Fox Television Stations has named Steve Chung as its chief digital officer, a newly created position in which he’ll report directly to CEO Jack Abernethy beginning in early June.
Chung arrives at FTS after serving as founder and CEO of Frankly, a content monetization software platform used by NBC, ABC, CBS and Fox affiliates.
“With a fresh and informed perspective, coupled with his impressive and diverse background, Steve will lead our digital strategy in a way that fuels growth and enables our stations to build and foster strong connections with our audience across multiple platforms,” Abernethy said in a statement.
“I am honored to take on this new role at FOX Television Stations during such a pivotal time in local news and media. I look forward to working with Jack and the talented team at FTS to build upon the strength of the FOX TV brand across all digital platforms and secure the station group as a dominant player in the industry,” Chung said in a statement.
Fox’s television segment saw its fiscal fourth-quarter operating income fall 85% to $56 million and its revenues fall 6% as multiple factors canceled out higher retransmission content revenue.
The company said offsetting factors included lower advertising revenues—as cyclical political revenues bottomed out—along with lower NFL and World Series ratings and the absence of revenue generated last year when one of Fox’s television stations permitted the commercial use of adjacent wireless spectrum. The lower revenues, as well as higher contractual sports programming costs at the FOX Broadcast Network, contributed to the drop in operating income.