Phil King Announces Executive Appointments at TSN

TORONTO, Aug. 24 /CNW/ - Phil King, President of Sports and Executive Vice-President of Programming, CTV Inc., today announced three appointments at TSN, effective immediately. Reporting to King, Stewart Johnston is promoted to President. Reporting to Johnston are Mark Milliere, who is promoted to Senior Vice-President, Production, and Shawn Redmond, who moves to a new role as Vice-President, Programming.

As President of TSN, Johnston, 39, will oversee all of the day-to-day operations of TSN and its various platforms including TSN2, TSN.ca, TSN Mobile, and TSN Events, along with ESPN Classic and NHL Network.

"Over his past 13 years at TSN, Stewart has proven to have a real instinct for sports broadcasting and has been instrumental in the evolution of TSN from a single broadcaster to a fully integrated multimedia sports company," said King. "In addition to implementing an aggressive programming strategy and driving record audiences, Stewart's negotiations with our partners have put TSN in an excellent position to continue to grow the business for years to come."

"From the World Juniors to the Grey Cup, Phil King has helped make TSN an institution in this country," said Johnston. "It is an incredible honour to take the reins from him and lead such an accomplished team of broadcasters. All of us at TSN are fully committed to giving Canadians even more of the best sports coverage possible."

Formerly, Johnston was Vice-President of Programming for TSN, a position he has held since 2007. In that role, he was responsible for all aspects of the network's program strategy along with the negotiation for, and acquisition of, key sports broadcasting properties. Johnston worked closely with King to shape the network's identity and create one of the most impressive broadcast schedules in the country - resulting in record audiences for TSN across all of its platforms.

In addition to overseeing TSN's program strategy, Johnston has been one of the key negotiators in cementing TSN's partnerships with major sports properties including the NHL, CFL, Hockey Canada, NFL, NBA, NASCAR and the Canadian Curling Association. Johnston has been with TSN since 1997 when he joined the network as a program scheduler.

As Senior Vice-President, Production, Mark Milliere becomes Johnston's second-in-command. Milliere continues to be responsible for all aspects of TSN's live productions and in-house shows, including SportsCentre, NHL ON TSN, CFL ON TSN, IIHF WORLD JUNIOR CHAMPIONSHIP, curling, OFF THE RECORD WITH MICHAEL LANDSBERG, and NBA. He is also responsible for hiring production staff and talent.

"Mark is one of the most accomplished and respected television producers and sports executives in Canada," said Johnston. "He has led a team that has consistently raised the bar in sports broadcasting in this country and internationally. As my right hand, Mark will take on a broader scope in the day-to-day business of the network."

A two-time Gemini Award winner, Milliere has overseen production of some of Canada's most-watched sports broadcasts, including Olympic Games hockey, the IIHF World Junior Championship, and the Grey Cup. Milliere has spent his entire 23-year career at TSN. Before becoming Vice-President of Production in 2007, Milliere was Vice-President of News and NHL on TSN. Milliere joined TSN in 1987 as an Editorial Assistant at SportsCentre (then called Sportsdesk) while still a student at Ryerson University in the Radio & Television Arts program.

As Vice-President, Programming, Shawn Redmond assumes Johnston's former role with TSN.

"Shawn's new role comes in recognition of his outstanding work in positioning TSN as one of Canadian television's strongest brands," said Johnston. "As Vice-President of Programming, he will assume an enhanced role on TSN's senior management team, overseeing TSN's content across all platforms and taking on a larger role in the strategy of the business."

Previously Vice-President, Marketing, Redmond, 36, has led the overall consumer marketing strategy for TSN, as well as digital sports networks NHL Network and ESPN Classic, since 2007. He is responsible for numerous award-winning TSN promotions, including the highly successful Kraft Celebration Tour and the launch of TSN2, and has collaborated with many high-profile sports properties, including the NHL, CFL, Hockey Canada, NFL and NBA.

Redmond joined TSN in 2005 as Senior Marketing Manager. Prior to joining TSN, Redmond spent four years as Manager, Sponsorship Marketing at RBC Financial Group, where he worked on sports-related brand initiatives. Redmond has also worked at PCS Innovations and Molson Canada.

A replacement for Redmond will be announced soon.

TSN is Canada's Sports Leader and Canada's most-watched specialty network. Delivering more sports coverage in High Definition than any other network in Canada, TSN's comprehensive broadcast schedule features an exciting lineup of sports including NHL, IIHF, CFL, NFL, NBA, MLB, Season of Champions Curling, Golf's Majors, F1, NASCAR Sprint Cup, Grand Slam Tennis and Championship Boxing events. TSN properties include TSN2, TSN MOBILE and the industry leading sports website www.TSN.ca. Official broadcaster of the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games and London 2012 Games of the Olympiad, TSN is a division of CTVglobemedia.

For further information: Greg McIsaac, TSN, 416.384.5180 or [email protected]; Scott Henderson, CTV Inc., 416.384.5305 or [email protected]