Comcast SportsNet Snags Singer, Sheehey

Comcast SportsNet added some depth to its executive roster Tuesday by appointing Comcast Corp. veterans Allan Singer and Michael Sheehey to the newly established positions of senior vice president of sports-business development and senior VP of sports content, respectively, for its family of regional sports networks.

Singer and Sheehey will report to Comcast SportsNet CEO Jack Williams.

Singer, formerly senior VP of programming investments for Comcast, will now be charged with securing programming relationships for Comcast SportsNet, company executives said.

Sheehey, who most recently served as VP of sports content for Comcast, will be responsible for identifying programming-content opportunities for Comcast’s stable of RSNs, including services in Philadelphia; Baltimore; Washington, D.C.; Chicago; and northern and central California, as well as Comcast’s joint venture in New York with Time Warner Cable and Major League Baseball’s New York Mets, which is set to launch next spring.

"Allan and Mike are both proven assets in our company with impressive track records for developing and building network business," Williams said in a prepared statement. "This is an exciting time for Comcast SportsNet as we continue to expand our operations and identify partnerships for compelling content across all of our markets."

R. Thomas Umstead

R. Thomas Umstead serves as senior content producer, programming for Multichannel News, Broadcasting + Cable and Next TV. During his more than 30-year career as a print and online journalist, Umstead has written articles on a variety of subjects ranging from TV technology, marketing and sports production to content distribution and development. He has provided expert commentary on television issues and trends for such TV, print, radio and streaming outlets as Fox News, CNBC, the Today show, USA Today, The New York Times and National Public Radio. Umstead has also filmed, produced and edited more than 100 original video interviews, profiles and news reports featuring key cable television executives as well as entertainers and celebrity personalities.