SIOUX FALLS, S.D., Sept. 12, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- LodgeNet
Interactive Corporation (NASDAQ: LNET), the leading provider of
interactive media and connectivity services to hospitality and
healthcare businesses and the consumers they serve, announced today
that Richard L. Battista has been
selected as its next President and Chief Executive Officer.
Mr. Battista will be based in Los
Angeles and begins his employment with the Company effective
today.
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"The LodgeNet board found the ideal candidate and a proven
leader in Rich Battista," said board
chairman Doug Bradbury. "Rich brings
a vast amount of experience in managing, rebuilding and developing
large-scale businesses across various media platforms. During
his career he has successfully led distributed entertainment
content businesses across the Fox organization and spearheaded the
impressive turnaround of Gemstar-TV Guide. LodgeNet will
benefit from his extensive strategic vision and operational
expertise as well as his background in both traditional and digital
media businesses. Rich joins LodgeNet at an opportune time,
as the company is a leader in its industry and continues to further
diversify its business. Finally, I would like to sincerely thank
board member Phillip Spencer for
stepping in as interim CEO during our executive search."
"With the industry's largest footprint reaching over 500 million
consumers per year, and services spanning both traditional and new
media, LodgeNet is in a unique position to build upon its history
of innovation," said Rich
Battista. "The Company's extensive platform,
commitment to the hospitality market and strong leadership position
provide a solid foundation from which to capitalize on its
opportunities as well as confront challenges. I look forward
to working with our employees as we seek to drive operational
excellence and strengthen our relationships with our customers and
the traveling public."
A veteran of the entertainment and media industry, Mr. Battista
most recently formed Pontiac Digital Media through which he has
created and invested in media properties with a focus on the
digital and content arenas. Mr. Battista enjoyed a nearly
20-year career at the News Corp/Fox companies in which he held
numerous senior management roles across a number of divisions of
the company, and played an integral role in building the company's
significant portfolio of television businesses. Most recently he
served as Executive Vice President, News Corporation and
immediately prior to that he was President of Fox National Cable
Networks. Mr. Battista served as Chief Executive Officer of
the publicly traded company, Gemstar-TV Guide International, from
2004-2008 and directed the successful $2.3
billion sale of the company to Macrovision (now known as
Rovi) in May 2008. He was the chief
architect of the company's impressive turnaround in which it
revitalized TV Guide Magazine and TV Guide Network while
significantly expanding its patent licensing program and its reach
across emerging digital media platforms, including the significant
growth of TV Guide Online. Mr. Battista began his career as a
financial analyst at the investment banking firm of Morgan Stanley.
He holds an MBA from Harvard Business
School, and graduated cum laude with a degree in business
administration from Georgetown
University.
About LodgeNet
LodgeNet Interactive Corporation is the leading provider of
interactive media and connectivity services to hospitality and
healthcare businesses and the consumers they serve. Recently named
by Advertising Age as one of the Leading 100 US Media Companies,
LodgeNet Interactive serves approximately 1.6 million hotel rooms
worldwide in addition to healthcare facilities throughout
the United States. The Company's
services include: Interactive Television, Broadband and Advertising
Media Solutions along with nationwide technical and professional
support services. LodgeNet Interactive Corporation owns and
operates businesses under the industry leading brands: LodgeNet,
The Hotel Networks and LodgeNet Healthcare. LodgeNet Interactive is
listed on NASDAQ and trades under the symbol LNET. For more
information, please visit www.lodgenet.com.
SOURCE LodgeNet Interactive Corporation