Fates & Fortunes

Send it to Melanie M. Clarke, editorial assistant, B&C (e-mail: meclarke@reedbusiness.com; fax: 646-746-7028; mail: 360 Park Ave. South, New York, NY 10010)

Daniel Houtz, national sales coordinator, WEWB Albany, N.Y., promoted to marketing director.

David Doebler, president/GM, WVTM Birmingham, Ala., named president/GM, WVIT Hartford, Conn.

At Comcast: Mark Davis, senior director, engineering, Comcast Southern division, Georgia, promoted to division VP, technical operations; Joe Cona, senior director, business operations, Comcast, Jacksonville, Fla., named senior director, coastal region, Jacksonville, Savannah, Augusta and Charleston.

At Cox Communications, Atlanta: Heather Brown, director, investor relations, to director, competitive strategy; Leigh Stokes, manager, content and site operations, cox.net and cox.com Web sites, to director, Web strategy.

Jennifer Skorlich, VP, NBC Universal Cable publicity and late night publicity, NBC, Burbank, Calif., promoted to senior VP.

Peter Lori, audit partner, KPMG LLP, Short Hills, N.J., appointed senior VP, corporate controller and chief accounting officer, Univision Communications, Teaneck, N.J.

Thomas Arrix, senior VP, sales and client services, CBS Sportsline.com, New York, named senior VP, advertising sales, Univision Online, New York.

Haydn Arndt, sales director, UK and Ireland television distribution, Walt Disney Television International, named VP, sales liaison, Australia and New Zealand, NBC Universal International Television Distribution, Sydney, Australia.

J. Frederick Rogers, VP, institutional advancement, General Theological Seminary, New York, joins Thirteen/WNET New York as managing director, foundation and government grants.

Lisa Dollinger, senior VP, corporate communications, Clear Channel Communications Inc., San Antonio, promoted to chief communications officer.

Barbara Bekkedahl, executive VP, advertising sales, The Family Channel/Fox Family/ABC Family Worldwide, appointed director, national advertising sales, Gospel Music Channel, New Jersey.

Travis McElfresh, group program manager, MSNBC.com, Redmond, Wash., named director, technology.

Carol E. Mattey, deputy chief, wireline competition bureau, Federal Communications Commission, Washington, named a director, U.S. technology, media and telecommunications (TMT) industry practice, Deloitte & Touche, McLean, Va.

At Sci Fi Channel, New York: Blake Callaway, associate media director, Lopez Negrete Communications, Houston, joins as VP, brand marketing; Gunilla DeSanto, director, on- and off-air production, promoted to VP, production and project management; Tahira Bhatti-McClure, director, marketing operations, elevated to VP, marketing operations.

Patrick Gates, senior VP, e-commerce, AOL, Dulles, Va., named executive VP, consumer direct, Discovery Commerce, Silver Spring, Md.

Frank Sesno, bureau chief, CNN, Washington, rejoins the network as special correspondent, Paula Zahn Now and CNN Presents.

Alan Krashesky, co-anchor, 6 p.m. newscast, WLS Chicago, named co-anchor, 4 p.m. newscast, as of May 9.

Sally Thoun, account executive, Westwood One, Los Angeles, named national account manager, Clear Channel Radio Sales traffic division, Los Angeles.

Mary Anne Kelleher, VP/director, sales, McGavren Guild Radio, Boston, named VP/sales manager, Eastman Radio, Boston.

J.D. Gonzalez, VP/station manager, Univision Radio, Houston, promoted to VP, programming services.

Janet Scardino, senior VP, international marketing, AOL, Dulles, Va., appointed EVP/global head of marketing, media business, Reuters, New York.

At TV Guide affiliate sales and marketing group: Patrick Dodd, senior VP, sales operations, named senior VP, national accounts, Los Angeles; Betsy Brightman, regional VP, Eastern region sales, promoted to senior VP, sales operations, Radnor, Pa.; Sharon Metz, VP, national accounts, named VP, affiliate marketing, Radnor, Pa.; Eric Rutter, director, national accounts, promoted to VP, Radnor, Pa.; Dan Yokich, regional VP, Western region sales, promoted to VP, national accounts, Los Angeles.

Patrick Byrne, regional VP, National Cable Communications, Chicago named director, sales, Chicago.

Jim Kizer, director, sales, Insight Media, Illinois, promoted to regional VP.

Veteran media writer and editor Peter G. Ainslie died suddenly on April 2, at the age of 58.

A skilled editor and reporter, Ainslie worked at Women's Wear Daily before moving to Time magazine. At Time, he distinguished himself in a number of roles, including reporting and editing. He was adept, covering everything from international affairs to the television industry.

In the mid 1980s, Ainslie became managing editor of Channels magazine, where he was promoted to executive editor. His outstanding knowledge and skilled managerial style made him beloved to those who worked with him.

From 1992 to 2000, Ainslie served as director of media relations for the Warner Music Group. This position allowed him to exercise his extensive writing skills, as he promoted an industry for which he had a profound passion.

In 2001, a challenging time in the company's history, Time Warner corporate tapped Ainslie to create Keywords, a company-wide internal magazine. With extraordinary skill and flair, he turned the magazine into an award-winning model of corporate communications.

Born in Johnson City, Tenn., Ainslie attended Dobyns-Bennett High School in the 1960s, participating in the corps of student broadcast announcers at WKPT Kingsport, Tenn. He graduated from Vanderbilt University in 1968.

Ainslie is survived by his parents, Jean and George; sister, Ellen; brothers, Michael and David; his beloved wife, Laurie, and two children, Erin and Patrick, to whom he devoted his life.