Katz Television Group Intros New Division

Katz Television Group today announced a new unit, Ad Sales Operations, which it describes as “dedicated to streamlining the television sales process by working across all three television companies to make television advertising easier and more efficient to buy.”

Led by industry veteran Michael Lawless, VP, director, the Ad Sales Operations division is designed to better position Katz TV Group to bring television stations into the national marketplace for unwired business.

The company said the new division will pool best practices to reduce redundancies and eliminate time-consuming order processes for all three Katz TV Group companies:  Continental Television Sales, Eagle Television Sales and Millennium Sales & Marketing.

“We are pleased to see our Ad Sales Operations team expand as we concentrate our efforts to provide the absolute best and most effective service possible,” said Leo MacCourtney, president-CEO of Katz TV Group. 

Craig Broitman, president-COO, Katz TV Group, said: “One of our main objectives at Katz TV is to introduce creative ways to solve old problems through innovation and technology.”

Previously the VP, director, at Millennium Sales & Marketing, Lawless now heads the division’s 26 experienced staff members. The Ad Sales Operations’ teams are aligned into dedicated units of sales managers, account executives, sales assistants and, the newly created network planner position, for each of Katz TV Group’s three companies. The division also works closely with the Katz TV Marketing group, providing support for new business development efforts.

The new team includes three promoted senior sales executives:

• Tom Fiore is promoted to VP, sales manager, from VP, team manager, Continental Television Sales. He joined the company in 1988 as a sales assistant and was quickly promoted to Continental’s research department. In 1992, Fiore became an account executive and, in 1997, was named Continental’s East Sales Team manager. During the past 15 years, he has managed each of the Continental Sales Teams. Fiore is a graduate of Hofstra University. 

• Chris Kelly is promoted to sales manager from account executive at Eagle Television Sales. His prior industry experience includes 14 years at Petry Television, where he worked his way up from an account executive to team manager, overseeing two sales teams, and directing Petry’s sales training program. In his new role, Kelly will oversee nine planners.

• Kathryn Sardinsky is promoted to sales manager from account executive, Millennium Sales & Marketing. She began her career as a Sales Assistant in 2007 with Millennium’s National Team. During the 2010 and 2012 election cycles, Sardinsky played an integral role on Katz TV Group’s political sales team in Washington, D.C., temporarily relocating to that office. During non-election times, she returned to New York as an account executive on Millennium’s National Team. She is a graduate of Fordham University.