Following the reorganization in Major League Baseball’s executive suite last week, MLB Network has elevated Rob McGlarry to president.
McGlarry, who will have oversight of all day-to-day operations of the network, has been an executive at MLB Network since its launch in 2009, first as senior vice president of programming and business affairs and most recently as executive vice president of content. He has played integral roles in the network’s affiliate relations, including its recent distribution renewals, as well as its programming and on-air production.
Prior to joining MLB Network, McGlarry worked at Major League Baseball from 2003-2008. As vice president of broadcasting business affairs, he helped negotiate MLB's broadcasting deals and the agreements to create and launch MLBN, which now counts some 70 million subscribers.
“Rob McGlarry is the right person to extend the successes of MLB Network, and he is ideally suited to integrate the Network with MLB’s other media assets,” said Bob Bowman, MLB president of business and media, to whom he will report.
The move follows incoming commissioner Rob Manfred’s reorganization of the league’s central office last week under which Bowman, who has worked as MLB Advanced Media’s CEO since 2000, will extend his oversight to all revenue-generating and media rights activities across all of MLB’s entities, in addition to continuing to oversee MLBAM and the MLB Network.
Tony Petitti, who led MLB Network as president & CEO since its 2008 inception, will fill Manfred’s old role as COO. Joe Torre received a new title as MLB’s chief baseball officer and will continue being the primary liaison between the commissioner’s office and the teams and umpires.
Other changes include Dan Halem being named chief legal officer and Jonathan Mariner becoming the chief investment officer.
Bob Starkey steps into Mariner’s former role as CFO, while Pat Courtney is promoted to chief communications officer.
All seven officers will report directly to Manfred, who takes over as commissioner from Bud Selig on Jan. 25, 2015.
