About OMVC Executive Committee & Management

OMVC Executive Committee & Management

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Brandon Burgess

OMVC President Chairman and CEO, ION Media Networks, Inc.

Brandon Burgess is Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of ION Media Networks, Inc., owner of the largest U.S. broadcast television station group, and the ION Television Network, the last remaining independent broadcast television network. Since joining ION in November 2005, Mr. Burgess has engineered a series of forward-thinking initiatives to position the Company for growth. This includes a successful recapitalization and privatization, substantially enhancing the Company's financial flexibility to pursue operational and strategic development.

On the TV network side, Mr. Burgess has formed strategic relationships with leading content suppliers, including Warner Bros., Sony, CBS Television, NBC Universal and Fox Television, providing ION Television viewers with popular series and feature films. ION also has partnered with RHI Entertainment, owner of over 4,000 hours of acclaimed television content, to offer quality library and original primetime content. To serve multicultural audiences, Mr. Burgess has recently launched a diversity initiative to create and exhibit African American programming.

Mr. Burgess has positioned ION Media as a leader in digital broadcasting, using the Company's nationwide digital terrestrial spectrum assets to extend the ION Television product offering. He led the formation of a joint venture among ION, Scholastic, Corus Entertainment, Classic Media and NBC Universal to launch qubo, a television and multimedia network devoted to children, focusing on literacy and positive values. ION's digital initiatives also include ION Life, the country's first multicast network dedicated to active living and personal growth.

On the technology innovation front, Mr. Burgess spearheaded the first unified industry effort to bring mobile digital television broadcasting to U.S. consumers by forming and leading the Open Mobile Video Coalition (OMVC), focused on developing a mobile broadcast standard for the digital television spectrum. The OMVC's current members include a large number of TV broadcast groups as well as the Association of Public Television Stations, representing over 800 U.S. television stations.

In addition to his OMVC Chairman role, Mr. Burgess is a member of the Executive Committee of the Board of the National Association of Broadcasters and is a member of the International Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. He was recognized by the World Economic Forum as a member of its first class of "Young Global Leaders."

Prior to joining ION, Mr. Burgess was the head of Business Development and Global Strategy for NBC Universal, where he was credited with evolving the NBC broadcast network into an integrated global multimedia company. He was the architect of NBC's acquisition of Universal Entertainment, creating NBC Universal. In addition, Mr. Burgess led the restructuring of Rainbow Media, giving NBC its first entertainment cable channel, Bravo. He also oversaw the expansion of NBC’s owned-and-operated station group. As co-head of the NBC Affiliates Futures Committee, he emphasized digital growth among the NBC-affiliated station groups. This resulted in the NBCOlympics.com online venture with more than 200 stations, as well as NBC Weather Plus, the first U.S. digital broadcast network in a network-affiliate partnership. In prior positions, Mr. Burgess worked in Corporate Strategy for PepsiCo and in the Investment Banking Division at Goldman Sachs.

Raised and educated in Germany, Mr. Burgess is a graduate of the European Business School and holds a Master of Business Administration from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.

"Terrestrial television broadcasters face an incredible challenge but also an incredible new opportunity as the February 2009 digital transition deadline approaches. While it forces broadcasters to shut down analog operations with the inevitable market confusion it also allows them to reinvent themselves as an all digital medium with new services such as mobile. This is a perfect time to plan and later launch a new mobile video service using the fast tracked ATSC mobile video standard process now underway."

Mark Fratrik, Ph.D. Vice President BIA Financial Network