Company Town : Ziskind to Fox? Producer Isn’t Saying

Producer Laura Ziskind is the latest executive rumored to be headed to 20th Century Fox, to run a new mature-films wing. Ziskind, who just wrapped “To Die For” and has another 1 1/2 years to go on her production deal at TriStar Pictures, said she is surprised by the talk.

The purpose of the division, sources say, is to make adult-relationship movies that appeal to women. Fox already has a family film division and is in the midst of putting together a unit that will concentrate on art movies.

But Fox executives call the labels silly and say the purpose of the new divisions is to churn out even more films. The studio’s long-range goal is to bulk up the production load to 40 movies a year.

* Tim Bennett has been named president of HARPO Productions, the Chicago-based production company for TV talk show host and producer Oprah Winfrey. Bennett was president and general manager of the Capital Cities/ABC-owned station WTVD in Raleigh-Durham, N.C.

* Noted entertainment analyst Lisbeth R. Barron is moving to SBCI Swiss Bank Corp. Investment Banking Inc. to head a new media investment banking operation.

Barron was senior media and entertainment industry analyst for nearly five years at S.G. Warburg & Co. Barron also provided The Times with weekly box office figures.

* Salah Hassanein, former president of Warner Bros. International Theaters, has been named president and chief operating officer of Todd-AO Corp.

* Marcelle Garfield has been named director of project management for Culver City-based Showscan Corp. Separately, Michael B. Ellis was named vice president of engineering and product development as well as chief technologist.

* Jim Yeager has been named head of publicity and public relations for WB, the new network formed by Warner Bros. and broadcast executive Jamie Kellner. Yeager was director of public relations for Universal Studios Hollywood.