News Corp.’s New Satellite TV Venture Gets CEO

News Corp. has named Preston Padden chairman and chief executive of the new satellite TV venture it has formed with MCI Communications Corp. and hired Fox alum Lana Corbi to take his place as head of affiliate relations for Fox Broadcasting.

Padden built Fox’s distribution system to its current 201 stations and oversaw founder Rupert Murdoch’s extensive Washington lobbying efforts. He will now be charged with launching, sometime in 1997, American Sky Broadcasting as a sister to Murdoch’s successful British Sky Broadcasting.

Corbi rejoins Fox after serving since 1995 as president and chief operating officer of Blackstar, a minority-owned station partnership started by Fox, Blackstar Communications and Silver King Communications. Corbi, whose position at Blackstar will not be filled, becomes executive vice president of network distribution for Fox. Before she left Fox, Corbi oversaw affiliate operations in the East.

Padden’s Washington duties are expected to fall to Peggy Binzel, who is already in charge of most of News Corp.’s lobbying efforts.

* MCA has formed a new division called Universal New Media Group and appointed Paul Rioux as its president. Rioux will report to Sandy Climan, executive vice president of MCA, who said the new division underscores the company’s commitment to the new-media business. Rioux was executive vice president of Sega of America.

Rob Biniaz was promoted to chairman of Universal Interactive Studios from chief operating officer. Biniaz will report to Rioux. Mark Cerny was promoted to president for production of the interactive studios.

* Mark Scoon has been named vice president of feature production at Warner Bros.

* Joel B. Michaels has been named president of MK Productions, the company recently formed by Mario Kassar.

* Richard J. Katz has been named vice president and Karl D. Knepley has been named vice president for finance of C3, the programming arm of Comcast.

* John M. Giesecke has been promoted to vice president of corporate controllership at Walt Disney.

* David Renzer has been appointed president of MCA Music Publishing and will oversee licensing of more than 175,000 copyrights owned by MCA, a division of Seagram.

* Emily Simonitsch has been promoted to vice president of special markets at MCA Concerts and will be responsible for booking and coordination of international programs at Universal Amphitheatre.

* Matinee Entertainment has named Jennifer Levine director of creative affairs and Celia Bonaduce manager of development.