• by Joe Mandese  @mp_joemandese, September 5, 2006

Charlie Collier, the highly regarded former head of advertising sales at Court TV, has been named general manager of Rainbow Network's AMC, making him one of the few ad sales executives to graduate to head of a television network. The move, which has been rumored for weeks, will be officially announced later today, but executives familiar with the move say Collier will report to Ed Carroll, president of Rainbow Entertainment Services, which also operates IFC (Independent Film Channel) and WE, a women's programming service.

Collier's departure follows Time Warner's buyout of Viacom's interest in Court TV, which had been jointly owned, and its incorporation into Turner Broadcasting System. Most, if not all of Court TV's 50 person-plus sales organization has departed the network, and Collier was said to be in line for a broader role running a cable network.

During his reign as head of Court TV's sales department, Collier and his team were known for pioneering new ways of doing business, including some of the first upfront advertising deals with guarantees tied to measures of viewer engagement, something most of the advertising industry is trying to figure out how to crack.

AMC, a 24-hour, movie-based network dedicated to classic American movie fans, was founded in 1984, and has recently begun to step up its advertising and sponsorship efforts, offering one of the least cluttered ad environments of any cable network.