Michele Ganeless has been appointed evp/gm of Comedy Central, reporting directly to networks president Doug Herzog and will be based in New York. She rejoins the comedy network from her previous position of evp/gm of the USA Network where she worked closely with Herzog, then president/ceo.
Ganeless oversees all programming and marketing functions, which encompasses programming, co-productions, consumer and trade marketing and advertising, creative services, on-air promotion, acquisitions, audience research, scheduling and new business.
I have worked with Michele Ganeless at USA and during our previous stints at Comedy Central and I know she will provide great leadership for us in New York. said Herzog. Micheles extraordinary credentials and experience in all aspects of television make her ideally suited for the challenge of further building and solidifying our brand. And, as this marks her third tour of duty here, I think its safe to say she has great passion for this network.
At USA Networks New York headquarters since 2001, Ganeless had oversight of acquisitions, program scheduling, marketing, press, on-air promotion and research. She played a key role in that network's turnaround story, overseeing the launches of the successful series MONK and THE DEAD ZONE.
Prior to USA, Ganeless was vp (1996), then svp (2000), programming at Comedy Central where her responsibilities included scheduling, acquisitions, operations, programming research and international sales. Ganeless was a key architect of the programming strategy that enabled the channel to experience five straight years of ratings growth, and established the network as a player in the acquisition of network windows of feature films.
From 1992 to 1995, Ganeless was vp, research and planning, at MTV. She joined MTV from Comedy Central where she was research manager from 1990 to 1992. She was also an account manager at Young & Rubicam in 1989-1990.
Comedy Central (www.comedycentral.com), the only all-comedy network, currently is seen in more than 86 million homes in the U.S. Comedy Central is owned by Comedy Partners, a wholly-owned division of MTV Networks.
