News Corp. Exec to Join Henson Group

Margaret Loesch, the executive credited with building News Corp.’s child-oriented television business, has signed on as president of the Jim Henson Television Group. Loesch, who left News Corp. in November amid a power struggle with Haim Saban, News Corp.’s half partner in Fox Kids Worldwide, gives the Jim Henson Co. added credibility at a time when independent producers are battling for cable and network time. Henson is in negotiations to create a cable channel focused on live-action family programming that would likely compete against the Family Channel, which will be relaunched by Loesch’s former employer this summer. Because Henson has no major library of its own, it would to ally with a partner such as Universal Studios or Hallmark Entertainment, which have vast family libraries.