Fox Sports Chief Gets No. 2 Job at TV Unit

After establishing a foothold for Fox Broadcasting Co. in sports, David Hill, the president of Fox Sports, has been elevated to second-in-command at Fox Television, putting him in charge of the company’s broadcasting network, its station group, its syndication arm and its cable operations.

Fox promoted Hill on Wednesday to president and chief operating officer of Fox Television, succeeding David Evans, who was recently named head of all satellite operations around the world for Fox’s parent, News Corp.

Hill, who will continue in the role at Fox Sports he has had since 1993, is a longtime associate of News Corp. Chairman Rupert Murdoch, having helped launch his BSkyB service in Britain in 1990 and a sports channel for the group.

In his new position, Hill is expected to concentrate much of his efforts on the Fox broadcasting network, which has not had a president since Lucy Salhany left to start UPN.

“The network needs the most attention,” said one Fox executive. “He will bring coordination that should be farther along than it is--between business affairs, programming and affiliate relations.”

Hill’s day-to-day oversight of the network should free Chase Carey, chairman and chief executive of Fox Television, to concentrate on deal making. Preoccupied by negotiating such acquisitions as News Corp.’s purchase last week of New World Communications Group and the merger of Fox Sports with the regional sports networks of Liberty Media Corp., Carey has been stretched thin, according to Fox executives.

While Hill is Carey’s No. 2 person, the reporting structure remains unclear. None of the heads of the units Hill oversees reports to him. Rather, Fox Entertainment President John Matoian, station President Mitchell Stern and Twentieth Television head Rick Jacobson continue to report to Carey.

One Fox executive said the contracts of these executives call for them to report to the chairman of Fox Television.

Fox representatives refuted speculation that Matoian, who is in charge of prime-time but does not have responsibilities for such things as affiliate relations, had refused to report to Hill.

Executives praised Hill for his marketing and programming creativity, but some wondered whether he can cover so much ground. The merger of Liberty and Fox Sports and the reformulation of the fX cable channel as a sports-entertainment network are huge undertakings. Fox is reportedly talking with Mark Rosenthal, sales chief at MTV, to take over what is being called Fox Sports Network, which includes fX and the regional networks.