Case
Revolution, a company founded by AOL founder Steve Case, has bought the Wisdom Media Group, which runs both a digital-cable network and a radio network dealing with health and personal development.
Case's company previously bought an 80% stake in Exclusive Resorts, a luxury-vacation federation, and 70% of Miraval, a resort.
EchoStar and Comcast distribute Wisdom TV on digital and as a video-on-demand service. Case plans to use the network as a platform to expand his attempt to tap into what he calls "a cultural shift in values toward a life more in balance." People spend more than $230 billion a year on products and services related to health and wellness, Case said.
Case will move Wisdom's headquarters from West Virginia to New York City and install a new management team of industry veterans, led by Lee DeBoer as chairman, C.J. Kettler as CEO and Robert Harris as chief financial officer. DeBoer was one of the architects of the growth of HBO during his stint as an executive from 1976 to 1995. Kettler was president of sales and marketing for Oxygen Media. Harris was VP of finance and head of international operations for About .com.
Cindy Sheets, former CEO of Wisdom Media, will stay on the board.
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