G4 Adds New President, COO, Changes Up

Comcast-owned U.S. video game television channel G4, which is currently available in 53 million cable and satellite homes throughout North America, has announced that G4 founder Charles Hirschhorn is stepping down as CEO of the company. He is to be replaced as president by Neal Tiles, who was formerly executive vice president of marketing for DirecTV from January of 2004 to June of 2005 and executive vice president of FOX Sports, and G4's Senior VP of Distribution and Advertising Sales Dale Hopkins has now become chief operating officer of the company. According to the company, Hirschhorn, who founded the company and masterminded its controversial takeover of the formerly San Francisco-based TechTV, is "in discussions regarding consulting opportunities with G4 and other Comcast content entities, as well as pursuing other entrepreneurial pursuits." A report from broadcast trade magazine TV Week notes that G4 had 49,000 prime-time viewers in the second quarter of 2005, according to Nielsen Media Research, a result which may disappoint for owner Comcast, and commentators are suggesting, following this move, that G4 may be changing direction somewhat, de-emphasizing video games somewhat in favor of general youth entertainment programming. Non-game programming has certainly been on the rise on G4 in recent months, as evidenced by the Formula D show on drift-based car racing, and the recent launch of Barbed Wire Biscuit, a late-night animation line-up which includes gory cartoon Happy Tree Friends.