Americast Names Senior Programming VP

Judy Girard has been appointed senior vice president of programming for Americast, the consortium created by a group of telephone companies and Walt Disney. Americast will develop and market television programming as well as video-on-demand, home shopping and other home entertainment services to be offered through the phone companies.

Americast was recently joined by SNET, the phone company serving Connecticut, and includes Ameritech, BellSouth, GTE and SBC Communications. Girard was recently senior vice president of programming and production at Lifetime Television.

* Peter B. Aronson was appointed senior vice president of creative affairs for Walt Disney Television.

* Ken Phillips has been promoted to West Coast publicity manager at Warner Bros. Records.

* Gary Richards and Gary Poole have been hired to run the national record promotion team at Revolution Records.

* Richard Hoffman has been named vice president of the talent division at Warren Cowan & Associates.

* International Creative Management named Ellen Kroner senior vice president of corporate communications.

* Universal Pictures renewed an agreement for two years with producer Robert Simonds Co. Separately, Simonds promoted Julia Dray to vice president of creative affairs.

* Steve Coe has been named vice president of media relations for Columbia TriStar Television Distribution.

* Acclaim Entertainment’s comic book division named Fabian Nicieza, writer of the popular X-Men series, its senior vice president and editor in chief. Nicieza will oversee all editorial operations, including the creative development and content of Acclaim Comics titles. He succeeds Bob Layton, who will remain a consultant to Acclaim Comics and will write comic books. Nicieza will report to Steve Massarsky, Acclaim Comics president.