Hank Close Appointed Executive Vice President, Ad Sales for MTV Networks Music and Comedy Group

Hank Close Appointed Executive Vice President, Ad Sales for MTV Networks Music and Comedy Group

NEW YORK, Feb. 28 /PRNewswire/ -- Larry Divney, President, MTV Networks Ad Sales, today announced that Hank Close has been appointed Executive Vice President, Ad Sales, for MTV Networks' Music and Comedy Group. Close will be based in New York and report directly to Divney.

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20050228/NYM199 )

In his new role as Executive Vice President, Ad Sales, for MTV Networks' Music and Comedy Group, which includes MTV, MTV2, mtvU, MTV Espanol, VH1, VH1 Classic, CMT, Comedy Central, and LOGO, Close will be responsible for managing the channels' On-Air and On-Line sales teams. Close will work closely with Divney to ensure that MTV Networks provides its advertisers and marketing partners with high value and customer service as well as creating new sales opportunities for our clients to reach their consumers.

"Hank knows the television advertising business inside and out," said Larry Divney, President, MTV Networks Ad Sales. "He was an integral part of the success of Comedy Central and I'm thrilled to have him integrated deeper in to the ad sales organization at MTV Networks. Hank is the perfect person to guide the music and comedy Ad Sales teams through what promises to be exciting and challenging times. I couldn't be happier to have him take on this important role at this evolving time."

Sue Danaher, Close's counterpart, will continue as EVP Sales of the MTVN Entertainment sales team which includes all the NICKELODEON TV and on-line brands including Spike TV, Nick at Nite, TV Land, CBS/Kids, Noggin, The "N" and G.A.S.

Close will be filling the position formerly held by Doug Rohrer who is now EVP and Senior Advisor to Divney on many special projects within MTVN's emerging media platforms.

Hank was most recently Executive Vice President, Ad Sales for Comedy Central. Since joining the network in 1999, he has had great success in making Comedy Central one of the premier advertising vehicles on cable television. Prior to joining Comedy Central, Close spent 12 years in a variety of sales positions at the Fox Network. He also made career stops at the AC Nielsen Company, followed by a position at CBS, where he ran prime time sales planning. Close then moved to J. Walter Thomson as the director of research, before returning to sales at Fox.

MTV Networks, a division of Viacom International Inc. (NYSE:VIA)(NYSE:VIA.B), owns and operates the following television programming services -- MTV: MUSIC TELEVISION, MTV2, VH1, MTVU, NICKELODEON, NICK AT NITE, COMEDY CENTRAL, TV LAND, SPIKE TV, CMT, NOGGIN, MTV INTERNATIONAL and THE DIGITAL SUITE FROM MTV NETWORKS, a package of 13 digital services, all of which are trademarks of MTV Networks. MTV Networks also has licensing agreements, joint ventures, and syndication deals whereby all of its programming services can be seen worldwide.

Photo: NewsCom: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20050228/NYM199 AP Archive: http://photoarchive.ap.org/ AP PhotoExpress Network: PRN8 PRN Photo Desk, photodesk@prnewswire.com Source: MTV Networks

CONTACT: Carole Robinson, +1-212-258-8760, or Jeanine Smartt, +1-917-975-2323, both of MTV Networks

Web site: http://www.mtv.com/

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