• by David Goetzl  @dgoetzl, March 8, 2006

A former Madison Avenue media wunderkind who served time last fall for defrauding the federal government on the White House's drug-control account has resurfaced as head of integrated media at Katz Television Group, a unit of Clear Channel Communications. The executive, Peter Chrisanthopoulos, was one of the ad industry's fastest-rising media stars, serving in top positions at MindShare, Ogilvy & Mather, and even the ABC Television Network before his career was derailed by the highly publicized fraud case against former Ogilvy executives.

Chrisanthopoulos, who pled guilty, hoping to receive a lighter sentence, began his new post last week as senior vice president and director of integrated media at Katz, and was seen circulating at the American Association of Advertising Agencies Media Conference and Trade Show in Orlando. Katz, a subsidiary of publicly traded Clear Channel Communications, provides national sales representation for some 350 local television stations across the country.

Chrisanthopoulos, who most recently was a principal in a real estate firm, will devise strategy to improve ad sales for station Web sites as part of package deals with on-air spots.

Chrisanthopoulos has an impressive resume in the media business that includes heading national broadcast at Ogilvy and MindShare and leading RJR Nabisco's buying operations. Among other things, he managed to organize the major TV networks in what was their most successful and most sustained joint marketing effort, forming the Network Television Association, and serving as its first president before moving on to handle marketing and research for ABC.

Katz Television Group President Jim Beloyianis said he was attracted to Chrisanthopoulos' experience -- which he hopes will aid Katz in better targeting agencies -- and was undeterred by his legal troubles.

"There was nothing there that was an issue for us because we're focusing on what we know of Peter's background when he was on the agency side and the advertiser side," Beloyianis said. "We're very, very pleased to have someone of his skill joining our company."

"It speaks volumes about people's regard for Peter in this industry and it speaks highly of Katz for recognizing that good people should be allowed to get back to work," said Chrisanthopoulos' attorney Paul Shechtman.

A call to Chrisanthopoulos was not returned.

Chrisanthopoulos served two months last fall at a low-security prison in Pennsylvania as part of a sentence that also required him to pay an $85,000 fine and write a code of ethics for the advertising industry.

During last year's trial in the case, in which the government alleged that Ogilvy staff members padded time sheets in 1999 and over-billed the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, Chrisanthopoulos cooperated with prosecutors and testified against two top executives, both of whom were found guilty. For his part, Chrisanthopoulos maintained that he was following directions from those individuals, Shona Seifert and Thomas Early, when he personally falsified time sheets.

Elizabeth Fletcher, a lawyer who has written about the case, called Chrisanthopoulos "a minor player," and said that although "the taint of that whole episode is going to follow him," he completed his sentence and should be allowed to move on. "If that's what they felt was the punishment for the crime, then it's wrong to continue to punish him by saying he shouldn't be back working," she said.

Chrisanthopoulos, 48, served as president, broadcast and programming U.S.A. at Ogilvy before joining successor operation MindShare in 2000 as president of national broadcast and programming. After MindShare, he joined station group Pappas Telecasting Companies, where he rose to president and COO with a seat on the board of directors. He resigned that post in late 2003.

Prior to Ogilvy, Chrisanthopoulos held a top research and marketing position at ABC and served as president and CEO of the Network Television Association. At RJR Nabisco, he was president and COO of RJR Nabisco Broadcast.