Chello Zone Appoint Wayne Dunsford General Manager Of JimJam

International broadcaster and distributor of thematic channels, Chello Zone, a subsidiary of Chellomedia, has announced the appointment of Wayne Dunsford as General Manager of the recently launched global pre-school channel JimJam.
Dunsford, an experienced television executive, has been closely linked to JimJam since its inception and played a key role in establishing the joint venture between HIT Entertainment and Chellomedia. He now takes on the role of General Manager at JimJam managing the relationship between the joint venture partners as well as co-ordinating the channel’s business activities and global rollout.
His appointment follows JimJam’s launch across Central Europe where the channel will soon be available to over six million television households. The channel’s target audience is children aged one to six, their parents, and carers. JimJam combines Chello Zone’s expertise in international channel distribution and management with a world-class and internationally renowned portfolio of pre-school programming from HIT Entertainment including Thomas & Friends, Bob the Builder, Fireman Sam, Angelina Ballerina and Barney among others.
Dermot Shortt, CEO, Chello Zone commented: “We are delighted to have such an experienced executive taking charge of this truly exciting new channel. The success of the channel in these initial stages has exceeded all expectations, and we are confident that Wayne will take JimJam to new heights in 2008.”
Dunsford added: “I am very pleased to be taking the position of General Manager at this exciting time. JimJam has achieved phenomenal success with recent launches across Central Europe, and I am looking forward to working with the Chello Zone and HIT teams to build on this success and extend distribution across Western Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia. JimJam offers a truly compelling proposition for our distributors and viewers."
Dunsford brings almost 20 years of extensive experience in channel management to the role, from the initial development of BBC-branded channels in continental Europe including the launch of BBC TV Europe, the BBC’s first continental European channel – later renamed BBC World Service Television - to Director of Channels, EMEIA at BBC Worldwide. Responsible for driving the growth of existing BBC Worldwide channels and developing new channel propositions, his successes included creating and launching BBC Food in Africa, Europe and the Middle East as well as developing BBC Japan and a version of BBC Prime for Asian markets.
(DS)