• by David Goetzl  @dgoetzl, May 11, 2007

On the eve of the upfront, a top sales executive at the thriving ESPN is moving to, of all things, print--albeit a company that's highly coveted right now. Michael Rooney, executive vice president-multimedia sales at ESPN, has been tapped to fill a new position at Dow Jones as chief revenue officer of the consumer media group.

To be fair, Dow Jones has tried to expand its operations beyond its flagship Wall Street Journal printed edition with the acquisition of MarketWatch, and attempts to bolster online editions of the Journal and Barron's.

And as he did at ESPN--where he was involved in sales oversight for traditional and new-media properties--Rooney will do the same at Dow Jones, heading sales efforts for The Wall Street Journal, Dow Jones Online, Dow Jones International Marketing Services, Dow Jones Integrated Solutions and a radio network. One of his charges is to boost the company's integrated, multi-platform sales efforts a la ESPN.

Rooney, 53, starts his new post May 23, reporting to L. Gordon Crovitz, Dow Jones executive vice president, president of the Consumer Media Group and publisher of The Wall Street Journal. "Dow Jones and our advertisers will benefit from Michael's proven track record at ESPN in serving advertisers through solutions-focused sales efforts across media channels, including print, online and broadcasting," said Crovitz. "At Dow Jones, he will develop strategies to help advertisers best reach our ... consumers across print, online and other digital channels ..."

While ESPN is a leading growth engine at Disney, News Corp. is seeking to buy Dow Jones for some $5 billion, even as the print industry as a whole faces an uncertain future.

"I am excited to help advertisers reach the extraordinary Dow Jones audience to achieve their marketing goals," Rooney said. Rooney has been with ESPN in multiple positions since 1997. Before that, he had an extensive career in print, including serving as publisher of Field and Stream and Outdoor Life magazines.