John D. Hillis, president, CEO and founder of the Washington, D.C.-area's NewsChannel 8 cable news channel, has left the news service and formed Equinox Media
International LLC, a Fairfax, Va.-based media-consulting firm.
Last month, NewsChannel 8 merged its news operations with Allbritton Communications Co.'s other
Washington property, WJLA-TV, and local newspeople had speculated on whether the
new combo would be eliminating some leadership positions, but Hillis, who was
with the cable news channel more than 11 years, said he had wanted to move on
for a while, noting that his relationship with Allbritton will continue in a
consulting capacity.
Hillis expects much of his work to involve helping media transition to
digital, and possibly due diligence on TV sales.
