WASHINGTON -- Cable & Telecommunications Association for Marketing president and CEO John Lansing has been named the new CEO of the Broadcasting Board of Governors.
Lansing has headed CTAM since taking over for the retiring Char Beales in 2013. Before that he was the president of Scripps Networks.
He will assume the post at the BBG, the U.S. government’s broadcasting service, in September.
Lansing has plenty of experience overseeing networks. At Scripps Networks, he was responsible for overseeing the company's six cable channels — Food Network, HGTV, Travel Channel, DIY, Cooking Channel and Great American Country — as well as the Scripps Networks Digital division.
BBG is the independent federal agency that oversees U.S. international media in 61 languages reaching 215 million. Those include Voice of America, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, the Middle East Broadcasting Networks (Alhurra TV and Radio Sawa), Radio Free Asia, and Radio and TV Marti.
“The combination of John’s cable programming experience and business savvy was an excellent fit for CTAM. He learned the MSO part of the cable industry value chain and balanced the needs of all parties,” CTAM board chairman Mark Greatrex, chief marketing and sales officer at Cox Communications, said in announcing Lansing’s departure. “The CTAM leadership is grateful for his deep commitment to keeping the organization focused and relevant in the midst of ongoing industry change and disruption.”
As CTAM president, Lansing was tasked with moving the trade group toward a more business-focused approach in the wake of a restructuring that led to the end of the annual CTAM Summit after some 37 years. He also led CTAM in a major push to increase awareness for the industry’s “TV everywhere” authenticated video efforts.
CTAM said Howard Fischer Associates will begin an immediate search for Lansing’s successor.
"John is a proven executive and a remarkable, transformative leader in multiplatform content strategies, development and distribution," BBG chairman Jeff Shell said in announcing Lansing's impending arrival. "With his journalistic sensibilities and success in leading media companies through periods of challenges and growth, John is the ideal person to lead the BBG as we accelerate efforts to shape a global, world-leading media organization that is up to the challenges of the 21st century."
Lansing replaces Andy Lack, former the NBC News chief and first BBG CEO, who joined the agency at the end of January, but exited in March to return to NBC News as chairman.
