Mary Beth McAdaragh has been named to the newly created position of senior VP, affiliate relations, of MyNetworkTV, effective immediately, reporting to Executive VP Paul Franklin.
The appointment of an affiliate relations executive comes as MNT is considering a change in programming strategy from all low-rated telenovelas to a mix of scripted and non-scripted fare, including the prime time soaps.
It also marks one of the few appointments MNT owner Fox has made specifically for the mini-network.
In her role, based in Los Angeles, McAdaragh will be responsible for overseeing all affiliate relations on behalf of MNT, which has 175 affiliates covering 97% of the country.
Most recently, McAdaragh was senior VP of business development for the Los Angeles-based advertising/promotion agency Launch Pad Prods.
While there, she was responsible for securing new business and implementing MNT’s 30-market promotional tour last summer leading up to its September 2006 launch.
From 2000-05, she was VP of marketing for NBC Universal’s syndication wing, where she was responsible for the production of all marketing and advertising campaigns for syndication.
In 2001, McAdaragh had a stint as executive producer of the Food Network series Surreal Gourmet, and earlier oversaw promotion and marketing for CBS/Eyemark Entertainment as VP.
She also spent eight years with Columbia Tri-Star Television Distribution (now Sony Pictures Television), where she started as a research analyst and rose through the marketing ranks.
