CCR People

André Bureau has quit as president/CEO of Astral Broadcasting Group. He will keep his title as chair of the board of Astral Media Inc. A former CRTC chair, Bureau has been with Astral since 1990. No replacement has yet been named. Bureau’s decision to relinquish an operational role in favour of industry and government relations comes as the organization shifts its management reporting structure. Effective immediately, according to an internal memo obtained by CCR, each head of a wholly-owned, major business unit will report directly to Astral Media’s president/CEO, and will be members of the company’s new management committee. That group will be joined on the committee by several of Astral Media’s VPs and Bureau. Bureau will also either chair or be a member of the board of Astral’s TV businesses in which the company is involved as a partner: namely, Teletoon, MusiquePlus, MusiMax, Séries+, Historia, Viewer’s Choice and Canal Indigo. Susan Bower, currently COO at the Vision TV group of channels, has been appointed to the new position of executive director of policy, research and strategic development. Mark Prasuhn, VP of commercial ventures and general manager of One: The Body, Mind and Spirit channel, will act as interim CFO and administrative officer. An executive search will begin shortly to fill the position permanently. Tara Ellis has joined specialty channel Showcase as production executive for original productions. She was formerly the executive-in-charge of CBC’s movies and mini-series unit. At Craig Broadcast Systems Inc, Alan Cruise has been appointed general manager of CKX Television. As well, Cam Cowie has been named general manager of A-Channel Manitoba and VP of revenue management at Craig Broadcast. He will be responsible for the day-to-day operations of A-Channel Manitoba, and will oversee sales policy and strategic sales planning for all Craig stations. Emily Morgan becomes director of programming at Alliance Atlantis Communications Inc’s two new digital channels, Showcase Diva and Showcase Action. Roger Tinley has been named VP of space systems at Telesat Canada. The appointment comes as Telesat expands its satellite fleet, with construction begun on Nimiq 2 and Anik F2, and design planning underway for Anik F3. Tinley joined Telesat in 1979 as senior communications systems and payload engineer. Jeff Bernard has been appointed to the newly created role of VP of global marketing at Sigma Systems, provider of service management operations support systems for cable. He is responsible for leading the marketing division, and ensuring that all marketing initiatives and strategies are aligned with the company’s current business model. He joins Sigma from Massachusetts-based Vigil Technologies, where he was VP of marketing. Steven Comeau heads up the newly formed Atlantic Council of the Canadian Film and Television Production Association. Council members include: Gretha Rose, of Cellar Door Productions Inc in Charlottetown; Mary Sexton of Rink Rat Productions of St. John’s; and Chris Zimmer of imX communications inc. of Halifax. Catherine Crutcher Bohigian of Wiley, Rein and Fielding law firm has been named legal advisor on cable and mass media issues to commissioner Kevin Martin at the Federal Communications Commission in Washington. As well, Paul Gallant, a legal advisor to retired commissioner Gloria Tristani, is now special advisor to the chief of the cable services bureau. Krista Pawley recently left her post as press secretary to Canadian Heritage Minister Sheila Copps to do government relations for the Bank of Nova Scotia. Joseph Kira is the minister’s new director of communications. Ed Candolini has been named president of the Canadian operation of Hitachi Data Systems Inc, a subsidiary of electronics company Hitachi Ltd. He has held a succession of sales and sales management roles during his 28 years with HDS, most recently as VP of sales central and western Canada. HDS is a supplier of storage hardware, software, solutions and services.

CCR People

Broadcast | September 27, 2001

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