USA and Sports, not necessarily the same thing

USA Network has tapped a 28-year vet to the role of Executive Vice President, Programming, Acquisitions & Scheduling. JANE BLANEY is taking the title, which is a promotion and she gets to buy films and off-net series. The ultimate shopping, eh? . Very exciting. Jane began at USA in the Ad Sales Dept and has been rising through the ranks ever since. She reports to BONNIE HAMMER, president, Cable Entertainment and Cable Studios, and is based in New York. 

A while ago, Turner Sports and the NBA expanded their partnership, and NBA Digital was formed. BRYAN PEREZ comes into the picture in a newly created job – Vice President and General Manager of NBA TV, NBA.com, WNBA.com, NBADLeague.com, NBA League Pass and let’s not forget the broadband and wireless stuff too. He’s quite suited for it, having just come over from the role of CEO of Live Nation’s Global Digital division. And he knows sports too, having worked with the Dallas Stars of the NHL and was Biz Manager at Madison Square Garden. He’s a Longhorn from University of Texas with a juris doctor sheepskin from Stanford. Congrats!


Since we’re talking sports and Turner, it’s the perfect time to salute JEFF OGAN, newly promoted to Vice President for Talent Relations for Production and New Media. Translated, that means he’s dealing with all on-air sports talent for TNT, TBS and NBATV plus the myriad of new media platforms associated with the myriad of sports. He’ll be in Atlanta and report to JEFF BEHNKE, EP/Sr. VP of Turner Sports. Quite a wonderful upward career path for him – be started as a studio production assistant in ’95. Jeff holds a degree in rhetoric from Berkeley. Rhetoric? I gotta know more about that. Good goin’!

What’s your Fate? E-mail me at BCFates@reedbusiness.com, attn Kate Fates & Fortunes.