Former Discovery Communications president of new media John Ford is coming back to run the Military Channel and Discovery Times Channel networks.
Ford, who left Discovery in 2003 to take over as National Geographic Channel’s executive vice president of programming and production, will oversee the creative and business strategy, including programming, operations and new media content, for the 48-million-subscriber Military Channel and 47-million-subscriber Discovery Times service.
Discovery executive Clint Stinchcomb, who headed up both networks, will continue to oversee Discovery’s high definition service HD Theater, as well as Turbo Media, Discovery’s multiplatform, multimedia initiative focused on all things motorized.
Ford, who had left National Geographic in March to start his own production company, said Discovery Communications CEO David Zaslav lured him back into the fold.
“This was not my plan, but [Zaslav’s] vision of the company, what he was doing and what he planned to do was so compelling, I decided to move in with Discovery again,” he said. “I’m delighted to be back.”
