Last reminder: nominations for B&C/Multichannel’s Next Wave of Leaders are due Tuesday, March 30 at noon ET. Send your noms in today to bncletters@nbmedia.com!
As always, you can follow Fates on Twitter @BCFates or me personally @PaigeA, although depending on workload and computer health I’m not always as twittery as I should be. Forward fates to me at BCFates@gmail.com or at palbiniak@gmail.com.
Big Kahunas
Kevin Reilly (pictured left), Fox’s president of entertainment, has been reupped for three more years. While at Fox, Reilly has overseen the development of such popular shows as Glee and Fringe. Prior to joining Fox, Reilly was entertainment president at NBC, until his tenure ended abruptly in 2007 when NBC CEO Jeff Zucker replaced him with Ben Silverman, who is now running Electus, an international production company Silverman founded, at Barry Diller’s IAC Corp. Reilly also was president of FX, where he developed such programs as The Shield and Nip/Tuck.
Programming Prospects
Who knew that when John McCain selected then-Alaska governor Sarah Palin as his running mate she would become the TV gift that kept on giving? Palin, who’s already a special contributor to Fox News, and reality maven Mark Burnett are bringing Sarah Palin’s Alaska to TLC. Meanwhile, Palin’s nemesis/grandbaby-daddy/celebrity-by-proximity Levi Johnston is shopping around his own reality show. I’m waiting for the Speed Channel to sign Todd Palin to a show about snowmobile racing and make it a trifecta of shows I don’t want to watch. However, I just started watching HBO’s The Wire, two years after the show went off the air, so I’m obviously not quite up to speed on my TV viewing.
One day after announcing the formation of their own production shingle, Fake Empire, Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage – creators of such soapy faves Gossip Girl and The OC (pictured right) – named Warner Bros.’ vet Len Goldstein head of television.
Nicholas Lehman has been named EVP/GM at Plum TV. Prior to joining Plum, Lehman was COO, programming for Barry Diller’s IAC/InterActive Corp.
Catherine Rasenberger has been named EVP of distribution, on a consulting basis, and Carmine Parisi has been named SVP of sales at Outside Television, the network formed in partnership with Outside Magazine that’s gearing up for a June 1 launch. Parisi comes to Outside from the NFL as a media sales manager. Rasenberger is founder of Rasenberger Media, a media consultancy that specializes in launching networks.
Noah Pollack and Kristen Kelly each have been promoted to VPs, series development and original programming. Pollack joined the network in 2006, while Kelly has been there since 2002.
Kyle Chowning has been named VP of marketing and communications at socially-conscious network Halogen. Previously, Chowning was founder and principal of Nashville, Tenn.-based Motiveight Marketing Group.
Terri Johnson Murray has been named HGTV’s director of programming. Previously, she was EP at TLC and Discovery.
Phil Zimmerman joined CBS Television as senior publicist on Jeopardy!. Most recently, Zimmerman was communications manager with Independent Television Service, producer of the PBS series Independent Lens.
Journalism Jumps
CBS News correspondent Kimberly Dozier (pictured left) is joining the Associated Press as an intelligence reporter late next month. Dozier previously was a Middle East correspondent for CBS News, reporting from Israel and other hot spots in the region. She covered the war in Afghanistan, the hunt for Osama bin Laden and the Iraq War from 2003 until 2006, when she was injured in a car bombing. Since then, Dozier has covered the White House, Pentagon and national security for CBS’ Washington Bureau.
Ryan O’Halloran has been named Redskins Insider for Comcast Sports Net, covering the team exclusively for the network’s digital media portfolio, highlighted by CSNwashington.com. Previously, O’Halloran covered the Redskins and other sports topics for The Washington Times.
Janelle Rodriguez is moving to Atlanta to become CNN’s new director of programming, while Kathy O’Hearn moves from CNNI’s Amanpour to replace Rodriguez, reports TVNewser. O’Hearn was once EP of ABC’s This Week, the show that Christiane Amanpour is leaving CNN to moderate. Rodriguez has been EP at Campbell Brown for the past ten months, moving there from American Morning.
Heidi Godman, news anchor at WWSB Sarasota, Fla., is leaving the station at the end of April after her contract was not renewed, reports the blog Florida News Center.
News anchor Josh Benson is leaving KVOA Tucson and moving to Cox-owned WFTV Orlando to be the weekend news anchor, reports AZBIZ.com. Meanwhile, KVOA signed meteorologist Jimmy Stewart on for another year, and is welcoming a new meteorologist, Chris Nallan, who comes to the station from Long Island, New York, where he had been working at News Channel 12 for the past 15 months.
Jasmine Hudais joining KMOV St. Louis as a producer, reporter and fill-in anchor after being let go from KDSK St. Louis when she couldn’t reach new contract terms with the station.
Byron Harlan, weekend co-anchor at WFLD Chicago, is leaving the station after 13 years. His contract was not renewed, reports the Chicago Sun-Times.
Similarily, Anne State, news anchor and reporter at WBBM Chicago, also is leaving her station due to her contract not being renewed, reports TV blogger Robert Feder.
Mary Richardson, who has been reporting and anchoring the news for Hearst-owned WCVB Boston for the past 30 years, is stepping down at the end of May, reports the Boston Herald.
Also in Boston, Ken Barlow, who has been WBZ’s chief meteorologist since 2006, has departed the station after his contract was not renewed, reports Boston TV News. (Spot a trend here?) Todd Gutner is moving toe evenings, while Melissa Mack will take over mornings.
Anchor Natalie Bomke is departing KTXL Sacramento to join KRIV Houston.
Meteorologist Jennifer Broome is leaving WOAI San Antonio. No reason was given for her departure.
Station Switches
Bob Walker, former president and GM of Gannett-owned WXIA Atlanta, has joined NBC-owned The Weather Channel as EVP.
International
Dorothy Crompton has joined Eyeworks Distribution as SVP of international sales. Crompton joins Eyeworks from Rive Gauche Television, where she has worked since 2003.
Associations
Cary J. Broussard is the new president of Alliance for Women in Media, formerly known as American Women in Radio and Television (AWRT). Broussard joins the association from the Wyndham Hotel Group, where she was VP, communications.
Chris Cornelius, president/CEO of Barrington Broadcasting; Sandy Schwartz, president of Cox Media Group; and Doreen Wade, president of Freedom Broadcasting all have been elected to the National Association of Broadcasters’ board of directors for two-year terms. Also re-elected to another two-year term were David Barrett, president/CEO of Hearst TV, who is second vice chairman of the board; Lynn Beall, executive VP, Gannett Broadcasting (first vice chairman); and Marci Burdick, senior VP, broadcast and cable, for Schurz.
In Memoriam
Chester Simmons, president of ESPN when it launched in 1979, died March 25 in Atlanta of what ESPN said was natural causes. He was 81. He is survived by his wife, Harriet, and four children.
Michael Rosenfeld, founding partner at CAA died March 25 of respiratory failure in Los Angeles after a long illness. He was 75. He is survived by his son, Michael, and his daughter, Sonya, both of whom work at CAA, as well as his sons Maxwell and Jackson, and his daughter Molly. He also has three grandchildren.
Actor Robert Culp, best known for starring with Bill Cosby in the classic 1960s espionage-adventure series I Spy, died Wednesday, March 24, at the age of 79. He is survived by his fifth wife, Candace, and five children.
