Comcast adds another exec to Ed Snider's world

Another Comcast Corp. executive parachuted Monday into Ed Snider's Comcast-Spectacor fiefdom in South Philly, as the venture that owns the Flyers and the Wells Fargo Center reorganizes its top management after the quick departure in December of Snider ally and partner Peter Luukko.

Michael Sheehey was appointed to the newly created position of executive vice president for business development. He has been senior vice president with NBC Sports and worked for Comcast's cable division for almost two decades.

In the new role, Sheehey is expected to pursue a "One Comcast-Spectacor" concept of bundling the company's arena-management, ticketing, marketing, and food services into packages for clients.

Currently, only 9 percent of Comcast-Spectacor's contracts include different subsidiaries providing services to sports teams, universities, or municipalities. The One Comcast-Spectacor concept was created to boost that share to fuel revenue growth.

Dave Scott, the former top executive in Comcast's cable division - who replaced Luukko as interim president and recently took the position permanently - appointed Sheehey.

Scott said that he's seeking to balance the entrepreneurial culture of Comcast-Spectacor with the corporate culture of Comcast.

"I take pride in trying to get the best from both companies," Scott said. "My vision is to pull this together and have a more unified sales approach."

Scott, a veteran of Comcast's cable system integrations in Detroit and Atlanta, recently put on a webcast watched by about 1,000 Comcast-Spectacor employees.

Sheehey negotiated sports TV rights agreements for NBC Sports, which includes the Comcast regional sports networks. Sheehey, who played Division I basketball at St. Bonaventure University, also served as the general manager of the cable television systems in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

Snider remains the managing partner of Comcast-Spectacor and reportedly owns 25 percent of the company. Comcast, the cable-TV and Internet giant, owns the majority of Comcast-Spectacor.

Snider said in an interview last December that Luukko's decision to resign was entirely his own. Luukko had been president and chief operating officer of Comcast-Spectacor. "He owns a chunk of the company and apparently had a talk with himself and decided to cash in his chips," Snider said at the time.

In the last month, two of Luukko's executive hires at Comcast-Spectacor subsidiary Front Row Marketing Services, president Chris Lencheski and senior vice president Lee Stacey, left the company. Trade publication Sports Business Journal first reported the departures. Comcast-Spectacor confirmed the report. Luukko hired Lencheski in 2011 and Stacey in 2012.

Comcast-Spectacor's chief financial officer, Russ Chandler, also departed in 2013.

Gary Rostick, the chief financial officer of Comcast's business services division, replaced Chandler.

Last week, Comcast-Spectacor announced that Alice Fei had been appointed vice president of human resources. She had been an an executive director of human resources at Comcast.

Management changes in the last few months have placed several top Comcast executives at Comcast-Spectacor:

December 2013:

Ed Snider's longtime partner and ally Peter Luukko resigns as president and chief operating officer. Dave Scott, a former top Comcast Corp. cable executive, replaces Luukko.

Comcast-Spectacor says at the time of Luukko's resignation that CFO Russ Chandler had departed, too. Gary Rostick, former chief financial officer of Comcast's business services division, replaced him.

In the last month

Two of Luukko's executive hires at Front Row Marketing Services, Chris Lencheski and Lee Stacey, leave Comcast-Spectacor.

On Monday

Michael Sheehey, senior vice president with NBC Sports Group, who worked for Comcast's cable division for almost two decades, was appointed to the newly created position of executive vice president for business development at Comcast-Spectacor. He is expected to pursue a "One Comcast-Spectacor" concept.

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