Here is a compilation of the latest executive moves in the industry.
Fox Sports signed longtime ESPN college basketball analyst Bill Raferty June 27 to call Big East basketball for Fox Sports 1. Raftery will continue in his role with CBS as a lead analyst for men’s basketball, including the NCAA tournament.
Kirk Herbstreit was signed June 27 as an ESPN college football analyst through 2022. Herbstreit will continue to be in the booth for ABC’s Saturday Night Football package, as well as call the Rose Bowl and BCS Championship. He remains a coanalyst on ESPN College GameDay.
Jim Prendergast and Dan Weinberg were both appointed June 27 to director of sales, NBC Sports Ventures. Prendergast was formerly director of sales and business development for NFuse Marketing, and Weinberg served as head of global sales for Tough Mudder. The pair will be responsible for growing the company’s revenue through all of its endeavors, including Alli Sports, the American Century Golf Championship, the PNC Father/Son Challenge and the Rugby Sevens Collegiate Championship. They will report to Steven Justman, VP, sales, NBC Sports Ventures.
Bill Bratton joined NBC News and MSNBC June 27 as an analyst, following a career as NYPD and Boston police commissioner and LAPD police chief. He will weigh in on criminal justice policy, domestic intelligence gathering and local law enforcement’s counter-terrorism efforts.
Thomas Nielsen was hired June 26 as VP, products, Brightcove, from president and CEO at RealNetworks. He will oversee the company’s product strategy and delivery and lead Brightcove’s product development, product management and engineering teams.
Stephanie Fried was named on June 26 VP of digital insights and marketing for Discovery Communications’ digital media group, from VP, research insights and analytics, VEVO. She will lead audience and sales research across the company’s platforms.
Former MTV Networks CEO Judy McGrath joined Sony Pictures on June 26 to head up a venture called Astronauts Wanted: No Experience Necessary. She will work with Sony to develop TV, Internet and mobile content for millennials.
Charlie Foley was promoted June 26 to executive VP of the newly created Original Content Group for Discovery Communications. He will still oversee Animal Planet’s development department and report to Marjorie Kaplan, group president and general manager of Animal Planet, Science Channel & Velocity. In his new role, he will create, write and executive produce scripted and nonfiction series and formats for Discovery Networks in the U.S. and internationally.
Rep. (now Senator) Ed Markey (D-Mass.) won his special election June 26 for the Senate seat of Secretary of State John Kerry. Markey is the former chairman of the House Communications Subcommittee and a veteran media consolidation critic.
Brian Levy was promoted June 25 to director, direct response sales, NBCUniversal Domestic Television Distribution, from manager, direct response sales. He will continue to report to Bo Argentino, senior VP, advertising and media sales, NBC Universal Domestic Television Distribution.
Geoff Roth was named on June 25 VP of local content at Fox-owned WJZY-WMYT Charlotte from executive producer of KRIV Houston. Beginning July 8, Roth will be responsible for formulating and leading the creative execution of all news programming.
ABC News promoted Jonathan Greenberger on June 25 as executive broadcast producer of This Week with George Stephanopoulos, from senior producer. He will report to Robin Sproul, Washington bureau chief and executive in charge of This Week.
The Senate voted overwhelmingly June 25 to confirm Penny Pritzker as the Secretary of Commerce. She will be ultimately responsible — through Commerce’s National Telecommunications & Information Administration (NTIA) — for finding government spectrum to give up for auction per the president’s plan to free up 500 MHz for wireless broadband within 10 years.
Jay Summerlin was appointed June 24 to senior account manager for NEP’s U.S. Mobile Units group. Summerlin will cultivate business with NEP regional and national broadcasting clients throughout the U.S., and assist in the company’s international sales efforts. He will report to Mike Werteen, senior VP, sales and client services, NEP.
David Friedman was hired June 24 as creative executive for ABC’s Good Morning America, following numerous jobs in production, including executive producer of CBS’ Early Show. Friedman will work with the program’s senior executive producer Tom Cibrowski on planning and executing new Good Morning America events, as well as the daily execution of the program.
Hearst Magazines and Dr. Mehmet Oz announced June 24 that they will be partnering to launch a new lifestyle magazine that will hit newsstands nationwide in the first quarter of 2014. Initial newsstand distribution for the first pilot issue will be 350,000 copies, with an additional 450,000 copies sent to targeted subscribers of select Hearst titles.
TV and screen writer and novelist Richard Matheson, 87, died June 23 at his home in Calabasas, Calif. Matheson wrote in a variety of genres, but was best known for his sci-fi, fantasy and horror scripts for Twilight Zone, Star Trek, Night Gallery and many others.
Television writer and producer Gary David Goldberg died June 22 from brain cancer at his Montecito, Calif. home. He was 68. Goldberg is known for creating the sitcom that launched Michael J. Fox’s career, Family Ties, and ABC’s Spin City.
Bob Prather resigned June 21 as president and COO of Gray Television. Hilton H. Howell Jr., company CEO, will assume the role.
Angela Santone was promoted June 21 to senior VP and chief human resources officer for Turner Broadcasting Systems Inc., from senior VP of human resources. She will lead all human resources functions for the company and report to Kelly Regal, executive VP, Turner Broadcasting Systems Inc.
Jim Liberatore was appointed June 21 to CEO of Outdoor Channel from president of regional sports network SportsTime Ohio. The appointment comes after Outdoor Channel was acquired by Kroenke Sports and Entertainment in May for about $267 million.
Rab Mukraj was appointed June 20 to chief technology officer, Campus Televideo, from senior technology management roles at Madison Logic and Clear Channel Digital Radio. He will lead the company’s development of IP video solutions.
Lucy Hood was appointed June 20 to president of the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. She will report to Television Academy chairman Bruce Rosenblum and Foundation chairman Jerry Petry, working on new strategies and business development, and will be responsible for day-to-day operations.
