Below is a compilation of the latest moves in the industry.
Actor Ken Weatherwax died following a heart attack, according to TMZ. He was 59. Weatherwax was best known for his role on the original Addams Family TV series as Pugsley Addams, later voicing the character in the animated series and playing Pugsley Sr. in the TV movie Halloween with the New Addams Family.
Kimberly Godwin has been tapped as senior broadcast producer of the CBS Evening News with Scott Pelley, effective immediately. Godwin spent more than 20 years as a manager and newsroom leader at number of top local stations across the country before joining the CBS program in 2007 as a senior producer.
The NAACP announced on Dec. 9 the nominations for its Image Awards, which celebrate the accomplishments of people of color in television, music, literature and film. Lifetime snagged 16 nominations, while BET had 14 nods. ABC led all cable networks with 25.
American Idol producer Andy Meyer has joined Tremendous! Entertainment as VP of development, the company announced Dec. 9. Meyer, formerly head of development at Jarrett Creative Group, will lead the company’s new East Coast operations. Also joining the development team is BarronWhittet as creative director of development.
MLB Network has named Rob McGlarry its new president. McGlarry, who had been executive VP of content, was originally the senior VP of programming and business affairs when MLBN launched in 2009. Incoming MLB commissioner Rob Manfred has been restructuring the league’s central offices. Bob Bowman, who had been MLB Advanced Media’s CEO since 2000, is now president of business and media. Tony Petitti, who had led MLB Network as president and CEO since its creation in 2008, will take over Manfred’s old job as COO. In addition, Tim Brosnan, who was one of the finalists to succeed Bud Selig as commissioner, will be departing from his role as executive VP of business and CEO of MLB Enterprises in January.
NBC News has selected Janelle Rodriguez to be its new senior VP of editorial. She will begin in January and report to NBC News president Deborah Turness, who made the announcement Dec. 9. Rodriguez, who had been the VP of programming at CNN since 2012, will supervise investigations and lead the editorial direction of breaking news.
Simulmedia announced Dec. 9 that JoeGermscheid has joined the sales team in the new role of senior director of business intelligence and outcomes. Germscheid was previously the director of consumer engagement and a senior partner in Minneapolis-St. Paul’s Carmichael Lynch.
WJZY/WMYT Charlotte has appointed Karen Koutsky VP and news director at the Fox-owned station. Koutsky, formerly the VP and news director at Tribune’s WGHP in High Point, N.C., will begin in Charlotte on Jan. 5 and report to VP and general manager Karen Adams, who used to be general manager at WGHP.
Turner Broadcast has elevated John Harran to senior VP of business and product development and Michael Quigley to senior VP of brand distribution. The execs at Turner Network Sales, the programmer’s domestic distribution, sales and marketing division, report to Jennifer Mirgorod, the executive VP of brand distribution.
Ross Video announced that Patrick Twomey will be the new marketing production manager, technical, for the XPression graphics team. Twomey, who has previously worked at Avid, Chyron, NBC, CBS and Fox, has been at Ross since June working on the company’s new order management system as workflow solutions manager.
Turner Sports announced a number of changes at Bleacher Report. Dorth Raphaely has been upped to general manager of Bleacher Report and Rory Brown has been named chief content officer, the division’s top leadership positions. Founder and general manager Dave Finocchio and Sam Parnell, chief technology officer, will take on new new strategic advisory roles in 2015.
CNN chief political correspondent and State of the Union host Candy Crowley will end her 27-year tenure with the network. Crowley, who joined CNN in 1987 after stints with NBC and the AP, had hosted the Sunday morning affairs program since 2010 and, in 2012, became the first woman in 20 years to host a presidential debate.
Ann Marcus, the Emmy-winning TV writer, died Dec. 3 at her home in Sherman Oaks, Calif., according to the Writers Guild of America, West. She was 93. A former board member and member of the board of governors of the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, Marcus worked on the Norman Lear talk show send-up, Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman.
The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences announced Dec. 4 that David Winn had been promoted to senior VP news and documentary Emmy Awards. Winn, who had been serving as director of news and documentary awards since 2004, directs all aspects of the competition, including rules, processing and judging.
Cablevision Systems has tapped former ad executive Mickey Paxton as senior VP and executive director of creative services, effective immediately. Paxton, who reports to Matt Lake, Cablevision’s senior VP of marketing and advertising, will oversee creative execution of the company’s marketing and brand initiatives.
John Najarian has been appointed executive VP, news and digital for E!. Najarian will supervise the network’s news division and E! News series. Additionally, Jen Neal has been selected to be the new executive VP, marketing for E! Entertainment and Esquire Network. Announcements were made Dec. 4 by E! general manager and Esquire president Adam Stotsky.
WBAY Green Bay has upped Steve Lavin to VP and general manager, beginning Jan. 1. Lavin, who has been serving as station manager and general sales manager, will take over for the retiring Don Carmichael. Lavin, previously an account manager at WBAY from 1996 to 2000 before leaving for WEAU Eau Claire, Wisc., returned to WBAY in 2005.
The National Association of Broadcasters is inducting Grey’s Anatomy and Scandal creator Shonda Rhimes into its Hall of Fame, the association announced Dec. 4. The induction will happen at a luncheon April 13 at the NAB Show in Las Vegas. ABC airs three consecutive hour-long, Rhimes-produced shows Thursday nights.
Simulmedia announced Dec. 4 that it had welcomed Kelly Mead to the company as its new VP, program management. Mead, who had been VP of product management and client strategic development at NPD Group since 2011, will be based in Simulmedia’s New York headquarters and report to senior VP product Preetham Mallikarjuna.
FCC deputy press secretary Bartees Cox has departed from the commission, press secretary Kim Hart confirmed, for a job in New York. Cox, who joined the FCC earlier this year, was previously a spokesman for Public Knowledge, whose founder Gigi Sohn joined the FCC last year as a special counsel to chairman Tom Wheeler.
Visual effect post production studio ArsenalFX has chosen Sean Starkweather to be its new creative director. Starkweather, previously the creative director at Stardust, where he worked on high-profile spots for brands like Air Jordan, Samsung and Starbucks, has experience in all aspects of commercial production.
Don Carmichael is set to retire as WBAY Green Bay’s VP and general manager at the end of 2014. Carmichael had a 35-year career in the business, including the last two decades at the helm of WBAY.
Veteran Fox Sports executive Scott Ackerman is retiring in March. The executive VP of news and longtime producer for Fox NFL Sunday will remain with the network in an advisory capacity. Ackerman, who joined Fox Sports in 1994, helped shepherd the former Speech channel into Fox Sports 1 in 2013. He won 13 Emmys throughout his career.
Edwin Groves has been tapped as general manager of KBSI, the Sinclair-owned station in the Paducah-Cape Girardeau-Harrisburg market. Groves, who has 25 years of experience including a stint from 2009-2014 as WAAY Huntsville’s general sales manager, will oversee WDKA, which is programmed by Sinclair.
WTEN Albany general sales manager Ron Romines has been elevated to VP and general manager of the station. Romines, who had been general sales manager since 2005, began in his new position on Dec.1, taking over for Andy Alford, who became VP and general manager of Media General sibling WFLA Tampa.
Alterna’TV announced on Dec. 3 that Roberto Perez had been named senior director, marketing and distribution, for the United States, Canada and Mexico. Perez joins the Miami-based subsidiary of Eutelsat Americas with a decade of marketing and distribution experience at DirecTV, Comcast and Cox Communications.
Michael Jack will retire from his post as president and general manager of WNBC New York in June 2015. Jack had been general manager of WRC Washington when he took the helm of the NBC local flagship in 2010. He formerly served as general manager of WCMH Columbus, which was owned by NBC at the time.
