Fates & Fortunes: July 2021

Geraldine Moriba

Geraldine Moriba (Image credit: Allen Media Group)

ALLEN MEDIA GROUP

Byron Allen’s Allen Media Group has tapped Geraldine Moriba as senior VP, news & entertainment for African-American-geared website The Grio. The veteran media executive, filmmaker and journalist has worked at ABC, CNN, NBC and PBS.

Matthew Signer

Matthew Signer (Image credit: Allen Media Group)

ALLEN MEDIA GROUP

Allen Media Group has added Matthew Signer as executive VP of production and content. He will focus on development and production of movies, TV series, documentaries, and other premium content for distribution via AMG’s platforms.

Rick Jefferson

Rick Jeffersob (Image credit: CBS)

CBS NEWS

Rick Jefferson has  been named senior VP of news operations at CBS News, overseeing technical operations and production facilities worldwide. A longtime former NBC News executive, Jefferson was named as the division’s VP of news operations in 2017. 

Tom Ziangas

Tom Ziangas (Image credit: Crown Media)

CROWN MEDIA

Tom Ziangas has joined Crown Media Family Networks in New York as senior VP, revenue and strategic research, a newly created role.
He comes from AMC Networks, where he had been senior VP of research & insights for more than a decade. 

Michael Grover

(Image credit: Crown Media)

CROWN MEDIA

Crown Media Family Networks has named Michael Grover as VP, brand marketing, charged with developing consumer marketing initiatives for the Hallmark Channel parent’s linear networks and SVOD services. He was a content marketing manager at Hulu. 

Rachelle Savoia

Rachelle Savoia (Image credit: Fandom)

FANDOM

Rachelle Savoia has joined Fandom as VP of communications, tasked with developing external, internal and executive communications strategy. She was VP of communications at WarnerMedia, overseeing domestic distribution comms for the Turner networks. 

Jaclyn Rann Cohen

Jaclyn Rann Cohen (Image credit: FETV)

FETV

Family Entertainment Television (FETV) has named Jaclyn Rann Cohen as executive VP, content acquisitions and strategy. The 20-year Viacom veteran had most recently worked as executive VP, content strategy and acquisitions at TV Land. 

Marian Davey

Marian Davey (Image credit: Fox)

FOX TV STATIONS

Marian Davey was named senior VP and GM of KMSP-WFTC, the Fox Television Stations-owned duopoly in Minneapolis. The 20-year veteran was VP and news director of the stations since 2013. Previously, she was managing editor and assistant news director.

Paige Harrison

Paige Harrison (Image credit: Hearst TV)

HEARST TV

Paige Harrison has been promoted to VP of news at Hearst Television, based in New York. Formerly news director of WCVB Boston, she succeeds Andrew Vrees, who was named president and GM of WMUR Manchester, New Hampshire. 

Scott Felenstein

Scott Felenstein  (Image credit: NCM)

NCM

Scott Felenstein has been named president, sales, marketing and partnerships at National CineMedia. He was executive VP and chief revenue officer
and will be succeeded by Mike Rosen, NCM’s senior VP of East Coast sales.

James Baronet

James Baronet (Image credit: Nexstar)

NEXSTAR

James Baronet was named VP/general manager of Nexstar Media Group’s Topeka, Kansas, operations, including NBC station KSNT, Fox outlet KTMJ and Vaughn Media-owned ABC/The CW affiliate KTKA. He had been GM of Sinclair Broadcast Group’s KSAS Wichita, Kansas.

Eddie Gamarra

Eddie Gamarra (Image credit: Nickelodeon)

NICKELODEON

Nickelodeon has promoted Eddie Gamarra to the newly created position of VP, literary affairs, Nickelodeon and Awesomeness, responsible for evaluating literary material to option and develop into content. He had been VP of studio business development. 

Albert Rodriguez

Albert Rodriguez (Image credit: SBS)

SBS

Albert Rodriguez was named president of Spanish Broadcasting System, succeeding
Raul Alarcón in the role. He will continue as the company’s chief operating officer, reporting to Alarcón, who will now be chairman and CEO. 

Ross White

Ross White (Image credit: Scripps)

SCRIPPS

Ross White was upped to VP and general manager of E.W. Scripps-owned KOAA in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Formerly director of sales at KOAA, an NBC affiliate, since 2016, he started his career at KVII in Amarillo, Texas, as a news photographer before moving into several sales roles. 

Jerome Adams

Jerome Adams

WISH

Circle City Broadcasting-owned WISH Indianapolis has named Dr. Jerome Adams to its reporting team. Adams, a former vice admiral in the U.S. Public Health Service, served as U.S. Surgeon General during the Trump administration. 

Johnni Javier

Johnni Javier (Image credit: World of Wonder)

WORLD OF WONDER

Los Angeles-based studio World of Wonder, producer of the RuPaul’s Drag Race franchise, has hired Johnni Javier to run its production arm in the United Kingdom. He is the former director of production & operations at Blast! Films. 

Nicole Tindiglia

Nicole Tindiglia (Image credit: WPIX)

WPIX

Nicole Tindiglia has been named news director of WPIX New York, overseeing newsgathering for the TV station, PIX11.com and their related apps. She had been assistant news director at CBS-owned WCBS New York and WLNY Riverhead, New York. 

Tanya Kelly

Tanya Kelly (Image credit: Xytech)

XYTECH

Broadcast facility management software firm Xytech has named Tanya Kelly managing director, APAC, following its acquisition of ScheduALL from Net Insight. She had been a sales and solutions consultant for ScheduALL.

BRIEFLY NOTED

Other industry executives making moves

Vickie Burns has joined Black News Channel as senior VP of content, overseeing all editorial operations. Her news career includes leadership positions at NBC, Tribune Media and Scripps. … Jeff Murphy has joined Charter Communications as senior VP, corporate finance and development. He comes from Credit Suisse Group. Charter also made organizational changes to its sales, marketing and field operations units: Adam Ray was named executive VP, sales operations & planning; senior VP of marketing Sharon Peters added marketing, creative services and digital marketing to her responsibilities; and Tom Monaghan, senior VP of field operations, will now oversee all 11 operating regions. … Andy Charalambous was named VP of sales for Europe, Middle East and Africa at OpenVault. He had been managing director at Prospect Theory.