Multichannel News articles from July 2011

Multichannel News archives from July 2011

Cisco to offload set-top plant: vendor also eliminates 11,500 jobs in cost-cutting move.(NEWS & ANALYSIS)(Cisco Systems Inc.)
July 25, 2011... Cisco Systems is saying adios to its set-top-box manufacturing facility in Juarez, Mexico--but the company insisted it remains as committed as ever to developing boxes for cable customers. The networking giant, which acquired the plant with...

Carriage-rule vote delayed by FCC.(NEWS & ANALYSIS)(Federal Communications Commission)
July 25, 2011... Washington -- It is almost certainly delaying the inevitable, but the lone Republican on the Federal Communications Commission, Robert McDowell, has gotten an extension from the chairman on his vote--the last one--on a proposed program-carriage...

Telcos turn up heat on TV threat: Verizon FiOS, AT&T U-Verse surge as legacy services flag.(NEWS & ANALYSIS)
July 25, 2011... Telco TV was hot, hot, hot in the second quarter--typically a time when cable television growth cools off. AT&T packed on a net 202,000 U-verse TV subs, moving ahead of Cablevision Systems as the eighth-biggest U.S. payTV operator....

Kagan: 10% of U.S. to cut cord by 2012.(NEWS & ANALYSIS)
July 25, 2011... Did penetration of pay-TV peak in 2009? That's the suggestion from a new report from SNL Kagan, which predicts the cord-cutting phenomenon will begin to put significant pressure on cable, satellite and telco TV growth starting this year. ...

'Entourage' farewell bash draws fans, celebs, execs to fete the boys in style.(THROUGH The Wire)
July 25, 2011... HBO feted the final campaign for Entourage with a screening and party last Tuesday (July 19), giving fans, family and friends a chance to hug it out with the Hollywood buddy series in Manhattan. Like its send-off for The Sopranos at Radio...

'Team Coco' visits 10 cities this fall, delivering buttons.(THROUGH The Wire)
July 25, 2011... TBS, HBO's sister network in the Time Warner Inc. media empire, is taking its late-night personality on the road this summer... in button form. The network in third-quarter 2011 will roll out a "Team Coco Button Booth" display in 10 markets,...

Let the games begin (in a year): NBCU heralds arrival of London games with promo effort.(NEWS & ANALYSIS)
July 25, 2011... Let the marketing of the Games begin. On July 27, the myriad platforms of NBCUniversal will trumpet the one-year countdown to the opening ceremony of the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. The programmer, which last month scored the U.S. media...

Topeka 'triopoly' approval rankles ACA.(NEWS & ANALYSIS)(American Cable Association )
July 25, 2011... Washington -- The Federal Communications Commission's Media Bureau signaled to small cable operators last week that they must wait for the full commission to finish its retransmission-consent rulemaking to find out just how it views virtual...

New opportunities, old issues set conference agenda: independent operators heading to San Francisco for annual ACA/NCTC gathering.(INDEPENDENT SHOW PREVIEW)(Calendar)
July 25, 2011... Members of the American Cable Association and the National Cable Television Cooperative are converging in San Francisco from July 24-27 for the annual Independent Show, to learn how to take advantage of new products and technologies and attract...

For your consideration: Emmy contenders deconstruct the value of a win.(Cover story)(Brief article)
July 25, 2011... Until AMC premiered its first original drama series, Mad Men, in 2007, the cable channel was known mostly for airing classic theatrical movies from years past, and was barely on the radar of advertisers and their media agencies. Today, AMC is...

Cable firms make noise over CALM Act: operators don't want responsibility for all ads consumers consider too loud.(RULES)(Commercial Advertisement Loudness Mitigation Act )
July 25, 2011... WASHINGTON -- Cable operators are telling the government that they can't be expected to monitor millions of commercials to make sure they are not too loud. In comments about the Federal Communications Commission's implementation of the CALM...

Snowden joins NCTA leadership team.(RULES)(K. Dane Snowden)(National Cable and Telecommunications Association)(Brief article)
July 25, 2011... WASHINGTON -- National Cable & Telecommunications Association president Michael Powell has named K. Dane Snowden to the new post of chief of staff. Snowden has been vice president for external affairs at CTIA: The Wireless Association...

Azteca America.(PEOPLE)(appointment of John DeSimone)(Brief article)
July 25, 2011... John DeSimone has been named general manager of spot sales at Azteca America, based in New York. He comes from Univsion, where he was VP, director of sales in New York.

CBS.(PEOPLE)(appointment of David Wisnia at CBS Corp. CBS Television)(Brief article)
July 25, 2011... CBS has named David Wisnia executive vice president, affiliate relations for the CBS Television Network. He comes from News Corp.'s Star TV, where he was senior VP, distribution, sales and marketing.

Chyron.(PEOPLE)(appointment of Joe Foxton)(Brief article)
July 25, 2011... Joe Foxton has advanced to vice president, strategic product architecture at Chyron. He comes from NBCUniversal, where he led the newsroom systems department. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

Cox Media.(PEOPLE)(appointment of Mike Ziegler)(Brief article)
July 25, 2011... Mike Ziegler was upped to vice president, operations and field management at Cox Media, a new post. He had been focused on operations.

Fuel TV.(PEOPLE)(appointment of Lorey D. Zlotnick)(Brief article)
July 25, 2011... Lorey D. Zlotnick was named senior vice president, marketing and on-air promotion at Fuel TV. She comes from Fox Reality Channel, where she was senior VP, marketing and on-air promotions. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

iVillage.(PEOPLE)(appointment of Jodi Kahn)(Brief article)
July 25, 2011... NBCUniversal's iVillage unit has named Jodi Kahn as president, a new post. She had been executive vice president of the digital brand for women. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] DID YOU KNOW? Lorey D. Zlotnick crafted the first-ever branding...

MGM.(PEOPLE)(appointment of Vinicio Espinosa at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc.)(Brief article)
July 25, 2011... Vinicio Espinosa was appointed vice president, Latin American Television Distribution at Metro-GoldwynMayer. He comes from Brazilian studio Corisco Films, where he was chief operating officer.

Microsoft.(PEOPLE)(appointment of David Porter)(Brief article)
July 25, 2011... David Porter has joined Microsoft's advertising group as video advertising evangelist. He comes from Cox Media, where he was VP, strategy and new product development.

NBC Universal.(PEOPLE)(appointment of Frances Berwick)(Brief article)
July 25, 2011... Frances Berwick advanced to president, Bravo and Style Media, at NBCUniversal, adding oversight of a second basic-cable network to her portfolio. She had been president, Bravo Media.

Oxygen.(PEOPLE)(appointment of Teri Kennedy and David Gross at Oxygen Media L.L.C.)(Brief article)
July 25, 2011... Teri Kennedy has been named vice president, current production at Oxygen Media, based in New York. Also, David Gross has joined Oxygen as vice president, development, based in Los Angeles. He comes from Tijuana Entertainment DID YOU KNOW?...

RCN.(PEOPLE)(appointment of Chris Fenger)(Brief article)
July 25, 2011... Chris Fenger has joined RCN as senior vice president, operations, responsible for day-to-day oversight of the company's six markets. He had been president of Bright House Networks' central Florida market, which serves 900,000 subscribers. ...

Stratus.(PEOPLE)(appointment of Lloyd Bryan at Stratus Media Group )(Brief article)
July 25, 2011... Lloyd Bryan Adams has joined Stratus Media Group in Los Angeles as senior vice president and executive producer. He comes from Outdoor Channel, where he was executive producer and senior executive in charge of programming and production.

Weather.(PEOPLE)(appointment of Michael Finnerty and Patrick McCormack at The Weather Channel Inc.)(Brief article)
July 25, 2011... Michael Finnerty has joined The Weather Channel Cos. as vice president, Web products, repsonsible for managing weather.com. He comes from Comcast International Media, where he was VP, product planning. Also, Patrick McCormack has joined TWCC...

Calendar.(PEOPLE)(Calendar)
July 25, 2011... JULY 27-28 Wisconsin Cable Communications Association, 2011 Annual Meeting and Convention, Hilton Milwaukee City Center, Milwaukee. Contact: Nancy Magestro, (608) 256-1683, (800) 373-1683 or nmagestro@wicable.net. AUGUST 30-31 Kentucky Cable...

Wrapping season one of The Hub's Dan Vs.(FREEZE FRAME)
July 25, 2011... Wrapping season one of The Hub's Dan Vs., produced by Starz Media's Film Roman unit (l. to r.) co-creator Dan Mandel; Dan Angel, executive producer; Curtis Armstrong, voice of Dan; Lizbeth Velasco, producer; and Chris Pearson, co-creator. ...

CNN anchor Soledad O'Brien stopped by The New York Times to discuss her book The Next Big Story: My Journey Through the Land of Possibilities.(FREEZE FRAME)
July 25, 2011... CNN anchor Soledad O'Brien (r.) stopped by The New York Times to discuss her book The Next Big Story: My Journey Through the Land of Possibilities with David Carr, Times media reporter. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

The American Lung Association was presented $25,725 at the NECTA Convention in Newport, R.I.(FREEZE FRAME)
July 25, 2011... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The American Lung Association was presented $25,729 at the NECTA Convention in Newport, R.I., as part of a tribute to Joan Jamison, the late president of Charter's East Operating Group. Pictured (l. to r.): Jim...

Sportsman Channel COO Todd Hansen and InterMedia Outdoors CEO Jeff Paro present a $50,000 check to Coastal Conservation Association.(FREEZE FRAME)
July 25, 2011... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Sportsman Channel COO Todd Hansen (far l.) and InterMedia Outdoors CEO Jeff Paro (r.) present a $50,000 check to Coastal Conservation Association president Pat Murray at the ICAST Show in Las Vegas.

At the NECTA Convention in Newport, R.I.(FREEZE FRAME)
July 25, 2011... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] At the NECTA Convention in Newport, R.I. (l. to r.): former NHL player Marty Howe; Sean McGrail, NESN president and CEO; NHL hall of famer Gordie Howe; Shawn Thornton of the NHL champion Boston Bruins; Heather...

Murdoch helps 'clear up' stock mess: parliamentary testimony by news chairman sparks optimism in investors.(FINANCE)(Rupert Murdoch )
July 25, 2011... An errant cream pie wasn't the only thing that News Corp. chairman and CEO Rupert Murdoch dodged last week. The 80-year-old media mogul, after a two-hour grilling by members of the United Kingdom's Parliament concerning the phone hacking...

CFO Singer to leave Discovery.(QUICK HITS)(Brad Singer)(Discovery Communications Inc.)
July 25, 2011... Silver Spring, Md. -- Discovery Communications said in a brief filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission last Tuesday that senior vice president chief financial officer Brad Singer submitted his resignation. Singer's last day will be...

James Cable buys Waycross System.(QUICK HITS)(Brief article)
July 25, 2011... Braintree, Mass. -- James Cable said last Monday that it has acquired the Waycross Cable system, with about 8,000 customers in Ware and Brantley, Ga. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. With the deal, James Cable now passes about 133,000...

Moonves exercises options.(QUICK HITS)(Brief article)
July 25, 2011... New York -- CBS CEO Les Moonves cashed in stock options for a $2.6 million profit in June, according to documents filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on July 19. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] According to the SEC filings, Moonves...

SCTE comes 'clean' on energy: installs hybrid backup-power system at headquarters.(PLATFORMS)(Society of Cable Telecommunications Engineers)
July 25, 2011... The Society of Cable Telecommunications Engineers is ready for the Apocalypse--or, at any rate, a really bad storm. The professional association has deployed a "clean energy" backup-power solution combining solar panels and hydrogen fuel...

Flavor of the week: Lenovo's Android tablets.(GIZMO DOWNLOAD)(Brief article)
July 25, 2011... The Hype: PC maker Lenovo is launching its first family of tablets--three Wi-Fi models capable of streaming Netflix movies and Adobe Flash video directly on their screens or an external HD display. Two are built on Google's Android 3.1 operating...

Apple.(BUZZ IN BRIEF)(Brief article)
July 25, 2011... Apple has sold 222 million iPod, iPhone and iPad devices to date as of June 2011, including 20.34 million iPhones and 9.25 million iPads in the second quarter.

Roku.(BUZZ IN BRIEF)(Brief article)
July 25, 2011... Roku released the Roku 2 line of Internet settops ($59.99 to $99.99), which feature a slimmer design, lower power consumption, a game remote and the popular Angry Birds game. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

Consumer Electronics Association.(BUZZ IN BRIEF)(Brief article)
July 25, 2011... U.S. consumer-electronics sales will top $190 billion this year, up 5.6% from 2010, led by unit-shipment increases of 157% for tablets and 45% for smartphones, according to the Consumer Electronics Association's midyear revised forecast.

Behind the buzz about 'federation'.(TRANSLATION PLEASE)
July 25, 2011... These days, in the world of online things, it seems that everything wants to "federate." Federated authentication; federated social networking; federated encoding. Clouds, apps, domains; libraries, servers, databases. All are apparent candidates...

Benchmarking cable benefits: CTHRA-sponsored survey unveils metrics from member MSOs, programmers.(NEWS & ANALYSIS)(Cable and Telecommunications Human Resources Association)
July 25, 2011... The recession plus changes in health-care law and in taxes have made companies' benefit-planning efforts so challenging that the Cable and Telecommunications Human Resources Association hoped to establish some benefit benchmarks. The results...

Verizon names McAdam CEO.(BEST OF MULTICHANNEL.COM)(Lowell McAdam)(Verizon Communications Inc.)(Brief article)
July 25, 2011... New York -- As expected, Verizon Communications elevated president and chief operating officer Lowell McAdam to CEO, replacing the retiring Ivan Seidenberg, who will remain chairman. McAdam will assume the CEO position effective Aug. 1....

Dish to keep 1,500 Blockbuster stores.(BEST OF MULTICHANNEL.COM)(DISH Network Corp.)(Brief article)
July 25, 2011... Englewood, Colo. -- Months after it closed its deal to purchase video retailing icon Blockbuster, Dish Network said last week it would keep more than 1,500 of the chain's 1,700 retail locations open. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Dish purchased...

Nexstar explores possible sale.(BEST OF MULTICHANNEL.COM)(Nexstar Broadcasting Group Inc.)(Brief article)
July 25, 2011... Irving, Texas -- Nexstar Broadcasting Group, a pioneer in extracting cash for retransmission consent from distributors, has hired advisers to explore its strategic opportunities, including a possible sale. Nexstar said it has hired Moelis...

Comcast consolidates $1b media account with SMG, GroupM.(BEST OF MULTICHANNEL.COM)(Brief article)
July 25, 2011... Philadelphia -- Comcast and NBCUniversal said they have selected Publicis Group's SMG and Maxus, a unit of WPP's GroupM, as their media strategy and planning agencies. Comcast said in a statement that the combined accounts are worth more than...

ITC declines Verizon's appeal in Cablevision set-top patent case.(BEST OF MULTICHANNEL.COM)(International Trade Commission)
July 25, 2011... Washington -- The U.S. International Trade Commission last week declined to review an administrative law judge's ruling that Cablevision Systems didn't violate four of Verizon Communications' patents related to set-top boxes. And while the...

Verizon tunes in 'SpongeBob' game on FiOS TV.(BEST OF MULTICHANNEL.COM)
July 25, 2011... New York -- Call him SpongeBob WidgetPants. Verizon, in partnership with Viacom's MTV Networks, is letting FiOS TV subscribers access a "widget" with four games featuring the popular undersea sponge and his cronies. The widget deployed...

MCN buzz meter.(NEWS & ANALYSIS)(Statistical table)
July 25, 2011... MCN Buzz Meter Trendr[R] The social-TV charts below rank shows by volume of activity (mentions, (mentions, tags, links, likes, etc.) across all public profiles on Twitter, Facebook, GetGlue and Miso. Sentiment is a reflection of a positive score...

Charter adds HBO Go, MAX Go; TWC, Cablevision holding out.(NEWS & ANALYSIS)(Brief article)
July 25, 2011... After a three-month beta test, Charter Communications last Thursday launched HBO's "TV Everywhere" services for customers who subscribe to HBO, Cinemax or both--leaving Time Warner Cable and Cablevision Systems as the last major providers not...

The comprehension age.(ACCESS)
July 25, 2011... We need to be a news-literate people. In an era when facts are scarce and opinions are abundant, it's tough slogging to make sense of the barrage of information coming at us. For some, the easiest route is to pick the opinion narrative that best...

Throwing in the towel.(Q&A)(Interview)
July 25, 2011... HBO Sports president Ross Greenburg last week announced plans to step down from his role after 33 years with the premium channel. He spoke last week with Multichannel News programming editor R. Thomas Umstead about his decision to leave, and his...

Think bandwith caps are necessary? July 18.(VOICES: BIT RATE)(Brief article)
July 25, 2011... A Seattle man is furious that Comcast unceremoniously cut off his broadband --and banned him for a year--after he busted through Comcast's 250Gigabyte usage cap two months in a row. Comcast's two-strikes-and-you're-out rule, without any...

Top articles on Multichannel.com, July 13-20.(MCN'S MOST READ)
July 25, 2011... 1. FCC Revives Commercial Ad Limit Audits for Cable, Satellite 2. Time Spent Watching Online Video Climbed 16% in June: ComScore 3. TWC Names Hirsch Marketing Chief 4. 'Breaking Bad' Premiere Provides First Look at 'Walking Dead'...

Numbers.(COMMUNITY)(Brief article)
July 25, 2011... 63% Percentage of local U.S. cable systems that have upgraded (as of June) to accept HD spots from local advertisers, up from 52% at the end of second-quarter 2010. SOURCE: Extreme Reach, July 20

Media industry not letting economy worries slow it down.(THIS WEEK ON broadcastingcable.com)
July 25, 2011... Revenue and ad sales stay strong amid fading growth forecasts.

Meredith joins Raycom Hub Club.(THIS WEEK ON broadcastingcable.com)(Brief article)
July 25, 2011... Station group is licensing online content on WorldNow platform.

The blind leading the 'Blind'.(TALKBACK)(Brief article)
July 25, 2011... (RE: ACT Seeks State Investigations of AT&T & PEG," July 19): "A lot of people don't understand that the blind do 'watch' television or at least listen to television (think radio). It so happens that the president of our organization,...

Rural broadband at risk in USF plan?(TALKBACK)
July 25, 2011... (RE: "Industry Consensus Plan on USF Reform in Offing," July 21, via broadcastingcable.com): "My biggest fear as a consumer and media producer who lives and works in a rural area is what this change will mean to the price I have to pay for...

Look at AT&T from both sides.(TALKBACK)
July 25, 2011... (RE: "Sen. Kohl Asks Govt. to Block AT&T/T-Mobile Deal," July 21, via broadcastingcable.com): "So while AT&T has to spend a fortune maintaining the old analog phone line network system, [it] should be denied growing [its] bandwidth?...

Tuned in.(COMMUNITY)(Cartoon)
July 25, 2011... PHONE-HACKING SCANDAL AFTER CIRCLING THE GLOBE, THE MURDOCH MEDIA EMPIRE IS NOW CIRCLING THE WAGONS [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

Scandal crashes news-BSkyB deal: U.K. phone-hacking controversy scuttles bid for full control.(NEWS & ANALYSIS)(British Sky Broadcasting Group PLC)
July 18, 2011... News Corp.'s year-long quest to assume full control of U.K. satellite giant British Sky Broadcasting came to an end last week, after the media giant said it would withdraw its proposal amid a growing scandal at its British newspaper. ...

Cinemax adds action series: premium net moves to build on strength with young men.(NEWS & ANALYSIS)
July 18, 2011... Cinemax will join sister premium network HBO in the scripted-series arena with the launch of two action-themed series later this year. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The Aug. 12 launch of its first original series, Strike Back, will also be the...

Encore Steers into Originals with 'Moby Dick'
July 18, 2011... Starz Entertainment will push its Encore premium channel into original scripted-series waters next month with a retelling of Moby Dick. The 33 million-subscriber premium service, which currently airs classic blockbuster film titles, will...

Could Oprah own Oscars, too?(THROUGH The Wire)(Oprah Winfrey )(Brief article)
July 18, 2011... Syndicated diva turned cable net mogul Oprah Winfrey is the odds-on favorite to host next February's Oscar ceremony, at least according to an Irish bookmaking site that was trumpeting those odds to reporters last week. Our guess here is she...

'Friday Night Dinner': True Family Stories, And a Dog Joke.(THROUGH The Wire)(Brief article)
July 18, 2011... Some things to know about Friday Night Dinner, the six-part Britcom on BBC America starting July 30: Some of the wacky stuff we see mom Jackie (Tamsin Greig), ditzy dad Martin (Paul Ritter) and brothers Adam (Simon Bird) and Jonny (Tom Rosen...

Feeding the folks in Joplin.(THROUGH The Wire)
July 18, 2011... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] GMC, in partnership with Feed the Children and the Salvation Army, sponsored a Joplin, Mo., tornado victims' outreach event at the Salvation Army warehouse in the stricken city on July 8. The outreach event was part of...

No clear winner for insight: auction winds down with bids in $3b ballpark.(Insight)
July 18, 2011... The auction for Insight Communications is winding down with bids in the low $3 billion range and questions over whether a deal will get done, according to people familiar with the matter. Insight went on the block in March and attracted a...

Emmy nods not so predictable this time: 'Kennedys' a surprise rick while HBO again leads with 104.(NEWS & ANALYSIS)
July 18, 2011... Surprises were few among cable's Emmy nominations last week, but some picks did raise eyebrows. HBO was again atop the leaderboard with 104 primetime Emmy nominations--more than double that of CBS's 50 as its nearest competitor--including an...

Out the gate: ESPN's longhorn network: new service airing university of Texas sports aims for Aug. 26 launch.(LONGHORN NETWORK[TM])
July 18, 2011... ESPN says it is gaining yardage as it pounds the distribution line for the University of Texas Longhorn Network, but has yet to reach affiliate paydirt. "We're talking to everybody, big and small," David Preschlack, ESPN's executive vice...

TWC names Hirsch marketing chief.(NEWS & ANALYSIS)(Jeffrey Hirsch)(Time Warner Cable Inc.)(Brief article)
July 18, 2011... New YORK -- Time Warner Cable said Jeffrey Hirsch has been named executive vice president and chief marketing officer, replacing Sam Howe, who abruptly left the company Friday. Hirsch, 39, has been with Time Warner Cable since 1999, and most...

Where Canoe goes from here: with exit of CEO Verklin, industry reasseses cable's advanced-ad venture.(Cover story)
July 18, 2011... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] "Call me a dreamer or say I have a screw loose, but I believe this is an opportunity to change the way America uses and watches television." David Verklin, former Canoe CEO, in 2008 David Verklin spent three years...

Interactive TV moves to second screen: new mobile-device 'tags' link TV ads, shows to online content.(NEWS & ANALYSIS)(advertising)
July 18, 2011... Call it over-the top TV advertising. Companies including Shazam Entertainment, Invidi Technologies, IntoNow and Spot411 Technologies are pitching TV networks and advertisers on a new way to deliver interactive content to viewers--via...

Great (privacy) expectations: Hewlett-Packard's Taylor offers wish list for government action.(Q&A)
July 18, 2011... Hewlett-Packard chief privacy officer Scott Taylor spoke with Multichannel News Washington bureau chief John Egger after a recent hearing on online privacy and data security. The computing giant backs what it calls a "chain of accountability,"...

BET, UNCF to partner on 'Stars': cable net takes on production of 33-year-old fundraiser.(CONTENT)(Black Entertainment Television Inc.)(United Negro College Fund)
July 18, 2011... BET is partnering with the United Negro College Fund to televise the foundation's annual UNCF An Evening of Stars event this fall. BET will air the An Evening of Stars special in September, although an official date has not been announced,...

Cable stands up to bullies.(CONTENT)
July 18, 2011... Several cable networks will take on the issue of childhood bullying with several movie and online projects that they hope will shine a light on the growing problem. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Time Warner Inc. and Facebook will team up to...

FCC bureau backs Tennis Channel: enforcement unit says Comcast discriminated, should face fine.(TENNIS CHANNEL)(Federal Communications Commission)
July 18, 2011... WASHINGTON -- Tennis Channel has a doubles partner in its program-carriage complaint against Comcast: the Federal Communications Commission's Enforcement Bureau. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] In contrast to previous complaints involving WealthTV...

Brightstar.(PEOPLE)(appointment of Mark Shockley)(Brief article)
July 18, 2011... Mark Shockley was named president, U.S. and Canada, at BrightStar. He comes from Motorola Mobility, where he was senior VP and GM of go-to-market mobile devices.

CatholicTV.(PEOPLE)(appointment of Kate Andrews)(Brief article)
July 18, 2011... Kate Andrews has joined CatholicTV as an associate producer. She is a 2011 graduate of Emerson College with an master's degree in broadcast journalism. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

Collins Avenue.(PEOPLE)(appointment of Mike Aho)(Brief article)
July 18, 2011... Reality-show producer Collins Avenue has upped Mike Aho to vice president, factual programming and Michael Hammond to vice president, production. Aho had been VP, development and Hammond had been executive in charge of production. ...

Genband.(PEOPLE)(appointment of B.G. Kumar)(Brief article)
July 18, 2011... Frisco, Texas-based Genband has tapped B.G. Kumar as president, networking and applications. He had been executive VP, engineering and operations at Mavenir Systems.

GlobeCast.(PEOPLE)(appointment of Philippe Rouxel at GlobeCast France)(Brief article)
July 18, 2011... GlobeCast has added Philippe Rouxel as chief marketing officer, based in Paris. He comes from France 24, where he was VP, international distribution.

Itaas.(PEOPLE)(appointment of Pat Tylka)(Brief article)
July 18, 2011... Pat Tylka has joined the advisory board of interactive-TV firm Itaas. He was former senior vice president, worldwide sales and senior corporate vice president at Cisco Systems/Scientific Atlanta. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

Nat Geo.(PEOPLE)(appointment of Kim Woodward and Kevin Mohs at National Geographic Channels International)(Brief article)
July 18, 2011... Kim Woodward and Kevin Mohs have joined National Geographich Channel, both in the role of VP, development and production.