Fates & Fortunes

Appointments at KIMT(TV) Mason City, Iowa: Michael Fitzgerald, local sales manager, named general sales manager; Wayne Kohlhaas, account executive, named national sales manager.

Randi Goldkank, national sales manager, WSVN(TV) Miami, named local sales manager.

Appointments at Cablevision Systems Corp., Bethpage, N.Y.: Tanya Van Court, VP, international operations, Covad Communications, Santa Clara, Calif., joins as VP, operations and customer experience, digital products; Jonathan Boltax, VP, broadcast technologies group, ValueVision, New York, joins as director, ITV development, eMedia group.

Matthew Frankel, head, communications department, Democratic Leadership Council, Washington, appointed director, media relations, Rainbow Media Holdings Inc., New York.

Gina Garrubbo, divisional VP, Eastern advertising sales, Discovery Communications, New York, named executive VP, sponsorship sales, Oxygen, New York.

Geof Rochester, ISun Networks Inc., Philadelphia, joins Showtime Networks Inc., New York, as senior VP, marketing.

Diane Donohue, VP, advertising sales, Eastern region, A&E Television Networks, New York, promoted to senior VP.

Seth Howard, director, programming and development, Tribune Entertainment, Los Angeles, promoted to VP, scripted programming and development.

Rita Caprino, director, distribution services, Hallmark Channel, New York, promoted to senior director.

Tracy Vasquez, special events manager, CNN Newsource, Atlanta, promoted to director, marketing.

Appointments at Talk America, Newark, N.J.: Rich Wood, director, WOR Radio, New York, joins as senior VP, marketing and operations; Rich Rapiti, affiliate representative, WOR Radio, New York, joins as director, affiliate relations.

Chris Crawford, director, coaching, Clear Channel University, Clear Channel Communications, Covington, Ky., named VP/GM, Journal Broadcast Group, Wichita, Kan., operations.

Michael Valentine, news director, WEHT(TV) Evansville, Ind., named executive news director, WVEC-TV Hampton, Va.

Randal Stanley, news director, WGRZ-TV Buffalo, N.Y., joins WKYC-TV Cleveland, in the same capacity.

Jason Meucci, field producer, CNN Newsource, Atlanta, named, supervisor, Chicago bureau.

Paul Skolnick, managing editor, Thunder & Lightning News Service, Belleair Bluffs, Fla., joins KCAL(TV) Los Angeles in the same capacity.

Thomas Roberts, investigative reporter, WAVY-TV Portsmouth, Va., joins CNN Headline News, Atlanta, as anchor/correspondent.

Natalie Morales, co-anchor, WVIT(TV) New Britain, Conn., joins MSNBC, Secaucus, N.J., as anchor/correspondent.

Scott Engler, anchor, KCPQ(TV) Tacoma, Wash., joins WABC-TV New York, as weekend anchor/host, Business Week: Money Talk.

Richard "Dick" Alexander, the first African-American radio personality in Connecticut, died on Feb. 2 at Danbury (CT) Hospital. He was 74.

A WWII veteran, Alexander began his career at WNAB and WICC(AM) in Bridgeport during the 1960s and moved on to WGHF/WINE(AM) in Brookfield. His distinctive voice was accompanied by his radio signature, "Dick Alexander here and mighty glad to be."

He is survived by his wife, Patricia; brother, Philip; and sisters, Mary, June and Ruth.

Jerome H. Stanley, longtime television executive, died of natural causes Feb. 7 at Eisenhower Medical Center in Rancho Mirage, Calif. He was 80.

Stanley started out as a production manager and assistant producer for Frontiers Inc., which handled The Roy Rogers Show. He began a 25-year career with NBC in 1956, rising to become VP of both film programs and NBC productions. In those roles, he oversaw production and development of such television series as Star Trek, The Monkees, Get Smart and Bonanza. He retired from NBC in 1981 as VP of broadcast standards, West Coast, and moved over to MGM Television, where he served briefly as VP of current programs, supervising the production of Fame and ChiPs, among others.

He is survived by his wife, Anne; children, Lynne and David; and two grandchildren.