Brian Conniff, currently the president of the Middle East Broadcasting Networks (MBN) and a veteran of over a decade with the service, is exiting and to be replaced by ambassador Alberto Fernandez, who is joining from the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI), where he has been vice president.
MBN is a nonprofit funded by the Broadcasting Board of Governors that provides news and info to 22 Arabic-speaking countries in the Middle East and North Africa.
BBG bills the services as "supporting democratic values by expanding the spectrum of ideas in the region and producing accurate, professional, and independent news and information on all media platforms; and is a trailblazer in audience engagement."
In response to the announcement, John Lansing, CEO of the BBG, focused on his exiting exec. "Brian has played a significant role in BBG's growth throughout the years, and his expertise and counsel has been invaluable to me. He is an extraordinary leader and has worked very closely with other network leadership to streamline our collective and individual efforts, and to develop creative programming that demonstrates real impact"
Of his successor, Lansing said: "Ambassador Fernandez is inheriting a first class team with a portfolio of major initiatives."
MBN board chair Kenneth Weinstein said the board endorsed Fernandez. "Ambassador Fernandez shares our values and focus on long-term growth," he said. "He has the perfect combination of skill, experience, and regional expertise that we need to continue driving forward at MBN. We are pleased that he accepted this challenge and look forward to working with him. The Board and I are also very grateful to Brian Conniff for his passion and leadership, and thank him for his accomplishments over many years of dedicated service to the agency."
