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EchoStar Brings Back Former CFO

DENVER — EchoStar has named David Rayner as its new chief financial officer, replacing current CFO Kenneth Carroll, who will become executive vice president of corporate and business development.

In a securities filing, EchoStar said Rayner, who left the equipment maker in 2011 to serve as CFO of a Denver-based startup, will report to CEO Michael Dugan. Rayner’s connection with EchoStar dates back to 2004, when it was part of satellite TV provider Dish Network.

At Dish, Rayner served first as CFO and later as executive vice president of installation and service networks. After the spinoff of EchoStar in 2008, Rayner served first as the chief administrative officer and later as chief financial officer of EchoStar until 2011.

Carroll, who joined EchoStar in 2010, had previously served as president and chief operating officer of WildBlue Communications and is a 20-year veteran of the satellite TV and broadband industry. He also will report directly to Dugan in his new, expanded role.

News Corp. Names Team for Split

NEW YORK — News Corp. announced the executive teams for the planned spinoff of its media and publishing assets last week.

Present News Corp. leadership will head up its media assets — to be renamed Fox Group — including president and chief operating officer Chase Carey and deputy COO James Murdoch. News Corp. chairman and CEO Rupert Murdoch will retain that role in Fox Group as well as for the publishing business, which will also retain the News Corp. name.

Dow Jones & Co. editor-in-chief Robert Thomson will become CEO of News Corp., which will include such education and publishing assets as The Wall Street Journal, the New York Post and newspapers in the United Kingdom and Australia. Rounding out the team will be former Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer studios chief financial officer executive Bedi Singh as CFO. Current News Corp. chief technology officer Paul Cheesbrough will keep that position after the split.

News Corp. announced its intention to spin off its publishing assets in June. The company expects the deal to be completed by the end of June of 2013.

— Mike Farrell