AMPERSAND
Mike Dean has joined New York-based TV ad sales and technology firm Ampersand as president. He had been managing director in Deloitte Consulting’s Technology, Media, & Telecommunications sector, where he led the ad sales practice.
ASG
Advanced Systems Group (ASG) has named Jimmy Biro as a senior account executive, supporting the media solutions provider’s growth in the Southern California postproduction market. He had been senior account manager at ALT Systems.
COMCAST
Comcast Cable promoted Ricky Frazier Jr. to senior VP of its Keystone Region, comprising systems in Western, Central and Northeastern Pennsylvania, Eastern Ohio, Northern West Virginia and the Maryland panhandle. He had been VP, digital platforms.
DISNEY
The Walt Disney Co. promoted Debra OConnell to president, News Group and Networks, Disney Entertainment, adding oversight of ABC News to her responsibilities. She had been president, Networks and Television Business Operations.
FOX NEWS MEDIA
Fox News Media has named Trey Gargano as executive VP, ad sales, overseeing all of the unit’s platforms. Formerly senior VP of Fox News Media, he succeeds Jeff Collins, who was promoted to president of ad sales at parent Fox Corp.
FOX NEWS MEDIA
Ryan Roelle was promoted to senior VP national sales at Fox News Media, based in Chicago and tasked with focusing on endemic and national advertising. She had been VP of linear and digital ad sales, Central region, based in Fox News’s Chicago bureau.
FREMANTLE
Kimberly Kleid was promoted to executive VP of current programming at Fremantle. Formerly senior VP of unscripted programming, Kleid has overseen game shows such as Family Feud, The Price Is Right and Press Your Luck since joining Fremantle in 2015.
HALLMARK
John Matts was named chief operating officer at Hallmark Media, overseeing commercial operations such as ad sales, distribution, international and streaming. The former NBCUniversal and Viacom executive had been Hallmark’s chief financial officer since 2022.
NEXSTAR
Stacey Lynn Schulman was named executive VP, platform marketing and intelligence at Nexstar Media Group, leading Nexstar Advertising’s integrated marketing efforts and sales intelligence business unit. She was chief marketing officer at Katz Media Group.
NEXSTAR
Chris Pruitt was named VP and general manager of Nexstar Media Group’s operations in Springfield, Missouri, including KRBK (Fox), KOZL (MyNetworkTV) and Mission Broadcasting-owned KOLR (CBS). He had been overseeing Nexstar’s Houston stations.
SCRIPPS
E.W. Scripps has named Tony Song to the newly created role of head of network sales and advanced TV, responsible for driving revenue growth across the company’s national assets. He joins from AMC Networks, where he was senior VP of ad sales and partnerships.
SCRIPPS
Dave Giles has been elevated to chief legal officer at E.W. Scripps effective at year-end, upon the retirement of current chief legal officer Bill Appleton. Giles is currently Scripps’ deputy general counsel and has served as the company’s chief ethics officer.
SINCLAIR
Sinclair has named Amy Calvert as VP and general manager of KOKH-KOCB Oklahoma City, its Fox-The CW duo in the No. 46 U.S. media market. She comes from KRJH in Tulsa, Oklahoma, where she was VP and general manager of the Scripps-owned NBC station.
SINCLAIR
Jennifer Hansen has been named VP and
general manager of Sinclair-owned WBMA-WABM-WTTO Birmingham, Alabama. She comes from Richmond, Virginia, where she was VP/general manager of WRLH, a Fox station also owned by Sinclair.
SPT
Sony Pictures Television promoted Suzanne Prete to president, game shows, at Sony Pictures Television. The 29-year studio veteran has led the studio’s game-show division, focused on expanding brands such as Jeopardy! and Wheel of Fortune, for the past two years.
THUNDERBIRD
Vancouver, British Columbia-based Thunderbird Entertainment Group has tapped Simon Bodymore to serve as chief financial officer of the production, distribution and rights-management company. He was CFO of software firm Tasktop Technologies.
WCNC
WCNC, the Tegna-owned NBC affiliate in Charlotte, North Carolina, has named Todd Spessard as its news director. He was VP of content at Griffin Media in Oklahoma City and has led newsrooms at stations such as KWTV Oklahoma City and KOKI Tulsa.
WPIX
Kendis Gibson has joined WPIX New York, a Mission Broadcasting-owned The CW station operated by Nexstar Media Group, as anchor of the 4 p.m. and 5 p.m. newscasts. He comes from CBS Stations-owned WFOR Miami, where he was an anchor and reporter.
Briefly Noted …
Ampersand also promoted Ethan Heftman to chief revenue officer from senior VP, industry sales. … C2HR, the Content & Connectivity Human Resources association, has named Kia Painter, executive VP and chief people officer at Cox Communications, as its president. Also named to the C2HR board were: Melissa Dutmers, VP of performance and engagement, Paramount Global; Kristin Hansen, VP of human resources, Hearst TV; Christiane Sentianin, VP and HR business partner, Disney Entertainment Television; Ericka Tate, VP, global people business partner, Roku; Guillermo Villa, senior VP of total rewards and human capital operations, TelevisaUnivision; and John Wilson, senior VP, people and culture, Warner Bros. Discovery. … Paramount Advertising president John Halley was named chair of the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB).
