As the global village envisioned by Marshall McLuhan continues to spread, the latest executive shuffle is Herb Scannell's hiring this week to run BBC Worldwide America, a position left vacant since Garth Ancier’s departure in March.

The BBC is at something of a crossroads in America: it posted record profits in 2009; BBC.com reaching 17 million unique users monthly in the U.S.; its iPhone app is a top 10 news app; and Doctor Who has gained new U.S. fans and boosted BBC America's ratings since relaunching with new "doctors" (including its latest, Matt Smith, above).

"We have a cable channel that has, if not the most affluent, one of the top two or three most affluent audiences on television," Scannell, a Viacom veteran, tells Ad Age. "But for the advertising business, we want to get to full distribution and let the brand shine a bit. I come from a place at MTV Networks where the branding was always in place, then we started getting the pieces together."

Top priority for Scannell is boosting BBC America's profile and revenues.Continue reading...

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Viacom veteran turned digital exec Herb Scannell is now running the BBC's US brands, including BBC America.

Amazon's Kindle e-reader will be available in US Target stores starting Sunday.Continue reading...