Industry Newcomer Lack Succeeds Mottola

With the departure of Sony Music Entertainment chairman/CEO Tommy Mottola, NBC president/COO Andrew Lack assumes those duties. Mottola stepped down Jan. 10, two years before his contract was set to end, and will launch his own label under the Sony umbrella. Lack, who is new to the music business, worked with Sony Corp. chairman/CEO Howard Stringer at CBS-TV in the '80s.

Producer/artist Jermaine Dupri brings his So So Def label to Arista and is also named senior VP of Arista. He'll continue to release his own solo material but will find new talent for the Arista label and exclusively produce BMG acts.

As RCA and J Records combine operations, much of the RCA promotion staff has left, including senior VP of promotion Ron Greslin, VP of pop promotion Eric Murphy, VP of rhythm/ crossover promotion Tony Monte, senior VP of rock promotion Ron Poore, East Coast director of pop promotion Tracy Koppel, and most of its regionals. J Records associate director of Northeast promotion Jared Siegel will join the new RCA Music Group covering the mid-Atlantic.

FCC GRILLED ON DEREG

FCC chairman Michael Powell found himself on the hot seat at a Jan. 14 media-concentration oversight hearing before the Senate Commerce Committee. The commission is reviewing the remaining media ownership rules, including ownership caps, left in place after the 1996 Telecommunications Act. Billboard Bulletin reports that ranking Democat Sen. Ernest Hollings (D.-S.C.) asked Powell, "Are you on the side of higher prices and lower competition or not?" Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) asked, "Are you at all troubled that Clear Channel went from 40 to more than 1,200 stations?" Powell replied, "Candidly, I am troubled, and I think that's a consequence of [past] statutory deregulation." Powell also said the FCC will look at current market definition rules.

NETWORKING PAYS FOR RADIO ONE

Radio One and Comcast Cablevision have announced a partnership to launch a new, long-rumored entertainment, news, and sports channel that will target African-Americans. The as-yet-unnamed network is expected to launch mid-2003.

Also, the Dayton Daily News reports that Radio One hopes to purchase R&B WROU (U92) Dayton, Ohio, for $9.5 million from Hawes-Saunders Broadcast Properties. The offer will be considered at a Feb. 10 bankruptcy court hearing. Late last year, WROU owner RoNita Hawes-Saunders filed for bankruptcy after being sued by her venture-capital firms. Also pending is the sale of R&B oldies sister WRNB to K-Love Radio Network, which would likely flip the station to the Christian AC format found on many of its stations.

AUTOMATION: IT'S FOR THE KIDS

The Racine, Wis., Journal-Times reports that a