Antoinette Cook Bush has been named EVP and global head of government affairs for the new News Corp., the global publishing portion of News Corp. following its bifurcation into two independent companies. She will be based in Washington.
Bush comes aboard June 24 and will report to Robert Thomson, CEO of the new News Corp.
Bush had been a partner in the communications group of law firm Skadden, Arps, Meagher & Flom. She is also former senior counsel to the Senate Communications Subcommittee and a name frequently cited when FCC commissioner seats come up for filling.
News Corp. is separating publishing assets (and some Australian cable assets) into News Corp., while its TV, film studio and cable assets will be under the new 21st Century Fox banner. Mike Regan, longtime News Corp. D.C. EVP, is the top D.C. exec for 21st Century Fox.
Dick Parsons, senior advisor at Providence Equity and former Time Warner chairman , has known Bush for a couple of decades and said it was an inspired choice.
"I have known Toni for years," he said. "When I was running Time Warner I was very involved with Washington in terms of intellectual property protection. She was one of the lawyers then working for [then MPAA chief] Jack Valenti. I saw her in those wars and she had great relationships with the Hill and a great understanding of the intellectual property and copyright protection space. I think it is an inspired decision by News Corp. She knows all the players, she knows all the issues, and she is exceedingly well regarded not only by the client group, but by the governmental establishment, the Hill and the FCC, the places where the interests of media companies get mediated."
