Cox Media Group has found a new President/CEO to replace Kim Guthrie, who resigned earlier this month.
Daniel York will join Cox after most recently holding the role of Senior Executive Vice President and Chief Content Officer for AT&T and DirecTV until exiting that company on March 1. Most of York’s career has been spent on the television content acquisition end leading DirecTV since 2012 including the now defunct Audience Network (where he oversaw the Dan Patrick and Rich Eisen shows) and NFL Sunday Ticket. He has also served as President of Content and Advertising Sales for AT&T, SVP/Programming & Development for In Demand Networks and VP/GM for HBO/Time Warner Sports.
Cox Media Group (“CMG”) announced the appointment of Daniel York as President and Chief Executive Officer, effective today. York most recently served as Senior Executive Vice President and Chief Content Officer of AT&T and its subsidiary, DIRECTV. As President and CEO of Cox Media Group, York will be responsible for all aspects of managing the company’s market-leading, award-winning media platforms and will oversee CMG’s long-term strategic priorities.
“I’m excited to welcome Dan as the President and CEO of Cox Media Group,” said David Sambur, Co-Lead Partner of Private Equity at Apollo Global Management. “He has an outstanding record of leadership in this industry, and of operating efficiently, creating strategic vision, and inspiring organizations to innovate and grow.”
Steve Pruett will continue to serve as Executive Chairman of CMG and said, “On behalf of the Board of Directors, I would like to welcome Dan as the President and CEO of Cox Media Group. He has a background of success in media, content, distribution, operations, and successfully leading large organizations. Most importantly, he embraces contemporary thinking as the media landscape continues to evolve. We have full confidence he is the right person to lead CMG in the next phase of the company’s growth.”
York said, “I am excited to lead Cox Media Group, a company that has the most talented team and leadership in the industry. I have always admired and respected the unparalleled quality of CMG’s 90+ TV and radio stations, digital and advertising platforms, and the company’s unwavering commitment to journalistic integrity. The past few months have underscored that there is no substitute for the most important and valuable content in the ecosystem, market-leading local news and entertainment. I look forward to working with the Board and the CMG team as we continue to enhance our partnerships with our advertisers, content providers and distribution outlets to best serve our communities and millions of viewers and listeners.”
Prior to being named President and CEO of Cox Media Group, York served as Senior Executive Vice President and Chief Content Officer of AT&T and its subsidiary, DIRECTV. Prior to that, he served as President of Content and Advertising Sales at AT&T. York helped build AT&T’s video business over the past 15 years from a start-up to the nation’s largest pay TV provider and the world’s largest licensor of content. During his tenure he oversaw all content activities including licensing, operations, strategy, investments, original content, compliance, and ran AT&T’s ad sales and regional sports networks. Prior to joining AT&T, York served as Senior Vice President of Programming and Development at In Demand Networks, LLC (a joint venture owned by Comcast, Charter Communications and Cox Cable), the nation’s leading VOD, PPV and out of market sports provider. He started his career at Home Box Office (HBO), where he held various management positions, including Vice President and General Manager at HBO/Time Warner Sports. York has served on the Boards of numerous companies, including the Tennis Channel and the Game Show Network, among others, and he currently serves on the Board of the T. Howard Foundation, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to increasing diversity in the media industry.
