Release
MICHAEL RIZZI NAMED PUBLISHER OF NEW CBS MAGAZINE, WATCH!
Time Inc. Sales Manager To Oversee All Sales and Business Activities of Quarterly Entertainment Magazine
Michael Rizzi has been named Publisher of WATCH!, the new entertainment magazine launched by CBS Television, it was announced today by Gil Schwartz, Executive Vice President, Corporate Communications, CBS Corporation, and Chris McMurry, President and CEO of McMurry Publishing. Rizzi, who comes to CBS from Time Inc.’s Entertainment Weekly, will now oversee all sales and business activities of the quarterly magazine, working in tandem with the CBS Communications Group and its publishing partner McMurry. He will be based in New York at CBS’s Black Rock headquarters.
“Michael is a very skilled, talented sales executive whose creativity, enthusiasm and drive will be of great benefit to us as we continue to grow the magazine,” said Schwartz, who also serves as Editor-in-Chief of WATCH! “His background in publishing, including experience with Time Inc., Conde Nast and Meredith, make him uniquely qualified for this important role, and I look forward to working with him.”
“We’re very pleased to welcome Michael to our team,” said Jo Ann Ross, President, Network Sales, CBS Television. “He has an excellent track record in magazine sales, and I’m confident he’ll do great things with WATCH! This is a unique new avenue to reach fans of TV and entertainment, and I’m confident Michael will have success in spreading that message throughout the sales community.”
“The first issue of WATCH! exceeded all our expectations, and bringing in someone of Michael’s experience and reputation in the sales community raises our profile even more so,” said Chris McMurry, President and CEO, McMurry. “Our February launch generated a lot of buzz and excitement in the industry, and we believe having someone in New York to serve as the face of WATCH! with the print world will help keep that momentum going, and help us continue to grow our client base.”
“This is a fantastic opportunity – helping build a new magazine from the ground up is a chance that doesn’t come along often, and I’m so excited about the possibilities that await us,” said Rizzi. “CBS and McMurry did an outstanding job launching the first issue, and creating a publication that has great appeal with the mass public. Celebrity magazines are a very hot category right now, and WATCH! is as good as anything that is out there today. I can’t wait to get started.”
Rizzi most recently served as Account Manager at Entertainment Weekly, where he oversaw multi-million dollar clients in spirits, import automotive, pharmaceutical, retail, packaged goods, jewelry and financial categories. Before that he worked at Conde Nast as a Corporate and Automotive Manager for Vanity Fair, developing and managing clients in the luxury automotive, financial and technology industries. He also previously served as an Account Manager with Meredith Corporation’s Better Homes and Gardens, where he managed pharmaceutical and packaged goods accounts; and Grey Advertising, where he developed and implemented national television and print media plans.
WATCH! Magazine is a joint collaboration between the CBS Communications Group and McMurry. The magazine launched in February 2006 with a 400,000 circulation, and is available through CBS’s 219 stations across the country, as well as at CBS show tapings (“Late Show with David Letterman,” “Price is Right,” “Dr. Phil,” “Two and a Half Men,” etc), gift stores, through on-line orders, Paramount Parks and through subscriptions. The magazine’s first issue, which featured “Two and a Half Men’s” Charlie Sheen and Jon Cryer on its cover, debuted with 26 ad pages.
CBS Television is comprised of the CBS Television Network -- with over 200 owned and affiliated stations reaching virtually every television home in the United States; the Network's programming arms CBS Entertainment, CBS News and CBS Sports; and CBS Enterprises, a global leader in distribution.
McMurry (www.mcmurry.com) offers integrated marketing, advertising, online, public relations, custom publishing and database management services to a variety of clientele, including GlaxoSmithKline, The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, Amtrak, 24 Hour Fitness and STMicroelectronics, as well as professional development services for corporate professionals. The company employs a highly desirable corporate culture and has been recognized by the Great Place to Work Institute as the "Best Place to Work" in the great Phoenix area for medium-sized companies and BizAz magazine, which named McMurry one of the "Coolest Places to Work in Arizona."
Michael Rizzi has been named Publisher of WATCH!, the new entertainment magazine launched by CBS Television, it was announced today by Gil Schwartz, Executive Vice President, Corporate Communications, CBS Corporation, and Chris McMurry, President and CEO of McMurry Publishing. Rizzi, who comes to CBS from Time Inc.’s Entertainment Weekly, will now oversee all sales and business activities of the quarterly magazine, working in tandem with the CBS Communications Group and its publishing partner McMurry. He will be based in New York at CBS’s Black Rock headquarters.
“Michael is a very skilled, talented sales executive whose creativity, enthusiasm and drive will be of great benefit to us as we continue to grow the magazine,” said Schwartz, who also serves as Editor-in-Chief of WATCH! “His background in publishing, including experience with Time Inc., Conde Nast and Meredith, make him uniquely qualified for this important role, and I look forward to working with him.”
“We’re very pleased to welcome Michael to our team,” said Jo Ann Ross, President, Network Sales, CBS Television. “He has an excellent track record in magazine sales, and I’m confident he’ll do great things with WATCH! This is a unique new avenue to reach fans of TV and entertainment, and I’m confident Michael will have success in spreading that message throughout the sales community.”
“The first issue of WATCH! exceeded all our expectations, and bringing in someone of Michael’s experience and reputation in the sales community raises our profile even more so,” said Chris McMurry, President and CEO, McMurry. “Our February launch generated a lot of buzz and excitement in the industry, and we believe having someone in New York to serve as the face of WATCH! with the print world will help keep that momentum going, and help us continue to grow our client base.”
“This is a fantastic opportunity – helping build a new magazine from the ground up is a chance that doesn’t come along often, and I’m so excited about the possibilities that await us,” said Rizzi. “CBS and McMurry did an outstanding job launching the first issue, and creating a publication that has great appeal with the mass public. Celebrity magazines are a very hot category right now, and WATCH! is as good as anything that is out there today. I can’t wait to get started.”
Rizzi most recently served as Account Manager at Entertainment Weekly, where he oversaw multi-million dollar clients in spirits, import automotive, pharmaceutical, retail, packaged goods, jewelry and financial categories. Before that he worked at Conde Nast as a Corporate and Automotive Manager for Vanity Fair, developing and managing clients in the luxury automotive, financial and technology industries. He also previously served as an Account Manager with Meredith Corporation’s Better Homes and Gardens, where he managed pharmaceutical and packaged goods accounts; and Grey Advertising, where he developed and implemented national television and print media plans.
WATCH! Magazine is a joint collaboration between the CBS Communications Group and McMurry. The magazine launched in February 2006 with a 400,000 circulation, and is available through CBS’s 219 stations across the country, as well as at CBS show tapings (“Late Show with David Letterman,” “Price is Right,” “Dr. Phil,” “Two and a Half Men,” etc), gift stores, through on-line orders, Paramount Parks and through subscriptions. The magazine’s first issue, which featured “Two and a Half Men’s” Charlie Sheen and Jon Cryer on its cover, debuted with 26 ad pages.
CBS Television is comprised of the CBS Television Network -- with over 200 owned and affiliated stations reaching virtually every television home in the United States; the Network's programming arms CBS Entertainment, CBS News and CBS Sports; and CBS Enterprises, a global leader in distribution.
McMurry (www.mcmurry.com) offers integrated marketing, advertising, online, public relations, custom publishing and database management services to a variety of clientele, including GlaxoSmithKline, The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, Amtrak, 24 Hour Fitness and STMicroelectronics, as well as professional development services for corporate professionals. The company employs a highly desirable corporate culture and has been recognized by the Great Place to Work Institute as the "Best Place to Work" in the great Phoenix area for medium-sized companies and BizAz magazine, which named McMurry one of the "Coolest Places to Work in Arizona."
