Below is a compilation of the latest executive moves in the industry.
Greg D’Alba (pictured) has been named president, global sales and marketing at WME and IMG, it was announced June 17. D’Alba, who formerly served as president of sales at CNN News Networks, will manage all of WME and IMG’s brand partnerships as well as the companies’ sales and marketing plans. He reports to coCEOs Patrick Whitesell and Ari Emanuel.
David Shaye will join Entertainment One as VP of development, U.S. alternative programming, the production company announced on June 17. Shaye most recently worked in development at Evolution Media. His appointment is part of eOne’s unscripted expansion, which also includes the signing of producers Kevin Healey, Riaz Patel and Ben Bitonti.
Eglon Simons has been appointed president of the National Association for Multi-ethnicity in Communications, NAMIC announced on June 17. The former Cabelvision and CBS exec fills the post vacated in July 2013 after former president and CEO Nicol Turner-Lee resigned. Simons, who is set to start on June 23, will oversee all of the organization’s operations.
David Bangura has been tapped as president and general manager of independent station WADL Detroit. Bangura previously served as president and general manager of MyNetworkTV affiliate WMYD Detroit. WADL is owned by Adell Broadcasting.
Subrata De has been tasked as VP of multiplatform news gathering at ABC News, it was announced on June 17. De, who is a former executive producer of Andrea Mitchell Reports and senior producer of NBC Nightly News, will join ABC on June 23, overseeing all digital and social media news gathering. The network also announced that David Reiter and Wendy Fisher will take on new roles at the ABC News.
Orad Hi-Tec Systems Ltd. has expanded its North American operations, announcing on June 17 the additions of Robert Kakareka and Scott Rogers to its team. Kakareka, who most recently had stints at Pixel Power and Miranda Technology, will serve as director of sales, Southeast region, for Orad. Rogers, who has worked at Miranda Technology, Harris Broadcast, TVIPs and Sencore, will serve as director of sales, Central region at Orad.
Gordon Smith has inked a deal with the National Association of Broadcasters to stay on as president through Dec. 31, 2018. Smith, who has worked as NAB president since 2009, has championed the organization’s campaign for a fair incentive auction. Prior to NAB, he was a two-term Republican Senator for Oregon.
Julianna Goldman has been named as a Washington bureau correspondent for CBS News, the news net announced on June 16. Goldman, who previously worked for Bloomberg News and Bloomberg Television, will start at CBS in August. At Bloomberg, she was the first reporter to do a one-on-one interview with President Obama after his re-election in 2012.
Bryant Burke has joined GatesAir as VP of operations. The former Movius Interactive exec will oversee the company’s growth, reporting to Rich Redmond, chief product officer at GatesAir.
Casey Kasem, longtime host of the American Top 40 and voice of Scooby-Doo character Shaggy, died on June 15. He was 82. The radio and TV personality passed away at St. Anthony’s hospital in Gig Harbor, Wash. from advanced Parkinson’s Disease and dementia.
Jim Rogers, KSNV Las Vegas owner, died June 14. He was 75. The independent station owner and philanthropist passed away after a long battle with cancer. Rogers was a Las Vegas High School graduate and had served as a chancellor for Nevada’s System of Higher Education. He is survived by wife Beverly and three children.
Kathy Griffin has been tapped to host the 41st Annual Daytime Emmy Awards, the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences announced on June 13. The event is set to take place on June 22 at the Beverly Hilton Hotel and will be streamed live online for the first time.
The Television Academy has elected on June 13 Dick Askin as chairman of the Council of Past Presidents and Past Chairs. Askin, whose appointment is effective immediately, is a longtime Academy board member and served as the organization’s chairman and CEO for two successive terms from 2003-2007. He currently serves as CEO and president of Askin & Company, Inc.
Robert Leider is stepping down as executive VP and general manager of WSVN Miami, effective Sept. 1. However, Leider will continue to serve as VP and consultant of parent Sunbeam Television. Sunbeam also named Chris Wayland as executive VP and general manager of the company. Wayland previously served as VP and general manager of WHDH-WLVI Boston. Robert “Bubba” Burns will succeed Wayland as general manager of WHDH-WLVI when Leider steps down on Sept 1. Burns currently serves as general sales manager at the station.
Today anchor Matt Lauer inked a multiyear contract extension with NBC. His re-up comes after a tumultuous period for the net’s flagship news program after the show lost in the ratings for the first time in 16 years to rival ABC’s Good Morning America as well as the controversial departure of longtime anchor Ann Curry.
Chloe Sladden has left her post as head of media at Twitter, she announced in a tweet on June 12. Her departure comes amid upheaval at the social networking site. The same day Sladden exited news surfaced that COO Ali Rowghani had resigned after reported disagreements with CEO Dick Costolo.
Margaret Loesch, the founding president and CEO of The Hub Network, will exit the company when her contract expires at the end of the year. Loesch, who has helmed Hub for five years, will work with company parents Discovery Communications and Hasbro during the transition though a successor has not yet been named.
FX Networks took home 40 individual awards and the North America Marketing Team of the Year accolade at the 2014 Promotion, Marketing & Design North America Awards and Global Excellence Awards. A+E Networks, Showtime and HBO were also big winners with 30, 26, and 25 individual honors, respectively, in the North American division. Canadian company Bell Media Agency took home 23 individual campaign awards in the Global Excellence category as well as Global Marketing Team of the Year. ProSiebenSat.1TV Deutschland, ABC TV Australia and National Geographic Channels International were also among the big global winners.
A memorial service for former Time Warner Cable chairman and CEO Glenn Britt will be held on June 25 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the American Museum of Natural History in New York.Britt died June 11 from melanoma. He was 65. For more details, click here.
Patricia Parra has been named chief marketing officer of Shazam, the second screen player announced on June 11. A former Hulu and HBO exec, Parra will report to Shazam CEO Rich Riley.
The Radio Television Digital News Association revealed on June 11 the winners of the 2014 National Edward R. Murrow Awards. This year’s recipients include ABC News, CBS News, NBC News, Univision and ESPN. For a complete list of winners click here. http://rtdna.org/
Jacki Kelley has been named COO for media at Bloomberg Media, the company announced on June 11. Kelley, who is the former CEO of IPG Mediabrands North America and president of global clients, will oversee TV, Web, mobile digital video, radio, print and live events for Bloomberg. She also will serve as deputy to CEO Justin Smith. The exec is set to start at Bloomberg on Sept. 1.
The Monte-Carlo Television Festival and Eurodata named on June 11 the recipients of the International Television Audience Awards. This year’s winners include CBS Studios International’s NCIS, 20th Century Fox Television Distribution’s Modern Family, and Bell-Phillip Television Productions’ The Bold and the Beautiful. The accolades are given to programs that had the highest ratings in 2013.
Melissa Wasserman has been upped to senior VP of client solutions and integrated marketing at AMC, the company announced on June 11. Wasserman, who joined the network in 2007, will oversee the marketing of AMC’s programming to advertisers as well as managing the staff in charge of working on client solutions.
Maria Hellström has been named VP of global serves at Net Insight, the Stockholm based solutions provider announced on June 11. Hellström, who currently is senior VP and business unit manager for Digital Services, will oversee Net Insight’s professional, support and training services. She will start on Sept. 1.
Bill Harvey, cofounder and strategic advisor of research and analytics at TiVo, has received the first Erwin Ephron Demystification Award from the Advertising Research Foundation. The honor recognizes those who carry on media planner Erwin Ephron’s legacy. Harvey has spent more than three decades working in the media research field.
