Miami -- The Box Music Network and DMX have completed
merging their affiliate sales forces, basically doubling their size in terms of staff and
setting up three regional teams, according to officials.
Greg Willis, senior vice president of affiliate sales and
marketing for The Box Music Network, said under the realignment the two combined sales
staffs will increase to 24 people, twice what they were a year ago.
He has created three regional sales teams across the
country -- centered in New York, Chicago and Los Angeles -- to serve The Box's and
DMX's residential customers. The Box is also maintaining its Miami headquarters and
its New York office, as well as opening up one in Denver. The Box and DMX are all units of
TCI Music.
Now that the affiliate-sales forces are merged, Willis said
he will be looking at ways to package and bundle the services -- The Box, The Box Set
digital networks and DMX residential -- the way that Turner Broadcasting System Inc. and
Viacom Inc. do their networks.
At this time in the cable industry, Willis said top MSO
programming officials "want to deal with less people."
He added that executives don't want to do business
with an affiliate sales rep for each and every network; they want reps who handle more
than one service.
Now, his affiliate sales people handle both The Box and
DMX.
"There are no specialists," Willis said.
"Everyone does everything."
