AETN UK, a joint venture between A+E Networks and BSkyB, has appointed Stephen Roberts in the newly created role of head of programme scheduling, and promoted a number of its senior programming team across commissioning, acquisitions, editorial and compliance and research.
Roberts has worked at Discovery Communications Europe, The Africa Channel, Hallmark and National Geographic Channel among others. He is responsible for managing a team of ten programme schedulers across all channels in the UK & Ireland, Sub-Saharan Africa, the Middle East, Benelux, Scandinavia and Central and Eastern Europe.
Reporting directly to Roberts are Lucy Chard, programme schedule manager for UK, Emily Wilde, programme schedule manager for Crime & Investigation Network UK, Poonam Patel, programme schedule manager for Bio UK and Richard Pearson, programme scheduler for Military History UK.
Roberts reports to Adam MacDonald, VP of programming, who is responsible for setting the programming vision and strategies for AETN UK’s portfolio of factual channels including History, History HD, Crime & Investigation Network, Crime & Investigation Network® HD, Bio, Bio HD and Military History across all markets.
AETN UK’s VP of programming, Adam MacDonald said: “This is an incredibly exciting time for AETN UK. As a company, we are keen to build on our talented programming team bringing new expertise into the business as well as promoting our in-house programming executives across commissioning, acquisitions, editorial and compliance and research.”
Roberts commented: “I am delighted to be part of this new team and I am looking forward to helping build AETN UK’s high quality programme brands and channels across all its markets.”
Rachel Job, co-production & acquisitions manager for History & Military History has been promoted to head of acquisitions & commissioning, History and Military History. Sarah Proctor joins AETN UK as acquisitions and commissioning editor for History and Military History. Proctor was previously at Turner Broadcasting as a programming contracts co-ordinator.
Koulla Anastasi, previously senior manager programme content has been promoted to head of acquisitions & commissioning, Crime & Investigation Network and BIO. Jinal Patel, formerly senior acquisitions executive for BIO, now becomes acquisitions & commissioning senior editor for Crime & Investigation Network and BIO.
Michelle Clarke, previously acting revoicing production manager, has been promoted to acquisitions & Commissioning co-ordinator across all channels.
Editorial & compliance Manager, Emma Beaumont has been promoted to head of editorial and compliance. She oversees Sebrina Zeki, who recently joined the department from Channel 4 as editorial and compliance producer, and Gareth Moore and Dawn Griffiths, editorial and compliance assistants.
The research team is headed by Rosie Smyth-Tyrrell, research manager and includes Ruth Bonner, research executive.
