Exclusive: McDonnell Departing Raycom to Focus on Bellum

Mary Carole McDonnell, executive VP of programming for Raycom Media, is leaving that position in September to exclusively focus on Bellum Entertainment, the television production company she launched in 2005.

“With Bellum’s continued success and expansion, I’ve decided to devote my efforts exclusively to our projects. My hope is to continue working with Raycom and other station groups on current and future shows that we produce and I thank them for 15 great years,” said McDonnell in a statement.

“Mary Carole is a tremendous executive who will be missed at Raycom. We hope to continue to work with her on projects in the years to come and we wish her all the best at Bellum,” said Paul McTear, Raycom’s president and CEO, also in a statement.

This fall, Bellum is debuting two new strips this fall: Flip My Food, starring Chef Jeff, and Fix It, Finish It, starring Antonio Sabato Jr., both of which will premiere Sept. 8. Bellum also is introducing a weekly show, What Went Down, this fall. Additional projects in development include Unsealed, State to State, and Origins.

While at Raycom Media, McDonnell oversaw all programming, including acquisitions, scheduling and budgeting. Prior to joining Raycom, she served was vice president of programming and marketing at Argyle Television.

Paige Albiniak

Contributing editor Paige Albiniak has been covering the business of television for more than 25 years. She is a longtime contributor to Next TV, Broadcasting + Cable and Multichannel News. She concurrently serves as editorial director for The Global Entertainment Marketing Academy of Arts & Sciences (G.E.M.A.). She has written for such publications as TVNewsCheck, The New York Post, Variety, CBS Watch and more. Albiniak was B+C’s Los Angeles bureau chief from September 2002 to 2004, and an associate editor covering Congress and lobbying for the magazine in Washington, D.C., from January 1997 - September 2002.