Butler and Yu Named to Senior Positions at Discovery

Cable industry vets step in at Discovery Fit & Health and Planet Green

By David Tanklefsky -- Broadcasting & Cable, 3/3/2011 10:17:16 AM

Matt Butler and Fay Yu have been named to the senior team at Discovery Communications, taking over executive posts at the dual-network property of Discovery Fit & Health and Planet Green, the network announced Thursday.

Butler, a veteran of the Travel Channel, will serve as VP of programming and strategy for both networks.  He will oversee
scheduling and development and partner with the advertising sales and distribution teams.  Butler spent ten years at Travel, most recently as head of programming and development.  In 2010, he was named to Multichannel News' "40 Under 40" list of industry innovators.  He has also worked for PBS, QVC and ESPN.

Fay Yu becomes executive producer for both networks, continuing to develop the brands' original content. She will oversee creative for a number of projects and work closely with Butler to expand programming concepts. Yu has spent the last four years as manager of programming at Food Network and Cooking Channel, overseeing shows like Iron Chef America, Barefoot Contessa and Unwrapped.  She has also worked at HGTV and the BBC.

"The addition of Matt and Fay further strengthens what is already a top-notch senior team for Discovery Fit & Health and Planet Green," said Laura Michalchyshyn, the networks' GM, in a statement.  "Their significant skill and expertise in delivering hugely-popular content will be invaluable as we continue to build these two young, emerging
networks."