Internet Broadcasting Chief Lebow Resigns
Related: Lebow Ponders Web 3.0 for IB
Internet Broadcasting (IB) President/CEO David Lebow has resigned after nearly three years atop the web solutions outfit. He succeeded founder Reid Johnson in 2007.
The Twin Cities news site MinnPost.com first reported Lebow's departure.
Formerly the general manager at AOL Media Networks, Lebow had split his time between the East Coast and IB headquarters in St. Paul, Minn. The lengthy commute was a factor in his departure, said an IB spokesperson.
IB handles the Websites for several blue-chip station groups, including Hearst, McGraw-Hill and Post-Newsweek, all of whom have equity in IB. But rivals such as WorldNow, Inergize Digital and Broadcast Interactive Media have gained ground.
The IB spokesperson said CFO Steve Johansen will oversee day-to-day operations during the CEO search, and that IB's "strategic direction will stay the same."
Lebow issued an internal memo May 12 that reads: "IB has many opportunities ahead with broadcasters and advertisers again looking to invest and grow. Having completed this chapter at IB, it is now the right time for me to step back and consider other personal and career objectives that I have set."
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Lebow says his contract with IB was up and he may look at entrepreneurial opportunities in New York's Silicon Alley online space.
Michael Malone is content director at B+C and Multichannel News. He joined B+C in 2005 and has covered network programming, including entertainment, news and sports on broadcast, cable and streaming; and local broadcast television, including writing the "Local News Close-Up" market profiles. He also hosted the podcasts "Busted Pilot" and "Series Business." His journalism has also appeared in The New York Times, The L.A. Times, The Boston Globe and New York magazine.