Fates & Fortunes

Kathy Mohn, director, sales, WCCO-TV Minneapolis, joins KWCH-TV Hutchinson, Kan., as VP/GM.

Mike Smith, director, news and production, WCTV(TV) Thomasville, Fla., promoted to VP.

Tom Shannon, general manager, KLRT(TV)/KYPX(TV) Little Rock, Ark., named regional director, operations, Equity Broadcasting Corp.

Bill Burton, director, creative services, KABC-TV Los Angeles, promoted to director, programming, advertising and promotion.

Michael E. Weiner, director, finance, KCPQ(TV) Tacoma, Wash., named director, finance and administration, KTLA(TV) Los Angeles.

William H. Byrd, general sales manager, WMBB(TV) Panama City, Fla., promoted to VP/GM.

Appointments at KFSN-TV Fresno, Calif.: Marti Ward, local/regional sales manager, WWAY(TV) Wilmington, N.C., joins as general sales manager; Tom Boland, local sales manager, named national sales manager; Susan Blaze, account executive, promoted to local sales manager.

Michelle Ribalta, broadcast media buyer, The Meridian Group, Virginia Beach, Va., joins WTVZ(TV) Norfolk, Va., as account executive.

Winona Murray, general manager's administrative assistant, WDAF-TV Kansas City, Mo., retired June 29.

Susan McLaughlin, VP, database and Internet marketing, Charter Communications, St. Louis, named VP, operations.

Alex Ferrari, senior VP/CFO, MTV Networks, New York, promoted to executive VP/CFO.

Appointments at TNN: The National Network, New York: Theresa Gamba, branding consultant, appointed VP, marketing; Tina Potter, branding consultant, named VP, brand central creative group.

Mark Shah, coordinating producer, Fox Sports Net 2, Los Angeles, named executive producer, Fox Sports Net.

Lynn Costa, director, staffing and recruiting, NBC, New York, joins Lifetime Television, New York, as VP, human resources.

Appointments at QVC, West Chester, Pa.: Bonnie Clark, director, corporate affairs, appointed VP, public relations; Mark Stieber, director, marketing administration and affiliate marketing, named VP, corporate marketing and business development.

Appointments at Starz Encore, Englewood, Colo.: Jillaina Wachendorf, senior VP, sales and affiliate marketing, promoted to senior VP, affiliate marketing; Bill Giorgio, VP, sales and affiliate relations, cable, promoted to senior VP; Debbie Egner, regional VP, HBO, Atlanta, joins as senior VP, sales and affiliate relations, cable.

Appointments at The Gurin Co., Studio City, Calif.: Ilyse Zeman, executive in charge, current projects, named executive in charge, production; Jeannie Rothman, executive development assistant, Santa Monica Studios, Santa Monica, Calif., joins as manager, development.

Appointments at Burly Bear: Patty Cohen, advertising manager, Riffage.com, New York, joins as VP, regional sales, New York; Cherie Cocuzza, director, national broadcasting, Paramount Pictures, Los Angeles, joins as account executive, Los Angeles.

Jerry Solomon, founder, StarGames, Lynnfield, Mass., joins The Football Network board of directors.

Appointments at CBS News, New York: Marcy McGinnis, VP, news coverage, promoted to senior VP; John Frazee, VP, news services, promoted to senior VP; Betsy West, VP, prime time, promoted to senior VP.

Darryn Moore, reporter/anchor, WDSI-TV Chattanooga, Tenn., joins KCPQ-TV Seattle, as reporter.

Juli Auclair, general assignment reporter, WFOR-TV Miami, joins WHDH-TV Boston, as general assignment reporter/substitute anchor.

Josh Spiegel, morning news anchor, KLIF(AM) Dallas, named news director/morning news anchor, KYGO-FM Denver.

Dave Fraser, meteorologist, WXIX-TV Newport, Ky., joins KWGN-TV Denver, as chief meteorologist.

Ellen Weiss, executive producer, All Things Considered, National Public Radio, Washington, named senior editor, National Desk.

Eugenio Bryan, president, Hispanic Media Sales Inc., New York, named VP, sales, radio division, Entravision Communications Corp., New York.

Mike Skandalis, senior media planner, MGH, Baltimore, promoted to VP/associate media director.

Leo Hourvitz, founder/ principal, Stoneschool Productions, San Francisco, joins Danilo Black Inc., San Francisco, as chief technology officer.

David Horn, brand consultant, Upright Communications.com, Cincinnati, joins Sullivan Direct Marketing Inc., Cincinnati, as associate creative director.

Rick Bremkamp, account executive, National Cable Communications, Cleveland, promoted to sales manager.

Chris Hjelm, chairman/CEO/ president, Zoho Corp., Sunnyvale, Calif., joins Excite @ Home, Redwood, Calif., as executive VP, broadband network services.

Colleen Glynn, independent consultant, business and marketing, New York, joins OlympuSAT Inc., New York as VP, affiliate sales and distribution, Eastern region.

—Compiled by P. Llanor Alleynepalleyne@cahners.com212-337-7141

John Cannon, longtime president of the New York-based National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, died June 22 of a heart attack. He had just arrived in Cologne, Germany, to participate in a forum sponsored by the International Council of NATAS.

Cannon is credited with being the driving force behind NATAS. His tireless devotion to raising industry standards and to achieving recognition for news, documentaries and public-affairs programming is legendary, acknowledged even by officers of West Coast rival ATAS, Jim Chabin and Meryl Marshall-Daniels. Says Bob Levi, Turner Broadcasting's president of worldwide programming, "John was a living legend and a pioneer in the industry."

Under Cannon's leadership, NATAS presented daytime Emmy awards and awards for news and documentaries, science and technology, community and public service, and sports. The New York-based organization, which split from its Hollywood sibling in 1977, grew under Cannon's leadership to encompass 18 national chapters. Cannon, who was born in Chicago, March 26, 1924, had been active in the early years of the New York Chapter of NATAS. He became president of the National Academy in 1976 and, according to TV historian Tom O'Neil, took the organization forward in giant steps, despite being virtually under siege for most of that time.

His efforts made the Emmy judging and awards process widely available to those in the TV industry. He was a principled man who traveled widely to ensure proper judging procedures and encourage the participation of television professionals.

An extremely well-read man, he was particularly proud of the Academy's Media Literary Project, which was launched as Creating Critical Viewers in 1994, and of a program for college scholarships, instituted in 1996.

Cannon had a broad career in broadcasting, which began in radio in the 1940s, as a performer, announcer, narrator and producer. He appeared on You Are There, Studio One, Famous Jury Trials and Your Hit Parade.

His wife, Trudy Wilson, who is the Academy's awards director, said she had always hoped that she would be the first to go and laughingly warned John never to remarry or she would come back and haunt him. Cannon is also survived by a daughter, Connie.

Beatrice Williams-Rude