Zaslav Names Digital Chief For Discovery

Raiding the ranks of his former employer, Discovery President/CEO has named senior NBC Universal executive Bruce Campbell as Discovery's digital media chief. Campbell, currently Executive Vice President of Business Development for NBCU, joins Discovery as President, Digital Media, Emerging Networks and Business Development.

Discovery veteran and Clint Stinchcomb, who has handled mobile, VOD and HD projects and was floated as a candidate to lead digital projects, remains in an Executive Vice President/General Manager role and adds oversight of Discovery's new "Emerging Networks" group of cable channels.

The company's digital plans have been unclear since its last top executive in the area, Don Baer, left the company in November. Zaslav joined Discovery in November  and reorganized its executive ranks in February .

As part of the changes, he created an "emerging networks" group to cluster the company's smaller cable channels - like the Military Channel - together and try to grow their business. He also enlisted respected media analyst Tom Wolzien to consult on Discovery's digital strategy, let go Discovery's head of Human Resources and brought in a colleague from NBCU's HR department to fill the role ().

Campbell, who has been at his current job at NBC U since October, 2005, has been brought on to oversee worldwide business development for Discovery, which includes acquisitions, joint ventures and new business deals, including those in the digital space. After joining NBC U in 1997 as a corporate lawyer, he became VP of Business Development in 2000 and SVP in 2002. 

Stinchcomb, who joined Discovery in 1992, has most recently overseen the company's new media and HDTV projects, including mobile and VOD.

In his new position, he adds oversight of Discovery's three small "emerging" cable networks - Discovery Times Channel, The Military Channel and Discovery Home Channel. With each of those channels in some 45 million homes - about midway distributed - Zaslav has said he wants to cluster them together internally to keep them from getting "lost in the clutter."