New in TechAmerica Washington office: Chris Wilson, ex-Wiley Rein and ex-aide to Sen. Arlen Specter, D-Pa., as director and regulatory counsel for e-commerce and telecom; Randi Meyers, ex-aide to Rep. John Shadegg, R-Ariz., as director and counsel, federal government relations …

News Corp. Chief Security Officer Hemanshu Nigam steps down, to become adviser … Nexstar Broadcasting changes: Jerry Jones promoted to vice president/general manager, KATD-TV and KTVE-TV, Monroe, La.; Albert Gutierrez promoted to replace him as vice president/general manager, KMID-TV Midland/Odessa, Texas … Ward Loyd will be sworn in Friday as a Kansas Corporation Commission member, serving a term that expires March 15, 2012.

Ex parte filings: Media General’s ownership of WJHL Johnson City, Tenn., in the same market where it owns the Bristol Herald-Courier gave that newspaper “greater resources” to pursue “such intensive efforts” as development of a series that won a Pulitzer Prize last week, the company said Friday. It also discussed with Commissioners Mignon Clyburn and Robert McDowell its 2008 opposition to a petition to throw out permanent cross-ownership waivers Media General got as part of the commission’s media ownership review.

Jim Gewert, ex-Turner Broadcasting, becomes executive vice president, worldwide finance, planning and systems, at Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Group … Marjorie Cohn promoted by Nickelodeon/MTVN Kids and Family Group to president, original programming and development … Eduardo Fernandez, ex WSNS Chicago, hired by Scripps as general manager of WXYZ Detroit … Lisa Fischer, ex-Discovery, becomes Ion Media Networks senior vice president, network sales … Telecom litigators Bruce Beckner and Erick Soriano, both ex-Fleischman & Harding, move to Garvey Schubert as partners … Mark Shockley promoted by Motorola to senior vice president, global go-to-market for Mobile Devices business; Frank Meng, ex-Qualcomm, hired by Motorola as president of greater China for Mobile Devices … Debra Goetz, ex-Univision, hired by NBC Universal as vice president of integrated sales marketing … South Dakota Public Utility Commission Chairman Dustin Johnson will seek re-election to a second term … Minnesota Public Utility Commission member Betsy Wergin confirmed for a second six-year term.

Ex parte filings: The filers of a petition on retransmission disputes took their case to FCC Commissioner Robert McDowell and an aide to Chairman Julius Genachowski. At meetings Thursday, they discussed points previously made to other commissioners (CD April 9 p9). Public Knowledge, the New America Foundation, DirecTV, Dish Network, the Organization for the Promotion and Advancement of Small Telecommunications Companies, the American Cable Association, Charter Communications, Bright House Networks, Mediacom and Suddenlink sent representatives to one or both of the meetings.

Blair Levin, executive director of the FCC Omnibus Broadband Initiative, moves to the Aspen Institute Communications and Society Program effective May 7 … Lissa Rosenthal, ex-Americans for the Arts, hired by Future of Music Coalition as executive director; Jean Cook, in that job on an interim basis, becomes director of programs … Mohammad Shakouri, Alvarion, joins Wireless Communications Association board … Jason Baird, ex-MTV, becomes Geeknet chief operating officer … Bryant Barnes, Comporium Communications, elected president, South Carolina Telecommunications Association; Brad Erwin, Farmers Telephone Cooperative, becomes vice president, and Will Helmly, Home Telephone, secretary-treasurer … Canoe Ventures names Gerard Broussard, ex-MediaLab, vice president-research and analytics … David Little, Fraser Milner law firm, joins International Datacasting board … L-3 Communications promotes Steve Kantor to president of its Services Group, replacing Carl Vuono, retiring … Barry McAuliffe, who helped start the Mobile High-Definition Interface Working Group, named president of MHL.

Founder Christopher Carmichael takes over as chairman and CEO of Ubiquity Broadcasting, replacing Chuck Levine, ex-Sprint PCS … Florida Public Service Commission nominees David Klement and Benjamin Stevens confirmed Wednesday by the state Senate … Robert Strickland, ex-T-Mobile USA, becomes Atigeo president and board member … Peter Norris, Virgin Group, joins Image Metrics board.

Scott Smith, ex-DigitalGlobe, becomes executive vice president, Iridium NEXT, replacing Lee Demitry, resigning … Spacenet names David Kagan, ex-Maritime Telecommunications Network, senior vice president, business development …

Media debt: Cablevision is selling $1.25 billion of senior notes, with $750 million at 7.75 percent due 2018 and the rest at 8 percent maturing two years later, the cable operator said late Monday. Earlier in the day, it said it planned to issue $1 billion in debt … CBS’s offer to buy back $500 million of some debt was oversubscribed, with holders of $618.4 million opting to participate, the broadcaster said Tuesday. The tender offer expires April 26.

Debbie Richman, ex-Lifetime Networks, becomes ABC TV Network senior vice president, prime-time sales … Craig Easley, Metro Ethernet Forum, becomes Sunrise Telecom vice president, marketing … Trevor Greene, ex-Ernst & Young, becomes Norsat International chief financial officer, replacing Eugene Syho, leaving for other opportunities after the transition …