Broadcast TV
Errol Gerber,
local sales manager, WPWR-TV Gary, Ind., promoted to general sales manager.
Steve Cloy,
general sales manager, WTVQ-TV Lexington, Ky., named national sales manager, WSPA-TV Spartanburg, S.C.
Cable TV
Larry Eldridge,
acting GM, Fox Sports Net, Pittsburgh, named GM.
Lisa Brodeth Carrick,
area director, advertising sales, Comcast, Eatontown, N.J., promoted to director, learning and development, Northeast region.
Programming
Promotions at Carsey-Werner-Mandabach, Studio City, Calif: Robert Dubelko, executive VP/CFO, named co-president/co-COO; Courtney B. Conte,
executive VP, named co-president/head of production; Dirk van de Bunt,
head, business and legal affairs, named co-president/co-COO.
Alan N. Braverman,
executive VP/general counsel, ABC Inc., Burbank, Calif., adds to his duties deputy general counsel, The Walt Disney Co., Burbank, Calif.
Craig Heyl,
VP, production, Turner Studios, Atlanta, named senior VP, Turner Studios.
Appointments at E! Networks, Los Angeles: Kevin MacLellan,
VP, international television networks, Columbia TriStar, London, joins as senior VP, international; Duccio Donati,
director, sales, promoted to VP, international sales; Cheryl McDermott,
senior VP, business affairs, Saban/Fox Family Worldwide, Los Angeles, joins as VP, business operations, international.
Chris Sanagustin,
executive director, creative affairs, Viacom Productions, Los Angeles, promoted to VP.
Appointments at Columbia TriStar Television Distribution: Dirk Johnston,
VP, Southwest region, Dallas, promoted to senior VP; Steve Maddox,
VP, Southeastern region, Atlanta, promoted to senior VP; Tom Warner,
VP, Midwestern region, Chicago, promoted to senior VP; Jeff Wolf,
VP, Northeastern region and business development, New York, promoted to senior VP; Mark Wurtzel,
regional manager, Los Angeles, promoted to VP.
Jeremy Harris,
senior VP, marketing and programming, Rogers Cable, Toronto, joins Starz Encore Group, Englewood, Colo., as senior VP, consumer marketing.
Bob Sitrick,
director, technical operations, Discovery Networks, Bethesda, Md., named VP, live production and special projects.
Cindy McConkey,
executive VP, Ackermann Public Relations & Marketing, Knoxville, Tenn., named VP, communications, Scripps Networks, Knoxville, Tenn.
Appointments at Viacom Plus: Marc Weinhouse,
advertising director, Rolling Stone
magazine, New York, joins as VP, sales, Eastern region, New York; Linda Perry,
marketing director, KCBS-TV Los Angeles, joins as VP, sales, Western region, Los Angeles.
Appointments at TechTV, San Francisco: Bill Mushrush,
director, creative services, NBC Entertainment, Burbank, Calif., joins as director, on-air promotions; Tim Bellamy,
executive, business and legal affairs, Sony Picture Entertainment, Culver City, Calif., joins as VP and general counsel.
Noel Siegel,
manager, development, VH-1, Los Angeles, joins King World International Productions, Los Angeles, as director, international production and development.
Radio
Jerry Rushin,
VP/GM, WEDR-FM Hollywood, Fla., adds to his duties VP/GM, WHQT-FM Miami.
Journalism
Andrew Schmertz,
co-anchor, Money Talks, ABC Network, New York, named technology correspondent, BusinessWeek Television, ABC Network, New York.
Flavia Colgan,
campaign manager, David Wecht, Philadelphia, joins Fox News Channel, Philadelphia, as political contributor.
Jim Gilchriest,
assistant news director/executive producer, WXII-TV Winston-Salem, N.C., named manager, news and operations, nbc6.com, Charlotte, N.C.
Alan Cohn,
investigative reporter, WAMI-TV Hollywood, Fla., joins WTNH-TV New Haven, Conn., in same capacity.
Sandra Hernandez,
free-lance reporter, KSWB-TV San Diego, named co-anchor and reporter, KDFW(TV) Dallas.
Ira Cronin,
weekend sports anchor, KSTU(TV) Salt Lake City, joins WCNC-TV Charlotte, N.C., in same capacity.
Advertising
Tim Duncan,
manager, Boston Media, Boston, named senior VP, advertising sales and marketing, TVi Media LLC.
Appointments at Nevins & Associates, Baltimore:Mitchell Schmale,
senior account supervisor, promoted to VP; Kirstie Durr,
account supervisor, named VP.
Randy Lykes,
operations director, AT&T Media Services Group, East region, Lexington, Ky., joins Adelphia Media Services, Coudersport, Pa., as corporate director, technical operations.
Mark Berlinsky,
advertising sales manager, MetroChannels, Rainbow Advertising Sales Corp., New York, promoted to director, integrated sales.
M.P. Kelleher,
sales manager, WHUB-TV Boston, joins National Cable Communications, Boston, in same capacity.
Hyun S. Park,
sales assistant, WPIX(TV) New York, joins Katz Television Group, New York, as account executive.
Technology
Sonia Khademi,
president/ CEO, CableSoft Corp., Burlington, Mass., named executive VP, Chinook Communications Inc., Lexington, Mass.
Gerard Kunkel,
senior VP, strategic programs, WorldGate, Trevose, Pa., promoted to president of the company.
Obituaries
Seymour Kaplan, executive vice president of sales and marketing for Tribune Media Services, died Aug. 29 in Dallas of a heart attack. He was 62. Kaplan, who was also head of sales and marketing for WGN Cable, had a 40-year career first in motion pictures and then with the cable television industry. In 1981, as senior vice president of affiliate relations, he guided the Cable Health Network through its transformation into Lifetime Television Network.
Kaplan was an active member of industry associations, including the National Cable Academy, Cable Ace Awards Committee, Cable Advertising Bureau and NCTA.
Survivors include his wife, Marion; sons, Adam and David; and daughter, Sheri.
Norman Fischer,
president of the media brokerage firm Norman Fischer & Associates Inc., died Aug. 25 at 77. He had been a media broker for the last 27 years and had been honored as the Associate Broadcaster of the Year for 2001 by the Texas Association of Broadcasters. Survivors include his wife, Cecile, and son, Terrill, who will continue to operate the brokerage house.
G. Robert "Bob" Johnson
died July 22, shortly before his 72nd birthday. He started in radio in Pennsylvania at age 14 as an announcer and play-by-play sportscaster and also did local news. He worked at various radio stations in the area, making the transition to the business side. He was GM of WENY(AM) and WELM Elmira, N.Y., as well as other stations in the region. In 1976, he began work for the Advertising Federation in Washington, where he remained as a VP for seven years. After retiring in 1994, he served as a volunteer in local communications efforts.—Beatrice Williams-Rude
