• by David Goetzl  @dgoetzl, August 3, 2009

Greg Meidel, who was brought to News Corp. to resuscitate the flailing MyNetworkTV, has taken on additional duties as president of the syndication arm Twentieth Television. The appointment comes 14 years after he left the president-COO role at Twentieth.

At MyNetworkTV, Meidel spearheaded the acquisition of "WWE SmackDown," which gave the network a beachhead and helped significantly boost ratings. But the venture did not come close to challenging any of the other networks. This fall, it is shifting to a lineup stocked with reruns of shows culled from the would-be competition.

Both MyNetworkTV and Twentieth fall under the umbrella of the Fox Television Stations operation headed by Jack Abernathy.

Meidel's dual roles effectively make him both an acquirer of syndicated programming (MyNetworkTV with "Law & Order: Criminal Intent and "Deal or No Deal") and a seller via Twentieth, which distributes first-run series, such as "Divorce Court" and off-net shows, such as "Bones."

In the case of "Are You Smarter Than A 5th Grader?" Meidel will be negotiating with himself as the show is syndicated by Twentieth and on MyNetworkTV starting this fall.

Before returning to News Corp., Meidel was president of programming for CBS Paramount Domestic Television, a leading syndicator with shows such as "Entertainment Tonight." Meidel was president-COO at Twentieth from 1992-1995. He has also served as head of a third leading syndicator, Universal Television Group.

Abernathy said Meidel is "well-liked and respected" in the industry and his "optimism and tenacity will be an asset ... during this challenging time."