming company DAZN Group has named Sandeep Tiku as chief technology officer, leading its global technology and product teams. He comes from gaming and entertainment company Entain, where he was chief operating officer.

DIGITAL JOY

Software-as-a-service (SaaS) media platform company Digital Joy has named Tracey Arrowood-Shaw as founder and president. She is the former senior VP, global strategy and innovation at World Wrestling Entertainment, where she oversaw the launch of WWE Network.

DISNEY

David Cobb has been promoted to senior VP, operations and content planning, Disney Branded Television, responsible for Disney Plus, Disney Channel, Disney XD and Disney Junior. He had been VP, business planning and strategy,
Disney Channels.

ESTRELLA MEDIA

Estrella Media has promoted New York-based Brian Fisher to senior VP, digital sales, driving national digital sales opportunities and AVOD, free ad-suppported television (FAST) and digitial strategies. He was VP, digital sales.  

FANDUEL

Tricia Alcamo has joined online gaming and fantasy sports company FanDuel Group as chief people officer. She comes from Charter Communications, where she had been group VP of human resources at business services unit Spectrum Enterprise. 

KESHET STUDIOS 

Lisa Roos was named executive VP of television at Keshet Studios, the U.S.-based production arm of Keshet International. She comes from NBC, where she had been the network’s senior VP of drama development. 

KETC 

KETC St. Louis (branded as Nine PBS) has named Amy Turck as VP, chief individual giving officer, responsible for the public broadcaster’s short- and long-term fundraising strategy. She comes from Gateway Region YMCA, where she led member experience strategy. 

MAGICAL ELVES

Magical Elves in Los Angeles has promoted Ron Mare to senior VP of casting, tasked with heading the studio’s casting department and overseeing that function for all of the nonfiction production company’s series. He had been VP, casting.

NBCUNIVERSAL 

Erica Forstadt was upped to senior VP, entertainment unscripted current production at NBCUniversal Television and Streaming. She had been VP, serving as executive in charge of such shows as The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, Southern Charm and Project Runway.  

OPENVAULT

OpenVault appointed Joe Lancaster, Ph.D., as chief strategy officer, responsible for aligning the company’s research and development efforts with customer requirements. He was a 10-year veteran of OpenVault acquisition VelociData, where he was also chief strategy officer. 

OPENVAULT

Broadband technology and insights firm OpenVault has named Keith Broach as VP and general manager, North America. A former optical systems engineer who shifted to sales, Broach most recently was NFV solutions director for Telco Systems. 

GRAHAM MEDIA 

Detroit-based Graham Media Group has promoted Stephanie Slagle to VP, chief innovation officer, responsible for overseeing the Graham Digital team. Formerly director, brand agency & sales strategy, she played a key role in launching  multiplatform ad agency OMNE. 

GRAHAM MEDIA 

Michael Newman advanced to director of transformation at Graham Media Group. Formerly the station group’s lead developer, he had been
the chief architect of projects and product launches in video, streaming, mobile, ad tech, UI/UX, apps and more.

TEGNA

Tegna tapped Humberto Hormaza as president and general manager of WTIC-WCCT, the company’s Fox and The CW affiliates in Hartford, Connecticut. He had been senior VP and GM at Entravision Communications in Orlando, Florida, since 2014. 

VAB

Benjamin Vandegrift has joined the Video Advertising Bureau (VAB) as VP of measurement solutions, a newly created post. He joins from TVSquared, where he was director of product marketing, leading activation efforts across the Enterprise and Advanced TV client base.

Briefly Noted …

AMC Networks elevated Sylvia George to executive VP of performance marketing from senior VP, and added Brian Swarth as senior VP of subscriber engagement and product marketing. Swarth was head of podcast marketing at Audacy. … E.W. Scripps has tapped Andrés Chapparo as VP and general manager of The CW affiliate WSFL Miami. He was VP and GM of KXXV-KRHD in Waco/Temple/Bryan, Texas. … Circle City Broadcasting-owned WISH Indianapolis promoted reporter Garrett Bergquist to government and politics specialist. … Sabrina Wiewel was named chief operating officer of Crown Media Family Networks. She was executive VP, chief administrative officer at Hallmark Cards. … Aamir Husain has joined Denver-based Liberty Latin America as senior VP, chief technology and product officer. He was chief product officer and senior VP, Verizon Business, at Verizon Communications. ■

David Zumwalt has been tapped as the new president and CEO of the Wireless Internet Service Providers Association (WISPA), the Washington, D.C., group representing fixed wireless ISPs.

Zumwalt, who succeeds Claude Aiken in the post, founded and served as chairman of radio frequency engineering services firm CNet and most recently served as chief operating officer of U.S. Virgin Islands ISP Broadband VI, which was bought by Liberty Latin America last year.

Aikin had joined WISPA in 2018 from the FCC, where he had been an adviser to chairman Tom Wheeler and commissioner and acting chairwoman Mignon Clyburn.

Zumwalt comes aboard effective June 1.

Also: WISPA Names Broadband Board Chair

“It is a crucial time in the industry, and his history of success in several different leadership roles will serve our members during this unprecedented time of broadband growth, government funding, and increased private investment,” WISPA board chair Todd Harpest said.

“Broadband service continues to transform communities and markets, and all Americans deserve high-quality broadband no matter where they may live or work,” Zumwalt said. “WISPA’s members are, and have long been, the front-line responders delivering Broadband Without Boundaries.” ▪️

Digital media technology company Canela Media said it named Shampa Banerjee as its first chief product & technology officer and said she will head its new Innovation Lab in Silicon Valley.

Banerjee most recently was executive VP for ViacomCBS and chief product officer for its Pluto TV streaming unit. She will report to Canela founder and CEO Isabel Rafferty.

“If Shampa had a middle name, it would most certainly be visionary,” Rafferty said.

Also: Canela Launches Streaming Service for Hispanic Viewers

“Her wealth of knowledge and success in bringing game-changing products to market makes her the perfect fit to take Canela Media to the next level,” she said. “As innovation remains our primary focus, we look to Shampa’s deep experience at the intersection of technology and media to transform our business and our industry, and we are thrilled to have her lead our exceptionally talented team as we enter this next chapter.”

The Innovation Lab will be funded in part by the $32 million Canlea raised in February. The lab will experiment with technologies such as AR/VR, AI, machine learning, and Web 3.0 community-focused tools. Canela will use insights from the lab to develop immersive and engaging. digital media experiences.

“Consumers are discerning — they know what they want and they know where to find it,“ Banerjee said. “I am energized by Canela’s deliberate commitment to redefine digital media experiences for the Hispanic community. Our strategy to challenge our team to create products and services that meet and ultimately exceed the needs of this rapidly-growing, sophisticated audience is the opportunity of a lifetime.” 

Before Pluto, Banerjee was chief product officer for India’s Eros Digital. Before that, she was with Socialtext and Ziff Davis Media. She started her career with Netscape/AOL. ■

Cox Media Group said it named Jodie Fleischer managing editor and Josh Wade as executive producer of its newly created Investigative Unit.

Fleischer is returning to CMG. Most recently she was an investigative reporter at WRC Washington. She starts her new post immediately.

Wade is currently senior investigative producer/photographer for CMG’s WSB Atlanta. He’ll start his new post in June.

“Cox Media Group remains dedicated to journalism excellence and our expanded investigative unit will build on that commitment by allowing us to have a bigger and more positive impact in our communities,” said Marian Pittman, executive VP of content, product, and innovation at CMG. “I’m thrilled to welcome Jodie back to CMG and watch her grow our investigative acumen and scope. She is dedicated to uncovering the facts and can leverage CMG assets on all platforms. Josh’s new role exemplifies how CMG invests in its people and promotes internal talent who can accelerate our news leadership across more platforms than ever before. I look forward to watching Jodie and Josh’s impact across our company and investigative journalism.”

Fleischer spent 15 years with CMG as an investigative reporter at WSB-TV and a reporter for WFTV, Orlando. Awards she’s won include a duPont-Columbia University award, an IRE award, Murrow Awards and Emmys.

Wade’s work has won 15 Emmys, 11 Murrow’s and a duPont. He began his broadcast career as a weekend editor in Austin, Texas and joined CMG in 2002. ■

Jessica Mathies has been named VP, development, at Hearst Media Production Group (HMPG), where she will focus on unscripted program development for television stations, broadcast and cable networks and streaming services. 

Mathies previously served as an executive producer at HMPG parent company Hearst Television.

“Jessica has strong creative instincts for finding unique and compelling talent and stories,” said Angelica Rosas McDaniel, HMPG executive VP and general manager, entertainment, in a statement. “As we bring together our new team, including VP, development Jeffrey Wank, we’re excited about upcoming projects that will engage the creative community and our national partners.”

Also: Hearst Media Production Group Is Litton Entertainment's New Name

Mathies joined Hearst Television in 2018 from Park Slope Productions, a New York-based production company, where she was executive VP of development. Prior to that, she was the East Coast director of development for Entertainment One, where she developed shows for OWN, Investigation Discovery and UP TV.  Prior to Entertainment One, she held various production positions at companies including Original Media, Metal Flowers Media and Johlt Productions. 

She began her television career as a production assistant at San Francisco PBS station KQED, moving from there to San Francisco-based Edelman Productions, which developed numerous HGTV shows. Mathies holds a bachelor’s degree in television and radio from San Francisco State University.

HMPG is a business unit of Hearst Television and it serves as an independent producer and distributor of original programming, including such shows as weekly syndicated news program Matter of Fact with Soledad O’Brien and educational/informational kids’ programming blocks that HMPG took over when Hearst fully acquired Litton Entertainment in 2021. ■

Kyle Dixon, VP for public policy for WarnerMedia, has joined NCTA–The Internet & Television Association as VP and deputy general counsel of program network policy, one of several new hires and one promotion at the cable/broadband association.

Dixon advised Warner Bros., HBO and Turner on federal agency and Congressional policy while at WarnerMedia, so he is well-versed on program-network issues. Before joining WarnerMedia predecessor Time Warner, Dixon was a partner at Washington communications law firm Wilkinson Barker Knauer and, before that, a legal adviser to then-Federal Communications Commission chairman (now NCTA president and CEO) Michael Powell, as well as deputy bureau chief of the Media Bureau.

Also joining NCTA is Jeff Freeland as VP of government relations after over a decade at the White House and as a staffer in the House of Representatives, most recently as a Trump administration liaison to House members.

Becky Tangren has joined NCTA's legal team as VP and associate general counsel focusing on wireless and spectrum policy. Tangren had been with CableLabs as director of technology policy. Prior to that, she was at the FCC in a variety of positions including adviser to the Wireless Bureau. She was also head of regulatory and government affairs at the Telecommunications Industry Association.

Lastly, Lee Friedman, who has a decade-plus experience at NCTA dealing with third-party organizations and industry coalitions, has been named deputy chief of federal legislative affairs. ■

A. SMITH & CO. 
Eli Baldrige was promoted to senior VP of development at A. Smith & Co. Productions. He had been VP of development at the studio, responsible for such shows as Welcome to Plathville (TLC), Pharrell Williams’ Voices of Fire (Netflix) and Canine Intervention (Netflix). 

CABLE CENTER
The Cable Center in Denver has named Diane Christman as its president and CEO, succeeding the retiring Jana Henthorn. With the organization since 2006, Christman had been the center’s senior VP, development, and chief program officer since 2019.

CBS NEWS
CBS News has named Anthony Galloway as senior VP of CBS News Streaming, overseeing day-to-day programming and production of the news division’s streaming service. He was chief content officer, editorial video, audio and voice programming at The Wall Street Journal. 

CHARTER
Charter Communications has elevated Tony Guevara to senior VP, sales call centers, adding oversight of inbound call centers for small and midsize business clients, digital sales and outbound telemarketing to his duties. He had been group VP, retention.

C2HR
The Content & Connectivity Human Resources (C2HR) association has promoted Parthavi Das to executive director, succeeding the retired Pamela Williams. Das had been senior director of the industry group representing HR professionals in technology, media and telecommunications.

CROWN MEDIA
Hallmark Channel parent Crown Media Family Networks has hired Judi Lopez as executive VP, distribution and content strategy. Lopez was head of content distribution, advocacy and government affairs and partnership marketing at Fuse Media. 

FIRSTLIGHT MEDIA
Tina Tuli has joined Firstlight Media as VP, global marketing, tasked with evangelizing the company’s cloud-native OTT video platforms. She most recently served as chief marketing officer at Samdesk and was VP, marketing strategy and operations at MagicLeap. 

FOX NEWS
Fox News has named Jessica Loker VP of politics and senior executive producer of Fox News Sunday. Loker, who has been executive producer of Fox News Sunday, will now oversee all political news and logistics as well as manage the hour-long public affairs show.

GRAHAM MEDIA GROUP
Catherine Badalamente was named president
and CEO of Graham Media Group, succeeding Emily Barr atop the station group when she retires later this year. Badalamente had been VP and chief innovation officer. 

HEARST
Hearst Television has tapped Shannon Coggins as New York-based VP, programming, set to succeed retiring senior  VP, programming Emerson Coleman this summer. She comes from NBCUniversal, where she was VP, syndication sales.

INSP
Indian Land, South Carolina-based INSP has advanced Doug Butts to executive VP of programming of the network. Formerly senior VP of programming, Butts joined the programmer in 1994 and has served as an editor, producer and director.  

SCRIPPS
Scripps Networks has elevated Cheryle Harrison to head of Bounce, its African American-focused TV network. Formerly general manager, Harrison will be responsible for brand strategy, programming, marketing, social media, digital and community relations.

TEGNA
Tegna has named Rebecca Cantu as president and general manager of KIII Corpus Christi, Texas, an ABC affiliate, succeeding the retiring Bruce Cummings. She comes from KHOU Houston, where she was business development manager and community marketing specialist. 

TELEMUNDO 
Gabriela Tristán has joined Telemundo as senior VP, news, overseeing flagship newscast Noticias Telemundo and morning news show hoyDía. She had been VP and director of news production at Univision, where she served on the launch team for Al Punto con Jorge Ramos. 

TELEMUNDO
Vanessa Pombo was upped to senior VP, business operations, news at Telemundo’s news division. She had been the division’s VP of production management and business operations, previously serving as senior director, production management at Telemundo Studios. 

TELSTRA
Vish Vishwanathan has joined satellite services firm Telstra as VP of its wholesale group for the Americas. Previously leader of global IP network sales for NTT, he has also held senior sales and market development roles at CenturyLink, MCI and Motorola.  

UNIVISION
Michael Schwimmer has joined Univision Communications as president, global platform strategy and revenue, leading global distribution for
the combined Univision-Televisa libraries. He had been group president of Sling TV and executive VP of Dish Media.

Briefly Noted

Beachfront Media has named Katie Long as head of demand  and Amit Nigam as VP of product. Long had been senior director, platform sales at Yahoo and Nigam had been senior VP, product and partnerships at Eyeview. … CBS News promoted Kaci Sokoloff to VP, bookings. She had been senior producer and head of the bookings department at CBS Mornings. Also at CBS News, David Reiter was named executive producer of special events. He had been ABC News executive producer of special events from 2017 to 2021. … Crown Media Family networks also promoted three members of its distribution team: Lisa Barroso to senior VP, content distribution and strategy; Holly Henderson to senior VP, distribution; and Raquel WIlliams to VP, distribution. … NewsNation has added two members to its news team: Bartley Price as New York-based senior field producer and Robert Sherman as Austin, Texas-based correspondent. ■

Gray Television said it promoted six of its general managers as part of a plan to expand the team overseeing management of its local stations.

The changes result from the decision by senior VP, local media Chris Mossman to resign his position to pursue other opportunities outside of Gray Television, the company said. 

Ronna Corrente was promoted to senior VP, local media, to oversee Gray’s stations in the southwest. She was named GM of Gray’s WAVE Louisville, Kentucky, last August.

Gray also named five of its GMs to the new position of regional VP/general manager. They will continue running their current TV station and oversee the stations in three other markets as well.

Dana Neves, general manager of WFSB Hartford, Connecticut, will also oversee Gray’s television stations in Springfield, Massachusetts; Bangor, Maine; and Presque Isle, Maine.

Collin Gaston, GM of WBRC Birmingham, Alabama, will now also oversee Gray’s television stations in Montgomery, Alabama; Columbus, Georgia; and Meridian, Mississippi.

Kym Grinnage, the general manager of WWBT (NBC) and WUPV (The CW) in Richmond, Virginia, will also oversee Gray’s television stations in Greenville-New Bern, North Carolina; Harrisonburg, Virginia; and Charlottesville, Virginia.

Thom Pritz, GM of KCRG in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, will also oversee Gray’s television stations in Sioux Falls, South Dakota; Duluth, Minnesota; and Ottumwa, Iowa.

Sue Ramsett, the general manager of KWQC (NBC) in Davenport, Iowa, will now also oversee Gray’s television stations in Sioux City, Iowa, and Rochester and Mankato,  Minnesota. ■

Steve White has had a storied career in the cable industry, including 11 years as president of Comcast’s West Division, where he managed 30,000 employees and drove annual revenue past $18 billion. But he cites helping his single mother clean hotel rooms as a young boy as the turning point in his life and business philosophy. White said his mom’s fierce determination to provide for her family (he has three brothers) drove him to excel in a business career that has spanned three decades. Currently president, special counsel to Comcast Cable CEO Dave Watson, White has written a book about that philosophy — Uncompromising — that was released on February 22. He spoke recently with B+C Multichannel News senior content producer — finance Mike Farrell. An edited transcript follows. 

Your book, Uncompromising: How an Unwavering Commitment to Your Why Leads to an Impactful Life and a Lasting Legacy, came out February 22. What made you decide to write it? I’m inspired by the quote often attributed to Mark Twain. ‘The two most important days in your life are the day you’re born, and the second is when you find out why.’ Through hardship, I was able to answer the second question. My why is to create a table of prosperity for as many people as possible. Sharing my life’s lessons — my successes and failures — is in service of my purpose.

You obviously had a great role model in your mother, but have there been other mentors that helped you realize your potential in other parts of your career? Certainly, my wife Barbita should be included. I have more mentors than most people, but my ‘trick’ is that most of these folks don’t know that they’re mentoring me. I identify leaders that I admire from afar and I study them. If I get an opportunity to meet them, I ask them all the questions time will allow. I believe you can learn from everyone, so don’t limit yourself. 

You also say that learning from mistakes is as important as learning from successes. What do you consider to be your biggest mistake and what did you learn from it? My biggest mistake was putting myself ahead of my team, and I was fired as a result early in my career. My why became clearer to me while I reflected on that life event. If I wanted to enjoy any level of success, I had to become a servant leader. When I’m faced with fear around a decision or direction, I always ask the question, ‘If I knew I couldn’t fail, what would I do?’ The decision becomes very clear, and I go with it.

One of the things under your purview as president, special counsel to the CEO at Comcast Cable is diversity, equality and inclusion. What do you think the industry’s top priorities should be on that front? We have a terrific team leading our efforts. From my perspective, the priorities around DE&I are as follows:

Engaged leadership: Commit to these initiatives from the highest levels of the organization.

Investment and empowerment: Provide a ‘hand up’ rather than a ‘hand out.’

Accountability: There should be rewards and consequences for creating an inclusive culture with increased representation of people of color.

Impatience: As an example, this industry created broadband. When we commit, there is nothing that will stop us.

Vulnerability: Recognize and admit we can do better. Ask for help and start with your employees. 

The pandemic has caused a lot of people, particularly younger people, to re-evaluate their career priorities. Is this good or bad?  It is good. And one correction: it isn’t just younger people. All leaders are re-evaluating their career priorities. The winning companies will have a clear purpose for existing. I go back to the earlier quote: ‘The two most important days in a company’s life is the day it is born, and the second is when they know why.’ If your company can answer that second question with clarity, then your chances of surviving for years to come increase dramatically. ■

Amy Bender, a top Washington, D.C., executive at NCTA–The Internet & Television Association, has made the switch from wired to wireless broadband.

Bender, who had been VP government relations and legislative counsel at NCTA, has joined CTIA, the trade organization representing the wireless communications industry, as VP of regulatory affairs.

She knows quite a lot about those regulatory affairs, having been a legal adviser to onetime FCC chairman Kevin Martin and then to commissioner Michael O'Rielly.

Bender, a Harvard Law School graduate, joined NCTA in September 2018. Her FCC experience also included deputy division chief and legal counsel in the Wireline Competition Bureau. ■

Jessica Loker has been named VP of politics and senior executive producer of Fox News Sunday.

Loker, who has been executive producer of Fox News Sunday, will now oversee all political news and logistics as well as manage the hourlong public affairs show, which airs both on Fox TV stations and Fox News Channel.

Before her post at Fox News Sunday, Loker was senior producer for Fox Report with Shepard Smith. Both Smith and former Sunday host Chris Wallace exited the network, Smith for CNBC in 2020 and Wallace recently for CNN's streaming platform, CNN Plus.

Shannon Coggins has been named VP, programming at Hearst Television, based at the company’s New York headquarters.

Coggins will work alongside Emerson Coleman, senior VP, programming, and will succeed him when he retires from Hearst Television in summer 2022. Coggins will oversee planning and acquisitions of syndicated and other entertainment-related programming for the company’s 33 TV stations, working closely with corporate and station management to optimize each station’s programming mix.

“Shannon’s depth of experience in setting strategy and selling quality syndicated programming perfectly positions her for this new opportunity within our leadership team,” Hearst Television president Jordan Wertlieb said in a statement. “She has exceptional understanding of the programming marketplace and has an outstanding passion and energy for the mission of local television. She will work closely with Emerson over these next several months and is the ideal next-generation executive to succeed him in this important role upon his well-earned retirement.”

“Shannon is the perfect person to help chart a new course for Hearst Television at a very transformative time in our industry,” Coleman said, also in a statement. “She has the vision, business acumen, relationships and proven engagement at the highest levels to position her well to effectively collaborate with both our content partners and her new colleagues throughout Hearst.   She will immediately excel in this role because she has the ideal skillset and the right mindset to enable our stations to continue to distinguish themselves in an increasingly exciting and competitive environment.”

Coggins joins Hearst Television from NBCUniversal where, in her most recent position as VP of syndication sales, she sold a rotating portfolio of first-run and off-network NBC Universal television content to television station groups and local broadcast television stations in 50 markets. She worked closely with the NBC Owned Television Stations group and with various station-group programming executives and national ad-sales rep firms.

After a career start as a marketing associate in the consumer products division of The Walt Disney Co., Coggins joined NBC in 2004 in Burbank in the network’s famous NBC Page program.  She progressed rapidly through a series of increasingly senior NBCUniversal positions in domestic and international marketing and affiliate relations before becoming director of sales in 2009.  She was promoted to vice president of sales in 2016. She is a member of the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences and the New York State Broadcasters Association.

Coggins holds a bachelor’s degree in political studies, with a minor in media studies, from Pitzer College in Claremont, California.   

Cox Communications kicked off the New Year by promoting three long-time executives — Len Barlik, Colleen Langner and Mark Lawson —  to key management roles, the company said Wednesday.

Barlik, formerly executive VP and chief operations officer, has been named chief technology officer, succeeding Kevin Hart, who was named CEO of Cox-owned fiber provider Segra earlier this week. Langner, who has previously served as EVP and chief marketing and sales officer, becomes chief operating officer; and Lawson, formerly senior VP of digital, moves into the executive VP and chief marketing and sales officer role. 

Barlik joined Cox in 2010 as EVP of product development and management and during that tenure helped launch the company’s flagship video product Contour, its ultra-high-speed broadband product Gigablast and its Homelife home security and automation portfolio. As CTO, Barlik will oversee product and technology innovation and the development of new products and services for both residential and commercial customers. He will also assume leadership of the Cox Network Transformation initiative, the company’s billion-dollar project to support future residential and business applications.  

“Len is a true innovator with a proven track record of bringing compelling new products and services to market that deliver superior customer experiences and drive revenue growth,” Cox Communications CEO Mark Greatrex said in a press release. “His ability to take a long-range, strategic vision, create a sense of urgency and move organizations to deliver on strategy makes him the natural choice to shape the future of product and technology development at Cox.”

A 26-year veteran of Cox Communications, Langner has held several senior leadership roles in the company, including SVP of field operations, with overall responsibility for field operations and vendor management. Langner also led marketing operations for the company, where she drove residential marketing strategy and execution nationwide. 

“Colleen built an intimate knowledge of our markets, our customers and what it takes to support the services we sell,” Greatrex said in the release. “Her leadership experience across our regions gives her great perspective and a well-rounded view of our business that serves our Senior Team well.”

Lawson joined Cox Communications about eight years ago, leading the company’s digital marketing and helping to digitize sales, customer care and, more recently, customer retention and base management. 

“We are moving rapidly to more digital customer journeys and interactive services and Mark is a top-notch digital expert who already has helped us blaze trails in the digital realm,” Greatrex said in the release. “He will be a tremendous asset to our senior leadership team, lending his digital vision and expertise to our growth and business strategy.”

The Walt Disney Co. said that it named Horacio Gutierrez as senior executive VP, general counsel and secretary, effective Feb. 1.

Guttierrez joins Disney from Spotify where he was head of global affairs and chief legal officer. He succeeds Alan Braverman, who in July announced plans to retire after more than two decades as Disney’s general counsel.

“Horacio is an incredibly skilled attorney and dynamic leader who comes to Disney with 35 years of legal experience in markets around the globe. Having spent more than two decades working for premier technology companies, he has an extensive understanding of the complex legal questions that come with technological disruption and rapid industry change,” Disney CEO Bob Chapek said in a statement. “Horacio is a key addition to my leadership team, and I look forward to working with him as he builds on Alan’s outstanding legacy leading our unparalleled legal organization.”

As secretary and general counsel, Gutierrez will serve as Disney‘s chief legal officer ofand act as a strategic adviser to executive leadership and the board of directors.

Before Spotify, Gutierrez was general counsel for Microsoft, which he joined in 1998.

“I am humbled to have the opportunity to lead Disney’s global legal organization, to work with Bob Chapek and his leadership team, and to contribute to one of the most admired and beloved companies in the world as it builds on its many strengths and transforms for the future,” Gutierrez said. “It is a particular honor for me to succeed Alan Braverman, an iconic figure in the legal profession, who over the last two decades has built one of the largest and most admired legal departments in the world.” ■

Measurement company 605 said it named Tom Keaveney as president.

Keaveney had been a director at AdScribe, an ad tech company in Dublin, Ireland that was acquired by 605 last year.

He will report to 605 co-founder and CEO Kristin Dolan. 605 co-founder Ben Tatta was president until he left in 2019. He joined Standard Media Index last year.

“We were first introduced to Tom during our negotiation and subsequent acquisition of Adscribe,“ Dolan said. ”We are extremely enthusiastic to welcome him to the team and leverage his skill and experience in general management, sales and revenue acumen and overall executive presence. At a time in which our industry is changing rapidly, we are thrilled to have him leading our growth plans, with a focus on building market share and deepening client relationships.”

In this new role, Keaveney will be responsible for the company’s response to opportunities to provide accurate measurement and actionable insights for clients.

605 earlier this week announced plans to launch 605 Exchanges, which would provide a currency for ad buyers and sellers that would provide an alternative to Nielsen.

“Joining 605, particularly at this moment as the company undergoes dramatic growth and with the industry evolving rapidly, is an unparalleled opportunity. I look forward to working with Kristin and the rest of 605’s talented team to add more depth around our ability to support clients across the entire lifecycle of TV advertising,” Keaveney said.

“As data becomes increasingly scarce and less available, 605 is in a unique position with its long-term access to data secure, its processes around privacy robust and its analytic capabilities unmatched. I am confident that the work we are doing today will place us in a position to win based on these differentiating factors,” he said. ■

Jessie Garcia has been named news director of WDJT-WMLW Milwaukee. Weigel Broadcasting owns the stations, a CBS affiliate and an independent, along with Telemundo Wisconsin. Garcia starts in early 2022. 

Garcia comes from WTMJ Milwaukee, where she was editorial director. She previously was broadcast director and anchor at the station. 

Before that, Garcia was sports anchor at WISC Madison. 

“Jessie is the right person at the right time,“ general manager Anne Brown said. ”Her demonstrated ability to lead a newsroom and her proven track record of innovation, coupled with her deep knowledge of Milwaukee, is a win for our team and our viewers.”

Garcia has taught journalism at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Marquette, Carroll University and Mount Mary University.  

“I am passionate about Milwaukee, the people who live here and what happens in our community,” Garcia said. “I am thrilled to have the opportunity to work with the CBS 58 News team to further deepen and enrich its commitment to covering the news in Southeastern Wisconsin.” 

Milwaukee is DMA No. 37.

Jennifer Hindin, who heads Washington, D.C., law firm Wiley‘s space and satellite group, will add co-chair of the Telecom, Media & Technology (TMT) practice to her job description. She will co-chair alongside Kathy Kirby.

Hindin succeeds Ambassador David Gross, who has served as TMT co-chair since 2016. Gross remains a partner in the firm. In her current post, Hindin has advised clients on the licensing and operation of space stations, earth stations, undersea cable and international telecommunications providers.

“I am very excited to co-chair the TMT Practice with Kathy, who has been a wonderful mentor,” Hindin said. “To keep up with the success and growing client demand, we have been expanding our TMT Practice in our core FCC regulatory practice as well as into complementary areas including appellate litigation, privacy, fintech and national security. In doing so, we recruited individuals who have occupied high-level positions at the FCC, the U.S. Department of State, and the U.S. Department of Commerce, as well as on Capitol Hill.”

Hindin is a 25-year veteran of the firm, having joined as an associate. She is a member of both the executive and management committees.

AMC Networks said Monday that it has promoted Anne Kelly to executive VP and corporate secretary and Dawn Botti to executive VP, legal and business affairs, at its AMC Studios and Streaming Services. 

Kelly has been with AMC Networks for more than a decade and most recently was senior VP for corporate and securities matters and corporate secretary. In her expanded role, she will be responsible for all of the company’s corporate governance, securities and finance, compliance, cybersecurity, data privacy as well as other general corporate legal matters, and will oversee the company’s in-house lawyers and outside counsel relating to these areas.

Botti started with AMC Studios as an in-house lawyer and played a key role in the launch of the company’s premium streaming bundle, AMC Plus. In her new role she will continue to oversee all legal affairs for the company’s expanding AMC Studios operation, including all scripted development, production and co-production as well as worldwide content licensing. She will also have legal and business affairs oversight for the content and distribution of the company’s streaming services including Shudder, Acorn TV, ALLBLK and Sundance Now, as well as AMC Plus and the company’s growing portfolio of ad-supported VOD (AVOD)/FAST channels.

“Anne and Dawn are two talented lawyers who have had a significant impact on our business and are key contributors to our internal legal team,” AMC Networks EVP and general counsel Jamie Gallagher said in a press release. “I am proud to call them both trusted colleagues and to recognize their significant contributions to our growth and success through these well-earned promotions.”

Prior to AMC Networks, Kelly was managing director, corporate secretary and assistant general counsel at Ambac Financial Group and earlier in her career was an associate at Hughes, Hubbard & Reed in the firm’s Securities and Merger & Acquisition Departments.

Before joining AMC Networks, Botti spent more than a decade at NBCUniversal, ultimately serving as the company’s senior vice president of business and legal affairs where she played a key role in the launch of Hulu. She was previously associate counsel at ABC Television and began her legal career in private practice with a focus on intellectual property litigation and transactional work; first at the law firm of Proskauer Rose, and later at Pryor Cashman.

Fox said that Mark Evans has been promoted to executive VP of ad sales for Fox Sports, succeeding industry veteran Seth Winter, who plans to retire in February.

Evans will oversee sports sales for Fox, FS1, FS2, Fox Sports Digital, Fox Deportes and Fox Soccer Plus.

He will report to Marianne Gambelli, president of ad sales for Fox Corp., and work closely with Eric Shanks, CEO and executive producer for Fox Sports.

“We are extremely fortunate to have a deep pool of experienced executives across the ad sales division, and I’m pleased to have Mark fill this extremely important role,” said Gambelli. “Mark is a well-respected, incredibly talented and smart executive who has a great reputation with clients and a successful track record of creating innovative media partnerships during his career at Fox.”

Evans joined Fox in 1994 and was senior VP of sports brand partnerships before his promotion.

“I’ve worked with Mark for over 20 years and can think of no one better to lead this dynamic group at this moment in time. I’m extremely proud of the client relationships this team has built and look forward to more in the years to come,” said Shanks. “Having Seth as a teammate at Fox Sports has truly been a highlight for all of us. We will miss his exuberance and zest for this business we all love, and we wish him well with everything he does in the future.”

Winter joined Fox in 2019. Previously, he‘d been with Gambelli at NBC. While at Fox, Winter helped generate record revenue for Fox’s broadcast of Super Bowl LIV in 2020.

“I am extremely grateful to Seth for joining me at Fox three years ago,” Gambelli said. “This was an incredibly important time as we embarked on a new road with the establishment of Fox as a standalone company. During his time with us, Seth has been a tremendous leader and mentor to the Sports Ad Sales team. On behalf of his many colleagues, we thank Seth for sharing his talent, wisdom and relationships and wish him all the best.”

E.W. Scripps Co. said it appointed Andrés Chaparro as VP and general manager for KXXV and KRDH in the Waco/Temple/Bryan, Texas, market, effective Oct. 25.

Chaparro most recently was president and general manager of KDEN, the Telemundo station in Denver, which he left in 2019.

Chaparro replaces Adam Chase, who was appointed VP/GM for WTKR, Scripps’s CBS affiliate in Norfolk, Virginia.

“Andrés has a record of creating partnerships with businesses and community organizations to become a leader in community engagement, most notably in outreach to the Hispanic community,” said Scripps Local Media president Brian Lawlor. “He is a recognized leader for innovation and journalistic integrity, and he will help drive KXXV and KRHD’s success.”

Before KDEN, Chaparro held sales manager positions for Telemundo stations in Chicago and Dallas. Previously he worked for stations in Albuquerque and Dallas.

“I look forward to working with the great team at KXXV and KRHD,” said Chaparro. “Together, we can continue their meaningful work of serving Central Texas and the Brazos Valley by strengthening relationships with local businesses and the community and empowering and bettering the lives of our communities through thoughtful, reliable and honest information.”

Women in Cable Telecommunications extended its condolences to Michael Powell, president of NCTA – The Internet & Television Association, on the death of his father, Colin Powell.

Colin Powell, former secretary of state and chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, died Monday of complications from COVID-19. He was reportedly fully vaccinated. He was also battling cancer.

“General Powell, first Black U.S. Secretary of State and youngest chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, serves as a role model for generations of individuals who aspire to greatness,” WICT said. “Our love and prayers go out to the entire Powell family during this time of sorrow.”

NCTA also stated a message of condolence to the Powell family. Dave Watson, President & CEO Comcast Cable and NCTA Board Chair, said: “On behalf of the staff of NCTA and the Board of Directors, we would like to offer our deepest condolences to the family of Gen. Colin Powell, including our dear colleague and friend, Michael Powell. Today, America lost a trailblazing leader who always put his country first and led with compassion, dignity and grace. We join with the rest of America in mourning the loss of this remarkable human being.”

Colin Powell was also founding chairman of America’s Promise Alliance, an alliance of various groups that advocates for effective education and opportunities for youth, as well as safe and supportive, all issues that implicate broadband given the internet's role in education, opportunity, and virtual environments. Michael Powell is vice chairman of the group.

“Americans will remember Gen. Colin Powell for a long time as a model soldier, diplomat, White House advisor and a voice of wisdom and reason who reassured the country that it can meet any challenge by living up to its best ideas," said ACAC Connects President Matt Polka. "Gen. Powell leaves a remarkable record that we are proud to honor and recognize as so many others around the nation are properly doing today.

“We want to express our support and prayers for Gen. Powell’s family, including NCTA-The Internet & Television Association President & CEO Michael Powell, on the loss of this fine man. They should know that America is a great country because people like Gen. Powell led her with unselfish devotion.”

Also weighing in was the association representing the nation's public/educational ,media. 

America's Public Television Stations (APTS)  President Patrick Butler said millions of children had benefitted from Colin Powell's work with America's Promise. "[Powell] ensured that the welfare of children was a priority not only for parents, teachers and government agencies but also for some of the nation’s largest corporations, foundations and community organizations," said Butler, adding: "“It was my honor to serve briefly with General Powell during Senator Howard Baker’s tenure as White House chief of staff for President Reagan, and it was such a pleasure to know that the wise, humble, sensible, profoundly decent man the public saw over five decades in public life was just the same in private."

President Biden said of Powell: "He led with his personal commitment to the democratic values that make our country strong.  He repeatedly broke racial barriers, blazing a trail for others to follow, and was committed throughout his life to investing in the next generation of leadership.  Colin Powell was a good man who I was proud to call my friend, and he will be remembered in history as one of our great Americans."

NBCUniversal promoted content distribution executives Monica Williams and Matt Farina to senior VP.

Williams becomes senior VP of digital production and operations. Farina will be senior VP of digital product partnerships and programming.

Both execs had been VPs. They will continue to lead their teams and will continue to report to Matt Bond, chairman, NBCUniversal Content Distribution.

“Monica and Matt lead teams that work across NBCUniversal and our industry partners to deliver best-in-class experiences that are driving the future of video viewership,” Bond said. “These are well-deserved promotions and I look forward to the continued innovation that each of their groups will continue to bring to bear.”

Williams joined NBCU in 2005 and had been in the content distribution organization since 2011. She started her career as an intern in the Early Identification Program at General Electric, which owned NBCU before Comcast. 

Farina joined NBCU’s advertising sales and client partnership division in 2010 and moved to content distribution in 2014. Earlier he wired at Entertainment One.

NBCUniversal said it named former Hulu head Kelly Campbell as president of Peacock, effective November.

Campbell, who resigned from Hulu earlier this week, will work under Matt Strauss, who launched Peacock as chairman, direct-to-consumer and international at NBCUniversal.

“On the heels of Peacock’s success in its first year, we are thrilled to bring Kelly’s leadership and expertise to the team as we continue to accelerate Peacock’s vision and strategy,” said Strauss.  

Also Read: NBCU Profits Up Despite $363 Million Loss for Peacock

While Strauss may think of Peacock as a success in some way, it remains an also ran in the streaming race and was the leader in churn among the major streaming services, according to Kantar.

While Comcast’s Kantar owns Peacock, it also owns a stake in Hulu, which it is scheduled to sell to The Walt Disney Co., which holds a majority interest. 

The Paley Center for Media has named Elizabeth Rojas Levi its senior VP of communications and promoted Rene Reyes to VP of public programming and festivals. 

Rojas Levi will be responsible for leading the Paley Center’s brand and reputation efforts, corporate communications strategy and overseeing the organization’s external and internal communications. 

Reyes joined the Paley Center in 2004 and has produced over 800 public programs for the Center.   

"I am thrilled to welcome Elizabeth Rojas Levi to the Paley family and to recognize Rene Reyes for his outstanding work and dedication to raise the Paley Center’s public programs and festivals to new heights," said Maureen Reidy, president and CEO of the Paley Center. "They are both an example of the extraordinary talent, expertise and diversity of our leadership team, and reflect Paley’s position as the standard of excellence in the industry now and for generations to come.”

Rojas Levi comes from Nokia Corp., where she led global communications for Nokia Enterprise. She will be based in New York. 

“It’s an honor to join the team during an exciting time for the industry as technology continues to change consumer behavior, access to content and today’s cultural landscape,” she said. 

Reyes will manage the implementation of the Paley Center’s programs such as the Paley Front Rows and Paley Lives, as well as major festivals, including PaleyFest LA, PaleyFest NY and PaleyFest Fall TV Previews. 

"It continues to be an honor to celebrate and preserve the creative legacy of television through the work of the Paley Center, and a privilege to collaborate with my talented colleagues at Paley and throughout an industry that I love," said Reyes.

Comcast said it has named John “J.D.” Keller as senior VP of its Mountain West Region, overseeing company operations in Utah, Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona and parts of Idaho with more than 2.5 million customers and more than 2,500 employees. He will report to Comcast West division president Rich Jennings. 

Keller succeeds Amy Lynch, who was named SVP of customer experience and customer operations for Comcast’s West division. 

“J.D. is a strong, innovative leader at Comcast, dedicated to our employees and operational excellence,” Jennings said in a press release. “His track record for bringing teams together will serve him well as he settles into his new role. J.D. will be a valuable and steadfast voice overseeing this multi-state region.”

Keller most recently served as senior VP of Comcast’s Twin Cities region for the past four years. He joined Comcast in 2017 from ADT Security Services, where he served in several senior leadership roles. A native of Utah, Keller said in a press release that he is excited to return to the area. 

“So many new technology innovations and advancements are being developed here in the Mountain West, and here are incredible opportunities to engage more people in today’s digital world,” Keller said in the press release. “I’m eager to collaborate with local business, community, education and nonprofit leaders to create meaningful change in our communities and connect people to more of what they love.”

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.

BET
BET has elevated Keith Lawson to senior VP of brand solutions.
He will lead brand solutions efforts, as well as the network’s advertising sales production teams to support ideation efforts  and project management. 

BET
Tavia Pitts was elevated to senior VP of ad sales at BET. She will continue to manage some of the ViacomCBS-owned programmer’s key clients while handling advertising sales responsibilities for the BET Her and BET Live platforms. 

CHARTER
Jodi Robinson was promoted to executive VP, digital platforms at Charter Communications. She joined Charter as a senior VP in 2014, overseeing the user experience design and development and digital platforms organizations. 

CHARTER
Charter Communications upped Jake Perlman to executive VP, software development & IT. He joined Charter as senior VP of video and shared software services in 2016, adding video engineering, voice engineering, lab infrastructure and deployment support in 2019.

CROWN MEDIA
Megan Barbe has joined Hallmark Channel parent Crown Media Family Networks as
VP, consumer insights, based in Los Angeles. She comes from Freeform, where she had worked as the network’s VP, research and consumer insights. 

CROWN MEDIA
Crown Media Family Networks has hired Courtney Huber as VP, distribution partnership marketing, based in New York. She comes from factual over-the-top service CuriosityStream, where she was VP, international partner marketing. 

DISCOVERY
Discovery has elevated Jason Sarlanis to president, crime and investigative content, linear and streaming, assuming the leadership  of  ID: Investigation Discovery from the retiring Henry Schleiff.  He had been senior VP, development, at TLC.   

EWTN
Catholic-focused network EWTN has named Shannon Mullen as editor-in-chief of the Catholic News Agency. A 33-year journalist, he served as an investigative reporter, enterprise editor and premium content coach over 10 years with Gannett. 

KARE
Tegna-owned NBC affiliate KARE Minneapolis-St. Paul has named Reggie Wilson as its sports director, appearing on 6 p.m. and 10 p.m. newscasts. He comes from WCPO Cincinnati, where he hosted the sports talk show Sports of All Sorts. 

MSG NETWORKS
MSG Networks in New York has hired Talaya Wilkins as VP of content strategy. The former ESPN producer will focus on developing programming targeted at the expanding  sports betting audience and lead the growing MSG Networks content team.

NEWSY
E.W. Scripps has hired Eric Ludgood as head of multiplatform news network Newsy, based in Atlanta. Most recently the assistant news director at Fox-owned station WAGA Atlanta, he spent 13 years at CNN International, including as VP for editorial. 

NEXSTAR
Lee Ann Gliha has joined Nexstar Broadcast Group as executive VP and chief financial officer. She comes from investment bank Jeffries LLC, where she was managing director overseeing more than $90 billion in tech, media and telecommunications transactions. 

SAMBA TV 
Kris Magel has joined omniscreen advertising and analytics provider Samba TV as VP and head of agency development. He comes from advertising agency Dentsu, where he was president of media clients, responsible for building cross-media solutions. 

TVU NETWORKS
Douglas Russell has joined cloud and IP-based video solutions provider TVU Networks as Northwest Regional Accounts Manager, North America Sales. He has held senior-level engineering posts at Amazon Prime Sports, Keycode Media and Raytheon. 

WEIGEL
Donna D’Alessandro has joined Weigel Broadcasting as executive VP, head of content, involved in programming its suite of digital broadcast networks. She comes from Discovery, where she was VP, factual programming for Discovery Channel, Animal Planet and Science Channel. 

WHAS 
Tegna has named Lisa Columbia as president and general manager of ABC affiliate WHAS, Louisville, Kentucky. She rejoins the station from ABC affiliate WTVQ Lexington, Kentucky, where she was general and local sales manager.

WILKINSON BAKER KNAUER
KC Becker has joined Wilkinson Barker Knauer in Denver as a partner specializing in communications, energy and environment. A former Colorado state representative, she is the first woman to serve as Colorado’s Speaker of the House. 

WTKR
Adam Chase was named VP and general manager of WTKR, the E.W. Scripps-owned CBS affiliate in Norfolk, Virginia. He had been VP and general manager of Scripps-owned ABC station KXXV in Waco, Texas, and independent station KRHD in Bryan, Texas. 

BRIEFLY NOTED

Byron Allen’s Allen Media Group has hired Jocelyn Langevine as VP of advertising sales and client partnerships for theGrio. Langevine most recently was senior director of integrated marketing at ViacomCBS. … Crown Media Family Networks elevated Marc Linden­man to senior director, distribution. He had worked in the partner marketing unit. … Advertising tech firm Targetspot has named Laurence Henuzet as operations director.  … Jennifer Lyons has joined CBS-owned WBBM Chicago as president and general manager. The longtime news director at WGN Chicago was most recently VP of news at Nexstar Broadcast Group-owned cable network NewsNation. …  Bob Ellis was named VP and general manager of Graham Media Group-owned WDIV Detroit. He was VP and GM of WJXT Jacksonville, Florida, with responsibility for WCWJ.

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.