Rural Media Group, parent company of cabler RFD-TV, has tapped Randy Bernard as CEO.
RFD-TV has grown significantly during the past decade as a lifestyle net devoted to rural regions with programming that emphasizes agriculture, country music and entertainment. Rural Media launched a sibing network Rural TV in February and acquired FamilyNet in September. The three networks together are distributed to over 61 million homes worldwide including berths on Dish, DirecTV and Comcast.
Bernard was formerly CEO of the Professional Bull Riders and IndyCar Racing. He’ll be based in Rural Media’s corporate headquarters in Omaha, Neb.
“This is huge,” said RMG founder Patrick Gottsch. “Randy is absolutely the right person, at the right time, to lead our new management team and take this venture to a whole new level, and beyond. I’ve had the good fortune of knowing Randy for several years now, and I admire his vision, creativity, and work ethic, which will serve RMG well as we strive to better serve rural America, our viewers, and this network’s sponsors and advertisers.”
Bernard added: “The rural lifestyle has always been an important part of my culture and I am excited for the opportunity Patrick has given me with RFD-TV and Rural TV.”
