Attorneys Launch Entertainment-Focused Firm

Steve Katz, Diane Golden, Joel Fishman and Mary Sullivan have formed a new law firm, Katz, Golden & Fishman. Veteran entertainment lawyer Charles Silverberg will be of counsel to the firm, along with Patricia McVerry, Jennifer Justman and Paul Migdal.

The firm will specialize in the entertainment business. Its client list includes writer Michael Crichton, actors Richard Chamberlain and Jessica Lange and such companies as Dick Clark Productions and Nickelodeon.

* Laura Hunter has been elevated to vice president of programming at Nickelodeon.

* Betty Denny Smith, director of the American Humane Assn.’s Los Angeles office, will retire at the end of the year. Smith, 63, has headed the office since 1988. The nonprofit AHA employs field representatives who monitor the treatment of animals on movie and television production sets. Last year, the organization was present on 429 productions and reviewed nearly 1,000 scripts.

* Kenneth Werner, senior vice president of Walt Disney Television, was named senior vice president of strategic planning and business development at CBS and related Westinghouse Electric businesses, including Group W Satellite Communications.

Westinghouse Chairman Michael Jordan, who orchestrated the purchase of CBS last year, has expressed an interest in pushing more aggressively into the cable market.

* John C. Siegel has been named chairman of United Television by the company’s board, succeeding his father, Herbert J. Siegel, who remains a director. United Television, which owns five television stations, is a subsidiary of an arm of Chris-Craft Industries and the sister company to the United Paramount Network. Siegel will continue as president of KBHK-TV in San Francisco and as senior vice president of Chris-Craft, where he is also on the board.

* Lynn Whitney, who formerly served as director of international media, has been promoted to the position of vice president of worldwide media at Warner Bros.

* Larry Jacobson has assumed expanded responsibilities as executive vice president of Fox Television.

* At Dennis Davidson Associates, David Gibbs has been named senior vice president of theatrical, video and television publicity, Pamela Godwin-Austen has been promoted to senior vice president of international campaigns, and Jan Kean has been named vice president.

* Bill Douglass has joined the William Morris Agency as vice president specializing in directors.

* Tom Carolan and Mio Vukovic are about to join the West Coast artists and repertoire division of 550 Music, a division of Sony’s Epic Record Group.

* Jeffrey A. Manoff has been named vice president of advertiser-supported media for the Paramount Television Group.

* David Goodman joins Warner Bros. domestic pay TV unit as vice president of special programming and projects.

* Sony Music Entertainment has named Ryokichi Kunugi, the head of its Family Club division, as its new president. Current President Shugo Matsuo was named chairman.

* JoAnne Adams Griffith has been appointed vice president of human resources at Viacom.

* Rob Gordon has been named vice president of marketing at Capitol Records.

* Douglas A. Lee has joined Children’s Television Workshop as senior vice president of CTW Cable.

* Matt Cooperstein has been promoted to executive vice president of domestic television at ITC Entertainment Group.

* Dawn G. Friedman has been promoted to vice president of business affairs at New World Entertainment.

* Marc Hirsch has been named director of worldwide advertiser services at Paramount Television Group.

* EMI Records has appointed Nick Bull national director of alternative radio promotion.

* Jim Hliboki has been appointed manager of financial analysis at Sony Music.

* Harvey Entertainment has promoted Jennifer H. Pritchard to director of marketing and development.

* Thomas Hanft has been named vice president of marketing for KNBC Channel 4.

* Jon Hookstratten has been named senior vice president of business affairs for CBS-Group W-MaXaM. Nancy C. Widmann has been named senior vice president of market development and Barry Wallach has been named executive vice president of syndication.

* Mindy Epsy has been appointed head of marketing at Revolution. David Jafri has been appointed to Revolution’s sales division, acting as a liaison between the label and its distribution partners.

* Len Fogge has been named executive vice president of creative/marketing services for Showtimes Networks.

* CBO Communications has named Marty Muller its creative director.

* Charles Morgan has joined Hallmark Entertainment Networks to help with the company’s global expansion efforts.

* Jeff Blue has been appointed West Coast creative director for Zomba Music Publishing.

* Ralph Berge has been named vice president of production for Turner Pictures. Karen Loewinger has joined Turner Network Television as West Coast manager of publicity for TNT Originals. Frederika Brookfield has been named East Coast director of public relations for Turner Entertainment Group.

* Todd Bisson has been named executive director of promotion at nu.millennia/records.

* Anne Giangardella has joined the DreamWorks consumer products division.

* Cox Communications has appointed Richard N. Yelen director of premium marketing.

* Richard J. Katz and Karl D. Knepley have been named vice presidents of Comcast Content & Communication.

* RYSHER Entertainment has promoted Cheryl McLean to marketing director and Shanna Eddings to marketing manager.

* Dana Keil has been appointed senior director of promotion for adult format, and Charles Lozow has been appointed counsel for Elektra Entertainment Group.

* Film Roman Interactive has hired Kevin Goldberg and Marcelo Ziperovich as producers.

* Lloyd Scott has been named executive director of programming and acquisitions, Wendy McCarron Chambers has been promoted to director of affiliate relations, Tim Foland has been named manager of marketing, and Terry Lavin has been named manager of affiliate relations for FOX Net.

* E! Entertainment Television has hired John Malkin as director for the Midwest region affiliate relations and Mishel Minehart as sales promotion manager.

* Stephen de Kanter has been promoted to president of Disney Consumer Products Latin America.

* Al Weiss has been named executive vice president of Walt Disney World Resort.

* EMI Records has promoted Pete Ganbarg to vice president of A&R.;

* KMEX-TX has hired Aniello Viserto as its East Coast national sales manager.

* Entertainment Tonight has named Rob Sheiffele senior segment producer.

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