• by Joe Mandese  @mp_joemandese, November 9, 2006

Less than a year after TV buying powerhouse MediaVest reorganized its TV, online video and branded entertainment groups into "Video Investment and Activation" teams, the Publicis media shop is consolidating print and out-of-home media into the process.

As part of the reorganization, MediaVest restructured its senior management team, elevating President of U.S. Broadcast Donna Speciale to head of all media buying operations. Speciale, who will assume the new title of President of Investment and Activation, will add print and out-of-home media to her portfolio, and print chief Robin Steinberg and out-of-home media chief Norm Chait will now report to her.

Speciale's rise follows MediaVest chief Laura Desmond's move to CEO of Starcom MediaVest Group, The Americas. The agency has not named anyone to succeed Desmond as head of MediaVest's operations, but the move appears to solidify Speciale as the senior-most member of the team after Desmond, who continues to operate out of MediaVest's New York offices.

Related moves include:

* Christine Merrifield, formerly group director at MediaVest, has been promoted to the new position of senior vice president-director of VIA and operations. She will focus on the operational duties of the VIA unit, and will be the strategic management lead on select client businesses including Capital One.

* Former MediaCom Executive Vice President-Director of Local Broadcast Anne Elkins has joined MediaVest effective Oct 30, and succeeds Merrifield as senior vice president-group director with day-to-day oversight of key clients including Activision, UBS and Comcast.