Cheatwood Promoted; Brings The Palestra to Fox News

Named Senior VP of Development; Network Reaches Deal with Student-Reporter Web Site

By Marisa Guthrie -- Broadcasting & Cable, 10/23/2007 4:52:00 PM

Joel Cheatwood, who joined Fox News Channel earlier this year from CNN, was promoted to senior vice president of development, the network announced Tuesday.

In his new position, Cheatwood -- who was instrumental in launching Showbiz Tonight and Glenn Beck’s and Nancy Grace’s shows at CNN Headline News -- will also have purview over Fox Business Network.

Cheatwood’s promotion comes on the heels of Fox News’ announcement of an exclusive deal with student-reporter Web site The Palestra College Network, an online-news resource staffed by college journalists. Cheatwood forged a relationship with The Palestra when he was at CNN and was instrumental in brokering the exclusive deal for Fox News.

A Palestra student correspondent from Pepperdine University will deliver a report on Tuesday’s Fox Report with Shepard Smith. The Pepperdine campus in Malibu, Calif., is near the heart of the raging Southern California wildfires. Fox correspondents Trace Gallagher and Geraldo Rivera will also be reporting from the area.

Palestra is Greek for “a public place for training and practice.”