• by Fern Siegel , November 2, 2009

WGN America, Tribune Broadcasting's nationally distributed cable and satellite network, named David Rotem senior vice president of sales.

In addition to his sales duties, he will also focus on marketing and product-integration strategies. Rotem, who is New York-based, reports to Julio Marenghi, executive vice president of sales and distribution.

Rotem stated that Tribune was "aggressively acquiring blue-chip entertainment programming, like "30 Rock," "Entourage," "Curb Your Enthusiasm" and "The New Adventures of Old Christine," which he calls a "transformation."

A longtime media vet, Rotem has run corporate sales divisions of broadcast, cable, print, digital, mobile, radio and new media ventures.

Just prior to joining WGN, he served as principal of Escape Multimedia, consulting for various media sales companies, including ReDegg, which reps CineSport, and MirriAd, a British virtual brand-integration company.

Before that, Rotem held numerous executive level sales and marketing positions, including senior vice president/group leader Multimedia Sales for ESPN Media, executive vice president, national television and event-marketing sales for ESPN/ABC Sports, vice president of ABC News sales and various account executive posts at CBS.

Marenghi added that Rotem would help "define the new WGN America."