LONDON: Joan Lofts has been appointed director of programs and acquisitions at Disney Channel U.K. She takes over from John Keeling, who left the channel last December.

During a varied career in children’s television, the flamboyant Lofts is best known for her involvement with the recently axed children’s channel TCC. As head of programming, Lofts was responsible for pushing the channel toward the teenage market in order to differentiate it from its powerful rivals, Nickelodeon and Cartoon Network.

She left TCC in October, and had been working as a consultant at PolyGram in the intervening period.

The Name Game

Fox Kids Worldwide has changed its name to Fox Family Worldwide to reflect the expansion of the company’s target demographic with the acquisition of The Family Channel. Fox Family Worldwide’s primary businesses include: Fox Kids Network, Fox Family Channel, Saban Entertainment and Fox Kids International. The new name will take effect August 15 when Fox Family Channel launches.

Popular Mechanics fixes on Disney France

Popular Mechanics for Kids will be making its European debut. Disney Channel France has acquired 44 episodes of the program’s French version, Super Mžcanix, and plans to broadcast them by satellite to France and Switzerland. The half-hour program is hosted by two teens and offers kids a hands-on look into how things work.

The Name Game

Fox Kids Worldwide has changed its name to Fox Family Worldwide to reflect the expansion of the company’s target demographic with the acquisition of The Family Channel. Fox Family Worldwide’s primary businesses include: Fox Kids Network, Fox Family Channel, Saban Entertainment and Fox Kids International. The new name will take effect August 15 when Fox Family Channel launches.

Lofts lands at Disney UK

LONDON: Joan Lofts has been appointed director of programs and acquisitions at The Disney Channel U.K. She takes over from John Keeling, who left the channel last December.

During a varied career in children’s television, the flamboyant Lofts is best known for her involvement with the recently axed children’s channel, TCC. As head of programming, Lofts was responsible for pushing channels towards the teenage market in order to differentiate it from its powerful rivals, Nick and Cartoon. She left TCC in October and has been working as a consultant at Polygram in the intervening period.