• by Wayne Friedman , October 7, 2005

Just one day after Viacom's SEC filing detailing its split into two companies, a senior Viacom executive has jumped ship. Dennis Swanson has been named president of station operations for Fox Television Stations Group.

Swanson had been executive vp and chief operating officer of the Viacom Television Stations Group, where he oversaw operations of the division's television stations. Swanson previously held a number of senior executive jobs at the station level, including president and general manager of WNBC-TV in New York. He was also president of ABC Sports from 1986 to 1996.

Swanson will report to Jack Abernethy, chief executive officer, Fox Television Stations Group, and will help manage the 35 Fox owned-and-operated stations including WNYW-TV and WWOR-TV in New York; KTTV-TV and KCOP-TV in Los Angeles; WFLD-TV and WPWR-TV in Chicago; WTXF-TV in Philadelphia; WFXT-TV in Boston; and WTTG-TV in Washington, D.C.

From 1985 to 1986, Swanson served as vice president and general manager of WLS-TV, the ABC owned-and-operated station in Chicago where he gave Oprah Winfrey her first daytime talk show.

Viacom Inc. will formally split into two companies named Viacom and CBS--which will be headed by Tom Freston and Les Moonves, respectively--next spring.

According to the filing this week, Viacom Inc.--the MTV Network, cable network- and Paramount Pictures-centric company--has earned $4.4 billion in pro forma revenue and operating income of $1.2 billion for the six months ended June 30. Its net earnings from continuing operations were $670 million. The new CBS, centered around the CBS network and stations, posted revenue of $7.1 billion, operating income of $1.3 billion, and net earnings from continuing operations of $653 million.