Below is a compilation of the latest executive moves in the industry.
Cox President Pat Esser will chair C-SPAN’s executive committee, the board of directors announced during their annual meeting on Oct. 8. Amy Tykeson, president of BendBroadband, was named to the executive committee. Two board members were additionally appointed during the meeting: Jeff DeMond, CEO of BCI Broadband, and Edward Hollerran, president of Atlantic Brodband.
Kevin Roseborough was named VP and news director at WJBK Detroit on Oct. 8. Roseborough, who has served as assistant news director at the station since 2006, will succeed Dana Hahn at the Fox affiliate. Hahn left the station to helm WTTG Washington.
ReelzChannel has tapped Steve Cheskin as senior VP of programming, the company announced on Oct. 8. Cheskin recently served as executive VP of programming at TLC where he developed Sister Wives, Sarah Palin’s Alaska and Extreme Couponing, among others. In his new role, Cheskin will oversee program development, production, scheduling and acquisitions.
Doug Collins has been tapped to replace Michael Wilbon on ESPN’s NBA Countdown. Collins, who coached the Philadelphia 76ers over the last three seasons, signed a multiyear deal with the network on Oct. 8. NBA Countdown airs starting Nov. 1 at 7 p.m.
Thom Hinkle was named VP of comedy at TBS on Oct. 8.Hinkle, who perviously served as copresident of Carousel Television, will supervise the network’s original scripted comedies and will report to Brett Weitz, senior VP of scripted development for TBS and TNT.
Mark Bennett was upped on Oct. 8 to VP of finance for CBS News. Bennett, who worked as CBS News’ director of financial operations, will continue to supervise financial operations and will take on management of financial planning and reporting.
Chris Cole has been tapped as senior VP of TV co-productions and sales, factual at BBC Worldwide North America. Cole, whose appointment is effective Nov. 4, will oversee development of strategic business initiatives. He previously managed content for BBC One and BBC Two.
Lisa Sherman will step down as executive VP and general manager of Logo, announced Van Toffler, president of Viacom Media Networks Music & Logo Group, on Oct. 7. Sherman has been with Logo since its inception. Toffler also revealed that the network will align itself more fully with MTV, but continue to maintain its own identity. There was no mention of what Sherman’s next move will be.
Lionsgate named Faruk Alatan and Gabriella Ballabio as Italian sales agents, the company announced during MIPCOM on Oct. 7. Alatan and Ballabio will exclusively handle Lionsgate’s distribution in the country.
Pablo Gargiulo has been tapped as president of global sales at Harris Broadcast, the company announced on Oct. 7. Gargiulo, who previously served as COO and executive VP of Xtera Communications, Inc., will report to Harris Broadcast CEO Charlie Vogt. The company also appointed four executives to head new sales teams in four regions: Chris Ziemer will helm the North America branch; Nahuel Villegas will steer the North America branch, Central/Latin American division; Mathias Eckert will oversee the Middle East and Africa arm; and Joe Khodeir and JiShun Mei will supervise the Asia region.
Endemol North America named on Oct. 7 Chris Abrego and Charlie Corwin as co-CEOs and cochairmen of the company. Abrego and Corwin replace David Goldberg, who announced in September that he will resign his post at the end of the year. Abrego previously served as CEO of 51 Minds and Corwin worked as CEO of Original Media. Both 51 Minds and Original Media are subsidiaries of Endemol USA.
Albert Cheng, Dave Lougee and Michael O’Neill were elected to Broadcast Music, Inc.’s board of directors on Oct. 7. Cheng currently serves as executive VP and chief product officer, digital media, for Disney/ABC Television Group. Lougee heads Gannett Co., Inc.’s broadcasting division. O’Neill is CEO of BMI. The music rights management company also chose Meredith Broadcasting Group President Paul Karpowicz as vice chairman of the board. Jack Sander, former vice chairman of Belo Corporation, and CW President Mark Pedowitz were re-elected to the board.
Neal Kendall has stepped down from his role as executive producer of CBS Television Distribution’s The Arsenio Hall Show, it was reported on Oct. 5. Eric Pankowski, CTD’s senior VP of programming, will serve as interim EP until a replacement is hired.
Issac Lee will serve as CEO of Fusion Network, the joint venture between Univision and Disney/ABC Television Networks. Lee will also continue to helm Univision News. Acting Fusion CEO Beau Ferrari will stay on as an executive VP at Univision.
David Lettermen extends his contract as host of The Late Show through 2015, CBS announced on Oct. 4. Letterman’s deal comes as the 31-year late-night vet’s main competitor Jay Leno prepares to step down as host of the Tonight Show. Leno will be replaced by Late Night emcee Jimmy Fallon.
Bert Medina was named on Oct. 4 VP and general manager of WPLG Miami. Medina, who previously served as senior VP and operating manager of the TeleFutura Television Network as well as VP and general manager of Univision-TeleFutura duo WGBO-WXFT Chicago. Medina succeeds Dave Boylan, who left Post-Newsweek’s ABC affiliate to work as director of the Rentrak board. In his new role, Medina will oversee WPLG and subchannels Me-TV and Live Well Network.
Emilio Romano resigned as Telemundio Media president on Oct. 4. Romano has served as president of the NBCUniversal network since 2001. The announcement comes as a number of executives have left NBCU over the last few weeks, including Executive VP Lauren Zalaznick and Oxygen President Jason Klarman.
Eric Kessler will leave his post as HBO president and COO, said company CEO Richard Plepler in an internal memo on Oct. 4. In an attempt to streamline HBO’s executive ladder, Kessler’s position will not be filled. The 27-year HBO vet will stay on during the transition. His resignation comes on the heels of entertainment president Sue Naegle’s departure.
Kevin Doerr was named on Oct. 4 senior VP of digital products at The Weather Channel. Doerr, who recently served as VP of mobile products at Yahoo! Inc., will oversee product development and strategy for the network, including weather.com and the net’s smartphone and tablet apps.
Robert Bunch will retire as VP and general manager of KWTX Waco as of Dec. 31. Mike Wright, who is GM at sister station KBTX Bryan/College Station, will take over as VP and general manager of KWTX-KBTX. Both stations are Gray Television CBS affiliates. Lori Bruffett, KBTX general sales manager, will oversee the daily operations of KBTX.
Jay Shaylor was named executive producer of CNN’s The Situation Room With Wolf Blitzer, announced CNN Washington Bureau Chief Sam Feist on Oct. 2. Shaylor previously served as senior producer of Good Morning America where he coordinated coverage of the Boston Marathon bombings and the Oklahoma tornadoes.
Chris Andaya was upped on Oct. 3 to VP of business affairs at CBS News. In his new role, Andaya, who recently worked as senior executive director of business affairs, will oversee business matters as well as all media clearances for 60 Minutes, CBS Evening News With Scott Pelley, CBS This Morning, 48 Hours, CBS Sunday Morning With Charles Osgood and Face the Nation With Bob Schieffer.
John Orlando was upped to executive VP of CBS’s government affairs. Orlando, who previously served as senior VP of government affairs, will replace the retiring government affairs chief Marty Franks and will report directly to CBS President Leslie Moonves.
Bryan Cranston will narrate H2’s new series Big History, the network announced on Oct. 2.Big History premieres on H2 on Nov. 2.
Echo Bridge Entertainment upped Gilda Demirtas and Susan Hewitt to VPs of international distribution, the company announced on Oct. 2. Both Demirtas and Hewitt previously served as directors of sales.
The Southern California Broadcasters Association elected new officers to its board of directors, including Univision’s Jaime Jimenez as chairman, Team Cumulus’s Marko Radlovic as vice chairman, Point Broadcasting’s Miles Sexton as secretary, Clear Channel Media’s Greg Ashlock as treasurer, and Emmis Broadcasting and KPWR’s Val Maki as at-large executive.
Terry D. Kramer was named chairman of Envivio’s board of directors on Oct. 2. Kramer, who previously held a variety of executive posts at Vodafone Group/Airtouch Communications, has served on the board since May 2011.
