Discovery Communications Inc. announced a slew of management changes
including the reassignment of some executives from its troubled Discovery.com unit.
Discovery Networks U.S. president Jonathan Rodgers will add oversight of
DCI's U.S. Internet and interactive-TV projects to his plate. Michella English,
former president of Discovery.com, was named president of a new Discovery
Consumer Products division.
Former Discovery.com chief marketing officer Chris Miller was named executive
vice president of marketing -- a position vacated by Chris Moseley in September
1999. Spokesman David Leavy said senior vice president of marketing Valerie
Grady recently left the company, but the position wasn't eliminated.
DCI also formed a new companywide content board and expanded its executive
committee.
CEO John Hendricks will chair the content board, which will 'set DCI's
content and branding strategies for all networks and businesses and approve all
programming and marketing budgets and implementation plans,' according to the
announcement.
The board also includes DCI president Judith McHale; chief financial officer
Greg Durig; newly appointed executive vice president for strategy and
development Donald Baer; Rodgers; Discovery Networks International president
Dawn McCall; senior vice president for programming and production Rick
Rodriguez; and newly appointed content-group president John Ford.
Ford was reassigned from his position as president of Discovery Health Media
Inc. to oversee the new content group. Reporting to Rodgers, he'll oversee
content development and programming for all of Discovery's domestic cable
channels and Internet businesses.
A Discovery executive said the company plans to promote
Discovery Health senior vice president Kathy Quattrone to president of the
network.
Also moving up the ladder at DCI is Donald Baer, the former White House
communications director who joined the company in 1999 as senior vice president
of public policy and communications.
Baer was named executive vice president for strategy and development. In
addition to overseeing marketing and communications, he will play a role in the
company's strategic planning and investment initiatives.
In other moves:
\u0007 General counsel Mark Hollinger will add executive vice president for
corporate operations to his business card. He'll work with Baer in companywide
business development.
\u0007 Former executive vice president of corporate technology and content
services Daniel Fischer was named executive vice president, strategic planning,
reporting to Baer.
\u0007 Senior vice president for business affairs Dara Altman
will also supervise the work of negotiating teams from DCI's business-affairs
and legal departments.
