Cox Media promoted Mike Zeigler to a newly created role as vice president of operations and field management, while David Porter, the ad division's former vice president of strategy and new product development, has left to join Microsoft.
Zeigler, who previously focused on operations, will be tasked with bringing together the different pieces of Cox's advertising business models including business planning, market positioning, fulfillment/shared services, new channels and support for sales execution.
Zeigler will continue to report to Billy Farina, senior vice president of advertising sales for Cox Media, but will now have dotted-line accountability to Jill Campbell, senior vice president of operations for Cox Communications. The change is intended to help Cox Media manage operations in a way that is more tightly linked to the deployment and execution of new business strategy, according to the MSO.
Meanwhile, Porter in June joined Microsoft's advertising group as "video advertising evangelist," after 10 years with Cox. He remains based in the Atlanta area.
A Cox spokesman said the company intends to hire an executive focusing on new growth opportunities for Cox Media to replace Porter.
