Among other recent (CD March 12 p16) promotions at Intelsat: Michelle Bryan to executive vice president, general counsel and chief administrative officer, effective March 18, succeeding General Counsel Phillip Spector, who joins the board effective April 1; and Thierry Guillemin to EVP and chief technical officer … Viacom’s Nickelodeon promotes Joel Fisher to vice president-music and talent operations …Public Knowledge hires as campaign manager Sean Meloy, ex-campaign of Democrat Kristin Cabral, unsuccessful challenger to Rep. Frank Wolf, R-Va. … Cablevision promotes Gregg Seibert to vice chairman, and he remains chief financial officer … Goodman Networks wireless telecom firm hires Scott Willis, ex-Ericsson, as executive vice president-sales and business development … LIN Media hires Craig Ellish, ex-Specific Media/MySpace, as vice president-sales and publisher development, LIN Mobile.
Intelsat promotions include: CEO Dave McGlade adds title of chairman, effective April 1; and Stephen Spengler to president and chief commercial officer, effective March 18 … Nexstar Broadcasting hires Dione Rigsby, ex-Newport Television, as vice president-technology … Windstream board member Jeffrey Hinson named chairman, succeeding Dennis Foster, who remains a director, effective May 1 … Gray Television hires Michael Spiesman, ex-Katz’s Continental Television Sales, as vice president and director-national sales … Cox Media Group promotes Greg Bilte to general manager of Tulsa TV stations.
Pandora looking for successor to Chairman, CEO and President Joseph Kennedy, who will stay in those jobs until replacement found … Dish Network promotes Dave Shull to executive vice president and chief commercial officer; and Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Bernie Han adds responsibilities for sales and distribution … Promotions at HSN’s HSNi: Bill Brand to chief marketing and business development officer; Andy Sheldon to chief creative officer and HSN Productions general manager … Crown Media Family Networks promotes Laura Lee and Holly Mauer to vice presidents-distribution … Broadview Networks hires Mario DeRiggi, ex-Paetec Communications, as executive vice president … Lobbyist registrations: T-Mobile, Podesta Group, effective Jan. 17 … Data Transparency Coalition, Hudson Hollister, effective Jan. 28.
Media company Q4 results: Suddenlink sales rose 7.1 percent to $524.6 million from the year-ago period as the cable operator added broadband, phone and digital video customers and raised video rates. The company lost 19,100 basic video subscribers during the quarter, with 1.21 million total on Dec. 31. “Bundling and promotional discounts and digital customers purchasing fewer digital tiers of service during the trailing twelve months” also hurt results, privately held Suddenlink said in a news release Thursday (http://bit.ly/VLDLxN). “Revenues for our commercial business grew due to increases in the number of commercial high-speed data and telephone customers and from increases in cell tower and backhaul revenues from carrier customers.” Income from operations fell 29 percent to $57.4 million. ... Nexstar sales rose 35 percent to $116.2 million from the year-earlier period as political ad revenue surged by well over 1,000 percent to $27.3 million during the runup to November’s elections. The political ad sales were “record-breaking,” said Chairman Perry Sook, in a Thursday news release (http://bit.ly/15AmXvB). It said retransmission fee revenue rose 56 percent to $16.1 million. “The big retrans year will be 2014,” analyst Marci Ryvicker of Wells Fargo wrote investors following the company’s earnings call. “Management expects the JSA situation to remain ’status quo,'” she wrote of a draft FCC order, now on hold, that would attribute TV joint services agreements to the station brokering more than 15 percent of another in-market station’s ads (CD Feb 27 p1). Nexstar Q4 income from operations doubled to $35.4 million from the year-ago quarter. The stock closed up 4.5 percent at $16.91 on Thursday ... Journal Communications Q4 sales rose 31 percent to $124.5 million from Q4 2011. Chairman Steven Smith cited “record political spending,” in a news release Thursday (http://bit.ly/W8BR9x). TV revenue rose 76 percent to $55.8 million. Retrans revenue rose by a quarter to $3 million. This quarter excluding political sales, broadcast revenue will rise by a percentage in the mid-single digits from the year-ago period, the company forecast. Last quarter’s operating earnings rose 92 percent to $27.2 million. Journal Communications shares closed up 9 percent at $6.27 on Thursday.
Law firm SNR Denton hires Megan Delany, ex-General Communication Inc., as principal, telecom and technology practice … Level 3’s James Crowe to step down as CEO by year’s end … European cable operator Ziggo hires René Obermann, who plans to leave Deutsche Telekom Dec. 31, as CEO, effective Jan. 1, replacing Bernard Dijkhuizen, who had previously said he was retiring … Discovery Communications hires Leslie Grandy, formerly at T-Mobile, as Digital Media division senior vice president-product & development … ActiveVideo Networks hires Murali Nemani, ex-Cisco, as senior vice president-chief marketing officer … Latino Information Network at Rutgers hires Jason Llorenz, ex-Hispanic Technology and Telecommunications Partnership, as senior fellow and director-innovation policy … Paul Martin promoted to president, Snell North America, and remains global managing director, TV Everywhere division … Tech Valley Communications hires Patrick Coughlin, ex-FiberTower, as senior vice president-sales and marketing.
Paul Weirtz, formerly of AT&T Ohio, named president of AT&T Minnesota… Discovery Communications promotes Eric Phillips to president-domestic distribution … Competitive Carriers Association hires Patti Dominach, ex-Pario Solutions, as director-industry development … Qualcomm hires Laurie Yoler, ex-GrowthPoint Technology Partners, as senior vice president-business development.
Mayer Brown hires Angela Giancarlo, ex-FCC, as partner, Government & Global Trade practice … Charter Communications hires Alexander Dudley, ex-Time Warner Cable, as senior vice president, communications, effective March 18; and promotes Richard Dykhouse to executive vice president/general counsel … Comcast Spotlight promotes: to senior vice presidents, Rick Stanley for West division; Roland Trombley, NorthCentral division; and Kevin Patrick Smith for Comcast Media 360; and Mary Rooney to vice president-strategic planning and internal communications … Tech Valley Communications hires Jim Capuano, ex-United Private Networks and RCN, as senior vice president and chief-network operations … Kristina Lockwood, ex-Cox Media, returns to LIN Media, where she’s hired as president and general manager-KHON-TV Honolulu … E.W. Scripps promotes Adam Symson to senior vice president …Idaho Public Utilities Commission President Paul Kjellander appointed co-vice chair of NARUC Telecom Committee, replacing Commissioner Maureen Harris of New York State Public Service Commission.
Information Technology Industry Council hires Yael Weinman, attorney-adviser to FTC Commissioner Julie Brill, as vice president-global privacy policy, and general counsel, effective next month … CTIA hires Heather Blanchard, ex-New Cicada, as director-wireless Internet development … Public Knowledge hires Charles Duan, ex-Knobbe Martens, as director, Patent Reform Project, effective in summer … Discovery Enterprises International promotes Elliot Wagner to vice president-program sales and Canadian partnerships … Lobbyist registrations: Google, Garrett McNatt Hennessey and Carpenter 360, effective Feb. 1.
Dish Network promotes: Alison Minea to director and senior corporate counsel; and Jessica Straus to senior manager-congressional and government relations … Steven Pruett, ex-Communications Corp. of America, named chief operating officer of Chesapeake TV unit of Sinclair Broadcast Group … CBS hires Stan Gill, ex-Acme Communications, as vice president/general manager, WTOG-TV St. Petersburg, Fla.; succeeding Laura Caruso, departing station for other opportunities … Level 3 adds Peter van Oppen, Trilogy Partnership, to board.
Riverbed Technology application performance company hires Ernie Maddock, Lam Research, as chief financial officer, effective April 29 … Turner Broadcasting promotes Justin Williams to vice president-digital, TNT and TBS … Frontier Communications hires John Jureller, ex-General Atlantic, as executive vice president and chief financial officer … AMC Networks promotes Sarah Barnett to president, Sundance Channel, and she remains the network’s general manager.