Three network affiliate-sales officials changed jobs last
week, including Charles Nooney, who had been executive vice president of affiliate sales
and marketing at Disney/ABC Cable Networks.
Nooney is joining San Francisco-based Pics Retail Networks,
a retail media network, as president. PRN provides programming and displays to retail
stores -- such as Wal-Mart Stores Inc.; Sears, Roebuck & Co.; Best Buy; and Circuit
City Stores Inc. -- via digital satellite.
Nooney's duties at Disney/ABC Cable will be assumed on
an interim basis by Ben Pyne, vice president of national accounts, and David Daniels, vice
president of the Eastern division, according to a Disney spokeswoman.
Nooney has helped to oversee Disney Channel's
conversion to a basic service from a premium network, and he was involved with the launch
of all-animation channel Toon Disney.
Most recently, he has been trying to get carriage for
Disney/ABC Cable's newest channel, SoapNet. Disney is offering retransmission consent
for ABC-owned TV stations in exchange for distribution for SoapNet, which launched last
month with 1 million homes.
"While at Disney, [Nooney] substantially increased
Disney affiliate revenue and grew the Disney Channel subscriber base by 500 percent,"
PRN chairman Jeffrey Cohen said in a prepared statement.
In another executive move, Greg Willis, formerly senior
vice president of affiliate sales and marketing for The Box Music Network, has joined
Internet-consulting company iXL Inc. Willis will serve as vice president of business
development, media and entertainment.
And in the third executive change last week, Jan Hatcher
has been named senior vice president of distribution at Lifetime Entertainment Services,
in charge of securing carriage for Lifetime Television and Lifetime Movie Network.
Hatcher was most recently senior vice president of
affiliate sales and marketing for Scripps Networks, including Home & Garden
Television, Food Network and Do It Yourself.
Hatcher will be based in Los Angeles, and he will report to
Louise Henry Bryson, Lifetime Entertainment's executive vice president of
distribution and business development.
In other news, Bill Keenan, former chief financial officer
of E! Entertainment Television, has joined KidsOnLine.com Inc.'s Swap.com as CEO.
