Turner ups Levy to president, TBS

David Levy has been upped to president, Turner Broadcasting System.

In his new role, Levy will oversee all of Turner’s cable nets and businesses. He has been elevated from president, sales, distribution and sports at the Time Warner-owned channel operator.

As president, Levy will run TBS, TNT, Turner Classic Movies, truTV, Cartoon Network, Boomerang and Adult Swim, as well as their digital brand extensions.

Steve Koonin, president of Turner Entertainment Networks, and Stuart Snyder, president and chief operating officer of Turner Animation, Young Adults & Kids Media, will report to New York-based Levy under a new structure.

Levy will report to outgoing chairman and CEO Phil Kent. “Having worked closely with David for over 17 years, I know his capabilities and potential, and had planned to add to his already-considerable portfolio oversight of every aspect of our domestic entertainment and kids businesses, which represent well over half of our operating profit,” Kent said. “John Martin and I discussed the future of Turner and this new structure upon the announcement of John’s appointment as the company’s next CEO.”

Levy joined Turner in 1986 as an account executive, becoming the firm’s first president of ad sales in 1998.

Separately, Steve Marcopoto has stepped down as president and managing director of Turner’s Asia Pacific business.
As the executive in charge of Turner’s operations in the region he has recently presided over a wide-ranging restructure of the business with a third of the workforce cut. That rejig followed a similar process in the EMEA region amid a flurry of recent changes at Turner.

At the senior executive level Marcopoto’s departure comes weeks after Turner Broadcasting CEO Phil Kent announced he is leaving the firm at the end of the year and being replaced by CFO John Martin.

Marcopoto will leave his position at the end of the year, after 15 years with the company, when his contract expires. Turner gave no indication of how it will fill the role aside from saying that “the succession will be announced in due course”.

Gerhard Zeiler, president Turner Broadcasting System International has overseen the company’s global restructure. He said: “Steve has guided Turner Asia Pacific through a period of rapid change. Under his exceptional leadership Turner went from broadcasting two networks in the region to 36 channels today along with a vast variety of digital and off-channel commerce activities. In an increasingly competitive environment, he has maintained our leadership position in news and kids channels, forged entry into new territories and built great partnerships.”