Nat Geo Channels Continues Management Makeover

04.15.2014

​The National Geographic Channels management makeover continued Tuesday, with Fox Sports Media Group exec David Hill named Chairman, and Nat Geo TV marketing exec Courteney Monroe upped to CEO.Â

News that Nat Geo CEO David Lyle is leaving the company came a day after Lyle himself announced that Howard Owens was out as President.Â

Monroe, who has been CMO at Nat Geo's domestic networks, will assume her new role on May 1. She will oversee Nat Geo TV, Nat Geo Wild, and Nat Geo Mundo, which are joint ventures of Fox Networks Group and the National Geographic Society. Â

"Courteney is a truly remarkable executive, with a proven track record of energizing programming brands - both here at National Geographic Channels and during her time at HBO," said Gary E. Knell, president and CEO of the National Geographic Society, and Peter Rice, chairman and CEO of Fox Networks Group, in a joint statement. "She is also a proven leader, who has a clear vision of the television landscape, and we are very lucky to have her overseeing our domestic channels." Before arriving at Nat Geo in 2012, Monroe served as evp of consumer marketing and digital platforms at HBO. She is also a member of the PromaxBDA Board of Directors.Â

Hill is already a member of the Nat Geo Channels board, and is seen as a close ally of News Corp. Chairman Rupert Murdoch. Fox recently installed him as the exec overseeing production of the faltering "American Idol," as the network's alternative programming department went through management changes. Variety reported Tuesday that Hill would retain his "Idol" duties even as he assumed his new role.Â

Read More: The Hollywood Reporter, Variety, Broadcasting & Cable

Brief Take: Nat Geo's management shakeup signals a certain level of dissatisfaction with the performance of the domestic channels, despite recent ratings successes and the foray into scripted programming.Â