John MacDonald comes to Corus

September 28, 2012 by Barry Walsh

Former OWN executive John MacDonald is returning to Canada after 25 years in the U.S., taking the role of vice president, television, head of programming and production at Corus Entertainment.

MacDonald came to OWN in 2010, as chief operating officer and EVP, programming and digital. He came to OWN following a stint as senior vice president, content programming and strategy for MTV Networks. He also held senior programming positions with VEOH Networks and Scripps’ Fine Living, as well as the EVP, program enterprises and cable sales post at Twentieth Century Fox.

At Corus, he will have oversight of the television department’s programming decisions, encompassing content production, acquisitions and scheduling strategies across the specialty and pay channels, which include W Network, OWN Canada, CosmoTV, Sundance Channel Canada and HBO Canada among others.

Maria Hale, who previously held MacDonald’s post, is moving into the newly created position of vice president, television, head of digital and content distribution. The new position will combine the domestic digital and interactive activities of the division with affiliate relations, according to Corus.

Both Hale and MacDonald will report to Doug Murphy, Corus Entertainment’s executive vice president and president of the television division. The appointments come into effect on October 15.

“These new executive appointments and related structural changes will position Corus Television well to compete in our dynamic and competitive media marketplace in Canada,” said Murphy. “We’re thrilled to have Maria lead the newly formed team and delighted to welcome John to Corus.”

Tags: Corus Entertainment, Corus Television, John MacDonald, Maria Hale