Luken Communications, LLC announced on Monday the appointment of Art Lanham as senior vice president of Sales and Affiliate Relations. In this newly-created role, Mr. Lanham, a veteran of the television broadcast industry, will oversee management of Luken’s affiliate and advertising sales teams, personally develop key national accounts and collaborate with Luken’s leadership team on the company’s strategic plans.
Emily Bronze, Luken’s vice president of Corporate Affairs, said, “Art Lanham has a storied career in the broadcast industry and is an accomplished television executive, with over 25 years as a general manager, sales director, senior management executive and former station owner. With his previous successes and experience, Art is perfectly tailored to spearhead our distribution and advertising sales efforts. We are all thrilled to welcome him to the Luken family.”
When asked about his new role, Mr. Lanham said, “I am excited about continuing my career in a senior leadership role at Luken Communications. It is a real privilege to be joining a company that has the distinction of being one of the first, and is a continuing pioneer of digital TV networks for the broadcast industry. I will enjoy leveraging the management, sales, marketing and broadcast skills I have accumulated in a variety of unique markets across the country to help strengthen the market position of our TV affiliate partners and cultivate a greater ROI for the advertising customers that support our family of digital networks.”
Mr. Lanham most recently served as the vice president and general manager of WAAY-TV, an ABC affiliate in Huntsville. His time in Huntsville also included service as a board member to the Alabama Broadcasters Association and as senior director of development and member of the board for the Downtown Rescue Mission. Prior to that, he managed Media General’s JSA partner stations, WKPT-TV/WAPK-TV in Tri-Cities, TN, was the GM for Sinclair’s KMWB-TV in the Minneapolis-St. Paul market, and was the GM for Quorum Broadcasting’s KARD-TV in Monroe, LA. He also was President/CEO and majority shareholder of White Knight Broadcasting, owner of KMSS-TV in Shreveport, LA. While at KMSS-TV, Mr. Lanham was elected to the nine-member FOX Network Affiliate Board of Governors, where he served as an officer and representative for 5 years during the early development of the FOX Network, serving more than 150 affiliated FOX stations and markets. While on the FOX Board he also served as chairman of the FOX Children’s Network Oversight Committee. Mr. Lanham is a graduate of the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, with a BS in Communications and is a native of East Tennessee.
About Luken Communications:
Luken Communications offers diverse, family-friendly programming with its collection of networks delivered via a blend of over-the-air, cable and satellite television. The current network offerings include Retro TV, The Heartland Network, Rev’n, The Action Channel, The Family Channel and Frost Great Outdoors (FGO). Luken Communications’ flagship Retro TV was one of the first digital broadcast networks launched in 2005.