Ascheim to Head Nick TV

Longtime Nickelodeon veteran and current Noggin president Tom Ascheim Wednesday was promoted to executive vice president and general manager of Nickelodeon Television as part of an executive realignment of the kids-targeted franchise, Nickelodeon president Cyma Zarghami said in her first move as head of the newly formed MTVN Kids and Family Group.

Zarghami also announced that Jeff Dunn, Nickelodeon Networks Group chief operating officer and president of Nickelodeon Film and Enterprises, will leave the company.

Ascheim will oversee day-to-day operations for all of Nick’s television businesses, including No. 1-rated kids’ network Nickelodeon; preschool-targeted network Noggin and its primetime, tween-targeted arm, The N; and Nicktoons Television. The 16-year Nickelodeon veteran will report to Zarghami.

“While we are at the forefront of emerging new platforms, television is still and will continue to be the No. 1 entertainment choice for kids, and Nickelodeon Television is in great hands under Tom Ascheim,” Zarghami said in a prepared statement.

Also, former Nickelodeon and Viacom Consumer Products senior VP of entertainment products Steve Youngwood has been named to the newly created position of executive VP of Nickelodeon Digital Media.

And Sarah Kirshbaum Levy, previously Nick’s senior VP of strategy and business development, has been named executive VP of strategy and business operations for the kids’ network.

R. Thomas Umstead

R. Thomas Umstead serves as senior content producer, programming for Multichannel News, Broadcasting + Cable and Next TV. During his more than 30-year career as a print and online journalist, Umstead has written articles on a variety of subjects ranging from TV technology, marketing and sports production to content distribution and development. He has provided expert commentary on television issues and trends for such TV, print, radio and streaming outlets as Fox News, CNBC, the Today show, USA Today, The New York Times and National Public Radio. Umstead has also filmed, produced and edited more than 100 original video interviews, profiles and news reports featuring key cable television executives as well as entertainers and celebrity personalities.