CHICAGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug. 10, 2015-- Heidi Schmid Whiting has been named Vice President and General Counsel of Graham Media Group, effective August 31. John Ronayne is retiring from that role and will become Vice President and Senior Counsel of the company.

Emily Barr, President and Chief Executive Officer of Graham Media Group, said: “Heidi comes to GMG with a wealth of legal experience. Her knowledge of and practical experience working with cable and telecommunications businesses will prove extremely valuable to us as we continue to navigate the ever-changing landscape of broadcast TV, retransmission consent negotiations and the array of OTT and internet options. I am thrilled to have her join the team.”

For the past seven years, Whiting has been with the law offices of Cinnamon Mueller, a firm serving independent communications and technology companies. She has served as Managing Partner for the past four years. Whiting was responsible for the firm’s financial management, business development and management of its attorneys. Her practice involved the representation of broadcast, telecommunications and technology companies, as well as working with independent cable operators and municipal cable providers. She handled transactional, regulatory and litigation matters, and dealt with the FCC, and state and local regulatory bodies.

Previously, Whiting spent several years at Mudd Law Offices in Chicago, where she worked on defamation, libel and slander, as well as IP matters, e-commerce, and identity theft. Earlier, she worked for three years as a financial analyst in the Controller Division of Goldman Sachs & Co. in New York.

Whiting graduated cum laude from Villanova University with a B.A. in English and Business and earned her law degree with Honors as a Dean's Scholar from Cleveland-Marshall College of Law. A member of the Chicago Bar Association and Federal Communications Bar Association, she is active in several Chicago area trade associations and non-profits.

John Ronayne, who served as Vice President and General Counsel of Graham Media Group for the past 14 years, will become Vice President and Senior Counsel before retiring next spring.

Barr said: “John’s consistently wise counsel and sage advice has served us extremely well and we are delighted that he has agreed to remain with the company through the spring.”

About Graham Media Group:

Graham Media Group (www.GrahamMedia.com), a subsidiary of Graham Holdings Company (NYSE: GHC), owns five local TV stations—each in a top-50 market and all recognized as news leaders—reaching 6.3% of U.S. television households: KPRC–Houston and WDIV–Detroit (NBC); KSAT–San Antonio (ABC); WKMG–Orlando (CBS); and WJXT–Jacksonville (independent). The stations also broadcast digital channels focused on classic television and operate market-leading websites, mobile sites and mobile apps that deliver breaking news, weather and community news, reaching millions of users across each platform. Graham Media Group owns SocialNewsDesk, a leading provider of social media software solutions used in more than 600 newsrooms worldwide.

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20150810005670/en/

Source: Graham Holdings Company

Graham Media Group
Patty Oliva, 312-917-6242
POliva@GrahamMedia.com