Tuesday, November 23, 2004

DAN RATHER announced today that he will step down as anchor and managing editor of the CBS Evening News on March 9, 2005, 24 years after his first broadcast in that position. Rather will continue to work full-time at CBS News as a correspondent for both editions of 60 Minutes, as well as on other assignments for the Division.

JONATHAN KLEIN has joined the CNN News Group as president of CNN/U.S. Klein will oversee CNN’s domestic news network, creating programming and shaping the editorial tone and direction of CNN/U.S. Klein joins CNN from The FeedRoom Inc., where he served as founder and chief executive officer of the broadband news network. PRINCELL HAIR, who had served as executive vice president and general manager of CNN/U.S., is assuming a new role as senior vice president of program and talent development.

MEL KARMAZIN has signed on as CEO of Sirius Satellite Radio. Karmazin, who left his COO post at Viacom last May, will begin his new role after the new year. Karmazin succeeds JOSEPH CLAYTON, who will remain at Sirius as chairman of the Board of Directors.

Media Bridge Entertainment, a product placement company created by deutschMedia and iTVX, has named TAL SALOMON as director of sales and marketing development. Salomon will be responsible for mining and exploring product placement opportunities. Most recently, Salomon was partner, group media director at Lowe New York and has also worked in media capacities at DDB/Needham, Bozell, Hakuhodo and Backer Spielvogel Bates.

Former Leo Burnett executive TROY RUHANEN has joined BBDO North America as executive vice president and managing director, a new position. Ruhanen will lead the Cingular Wireless account. Most recently, Ruhanen was executive vice president and managing director at Leo Burnett Worldwide where he also ran Burnett’s agency in Sydney, Australia.

Avenue A | Razorfish has hired SARAH KIM as vice president of media for the agency’s East region. Kim comes from mOne Worldwide, where she was partner and group planning director managing a team of 19 and responsible for all online and direct media planning and execution, most notably for IBM.

Eyeblaster has named DOUG MCFARLAND to its Board of Directors. McFarland will focus on strategic initiatives and operations across the company’s current and forthcoming product offerings. For the past two years, McFarland was the executive vice president and general manager of Advertising.com, responsible for the development of the company’s publisher business.

JIM ROSE, the North American chief executive for MPG, is leaving the company to pursue a management opportunity in Texas. In the interim, members of the MPG Management Team will continue to operate as before, reporting to FERNANDO RODES, global chief executive for MPG.

DAISY EXPOSITO is stepping down after 23 years as Chairman & CEO of The Bravo Group, a Y&R agency targeting the Hispanic population. GARY BASSELL has been named Chairman & CEO. He was most recently president of La Comunidad. Additionally, Bravo’s president, LINDA DEJESUS-CUTLER, has added chief operating officer to her title.

OgilvyOne is opening a San Francisco office to primarily support a new assignment from Yahoo! Inc. MARK YESAYIAN has been named managing director of the new office.

Draft Chicago has hired JOHN RAUSCH as vice president, creative director. Rausch will work on the DeVry and Fleetwood accounts as well as new business opportunities. He was most recently at DDB, where he served as vice president, creative director and worked with such clients as Anheuser-Busch, Discover Card, and FTD.

LOREN GROSSMAN has rejoined Rapp Collins-NY as chief client strategy officer, responsible for development of integrated strategies for Rapp Collins Worldwide clients and coordination of input from all agency service areas. Grossman is returning to Rapp Collins Worldwide, where he spent three years as senior vice president, brand planning in New York until 2001. He was most recently chief strategy officer at DKI Direct. Additionally, SHERRI PHILLIPS has joined the agency as senior vice president, group account director. Phillips was senior vice president at McCann-Erickson/MRM, New York.

G2 Worldwide has named RAYMOND KUHAR as creative director and senior partner. He was most recently creative director at the Designory, Inc. in Los Angeles, an integrated brand development agency.

PAMELA GODFREY has been named vice president/associate managing director for Clear Channel Katz Advantage's Marketing Business Development team in New York. Godfrey will be responsible for overseeing business development initiatives in the New York metropolitan region. She will oversee all operations for the New York marketing sales team, including identifying and training new talent as well as continuing the growth of the CCKA Marketing/Business Development office. Prior to joining Katz, Godfrey worked as a senior buyer for Wells Rich Greene and as local broadcast supervisor at DDB Needham.

JASON MADRAK has been named research director for PARADE Publications, and will focus on research and media analysis for the magazine. Madrak was previously director of media research for The Wall Street Journal. Also at PARADE, ELIZABETH ALLERTON has joined its New York sales department as an account executive. Allerton comes to the magazine from Submitnet, where she was vice president of marketing.

icrossing has hired MAURA LEWIS as director of analytics. Most recently, Lewis served as senior project manager with the Advertising Effectiveness Research group at AOL.

AlmondNet, a New York-based advertising technology company, has appointed MICHAEL KUBIN to its board of directors. Kubin is also the CEO of Ionic Marketing, a direct response marketing and media buying agency.

Range Online Media has named RAY WHITE as chief operating officer. White comes to Range Online Media from Match.com, where he launched and managed new high-growth products and businesses. White’s responsibilities included research, design, development, budgeting, marketing, and overall management of Match.com’s new businesses and products.

T3 (The Think Tank) has named ROBYN JEHL print operations director. Jehl comes to T3 from VoxGroup where she worked as an account director.

InQ has named DAN DATO senior vice president/sales and marketing. Dato will oversee new business development for the company. He was previously managing director of The Motley Fool UK and was responsible for the overall strategy and performance of the company.

Time Inc.’s Health magazine has promoted JUDY SAGE to executive beauty director, and JAIME AVERSA has been appointed account manager. Most recently, Sage was beauty director at Health, a position she held since 2001. Previously, Aversa was an account manager at Natural Health magazine. Prior to that, she worked in advertising sales at Shape and Fit Pregnancy magazines.

Tango, a new relationship-focused magazine set to launch this February, has hired JENNIFER HEDGES as southwest advertising director.

Salt Water Sportsman magazine has named GERALD BETHGE as executive editor. Bethge joins Salt Water Sportsman from Harris Publications, where he served as Editor in Chief of the Harris Outdoor Group. While there, he was responsible for managing all aspects of that division’s editorial program, including more than 20 consumer outdoor magazine titles.

ADAM ROBERTS joined Insight Interactive Group, a full service interactive marketing communications agency serving the pharmaceutical and healthcare industries, as associate media director, managing media planning, buying, trafficking and reporting. Roberts previously served as a freelance media director for STAR Group and Backe Communications. Also, CARA LEVINSON has joined the agency as director of strategic services and analytics. Prior to joining Insight Interactive Group, Levinson founded Levinson Marketing, a marketing and Internet consultancy.

MARYBETH PETERS has joined Finelight Strategic Marketing Communications as senior vice president of direct response and media development. Peters joins Finelight from Carat USA in Chicago where she was vice president, director of direct response media. At Finelight, She will head up the agency’s direct response television media planning and buying capability, and play a role in ongoing business development and strategic planning initiatives for Finelight’s Louisville office.

Palm Beach Media Associates has named KATHLEEN WHITLEDGE vice president of public relations and marketing. Pmost recently, she was director of marketing and public relations for integrated brand management firm Twister Sisters.

Action Integrated Marketing, Atlanta, an agency specializing in automotive retail, has hired CHRISTOPHER S. NEER as their media supervisor. For the past six years, Neer has been a senior level media negotiator at Initiative/IPG working with clients such as BellSouth, Home Depot, Federated Department Stores, and Arbys.

IMake, a provider of Video On Demand and Interactive TV solutions, named STEVEN SWEENEY as its VP of business development. Sweeney will be responsible for establishing IMAKE's global technology partnering program, overseeing mergers and acquisitions, and directing the overall sales and marketing strategy for IMAKE's suite of solutions.

LANCE GOLER has been promoted to vice president of sales and marketing at Adapt Media, up from sales manager.