WEST PALM BEACH, FLA.: ION Media Networks said today it created an new unit to manage the broadcasters various distribution relationships.
The Distribution Relations team will be overseen by John Lawson, executive vice president of ION and its rep in Washington, D.C. Lawson was formerly the chief of the Association for Public Television Stations, where he won multicast carriage from cable operators for member stations, while the rest of the broadcast industry was seeking regulatory compulsion.
Current ION president of network distribution, Steve Friedman, will leave the company “to pursue personal business ventures, but will remain senior advisor on strategic multichannel distribution matters,” the company said.
