Bell Media Appoints Mary Ann Turcke as Group President - Media Sales, Local TV, and Radio

To tweet this release: http://bmpr.ca/1zrHlQS

TORONTO, Nov. 3, 2014 /CNW/ - Bell Media announced today the appointment of Mary Ann Turcke as Group President – Media Sales, Local TV, and Radio, effective immediately. Turcke assumes the responsibilities of Luc Sabbatini, President, Bell Media Sales, who announced in September he will leave the company by the end of the year. In her new role, Turcke will oversee media sales for all of Bell Media's conventional and English-language specialty TV, radio, out-of-home, and digital properties. Additionally, as part of the company's strategy of aligning all client relationships and leveraging sales, marketing, and brand partnerships at both the local and national levels, Turcke will also lead Bell Media's Local TV and Radio division. Turcke was formally Executive Vice President, Field Operations, for Bell.

"With a breadth of executive experience, Mary Ann's leadership skills and vision will be an invaluable asset for Bell Media," said Kevin Crull, President, Bell Media. "By overseeing Sales, as well as Local TV and Radio, Mary Ann will be able to align the sales and operational teams in a more efficient and effective way, benefiting not only our clients, but also our team members. She will help our company thrive in an industry that is undergoing fundamental change, and reinforce our focus on serving and supporting every client, partner, and team member."

"I look forward to building upon our efforts to further position client relationships and ease of service as our #1 priority in this competitive advertising marketplace," said Turcke. "I am confident the joining of sales and operations will make us a stronger team, both internally and externally, regionally and nationally."

Turcke will support an exceptional cast of seasoned executives in Lesley Conway, Senior Vice-President, Bell Media Sales; Perry MacDonald, Vice-President, Conventional Sales; Patrick Jutras, Senior Vice-President, Bell Media Sales, Québec; Lucy Collin, Vice-President, Marketing and Innovation, English Canada; Nathalie Doré, Vice-President, Marketing and Innovation, Bell Media Sales, Québec; and Chris Gordon, President, Bell Media Radio and Local TV. Luc Sabbatini will continue with Bell Media until December 31, ensuring a smooth transition.

Turcke, who has led teams based in Ontario and Québec for more than a decade, will be based at both Toronto's 50 Eglinton and Montréal's 1800 McGill College offices. An Officer of BCE, she will also retain her position as part of Bell's Executive Leadership Team.

Before joining Bell Media, Mary Ann Turcke was Executive Vice President, Field Operations, Bell, where she led a team of approximately 12,000 technicians, internal service representatives, and managers to deliver telecommunication services to all of Bell's residential and business customers. Turcke has been recognized for her success in driving Bell's customer-focused service strategy, and the growth of Bell's next-generation Fibe TV and Internet services.

A three-time Women's Executive Network Top 100 award winner inducted into the WXN Hall of Fame in 2013, Turcke has also stood out for her leadership in Bell Let's Talk and for her support of the Women@Bell program, which mentors talented women leaders across Bell.

Turcke holds a Bachelor's degree in Civil Engineering from Queen's University, a Master of Engineering from the University of Toronto, and a Master of Business Administration from Queen's University. She serves on the board of directors of Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment (MLSE) and is a member of the advisory board of the Queen's School of Business and the capital campaign for Queen's Faculty of Engineering & Applied Science.

About Bell Media
With passion and an unrelenting commitment to excellence, Bell Media creates content and builds brands that entertain, inform, engage, and inspire audiences through the platforms of their choice. Bell Media is Canada's premier multimedia company with leading assets in television, radio, out-of-home advertising, and digital media. Bell Media owns 30 local television stations led by CTV, Canada's #1 television network; 35 specialty channels, including TSN and RDS, Canada's most-watched specialty channels in English and French; and four pay TV services, including The Movie Network and Super Écran. Bell Media is also Canada's largest radio broadcaster, with 106 licensed radio stations in 54 markets across Canada. Bell Media owns Astral Out-of-Home, one of Canada's most dynamic and innovative out-of-home advertising companies with a network of more than 9,500 advertising faces in Québec, Ontario, Alberta, and British Columbia. Bell Media also operates more than 200 websites; delivers TV Everywhere with its innovative GO video streaming services, including CTV GO, TMN GO, and TSN GO; holds an equity stake in digital startup Hubub; is partners in Cirque du Soleil Media, a joint venture with Cirque du Soleil; and owns Dome Productions Inc., a multi-platform production company. Bell Media is part of BCE Inc. (TSX, NYSE: BCE), Canada's largest communications company. For more on Bell Media, please visit www.bellmedia.ca.

SOURCE Bell Media