New York Times Columnist Tapped as HBO Consultant

NEW YORK, May 21: Frank
Rich, who pens a weekly column for The New York Times, has signed on as a creative consultant at HBO.

Rich will initiate and
help develop projects for the premium pay-TV network. As part of his new role,
he will recuse himself from covering HBO and Time Warner in his column, which
is mostly about politics and public affairs.

Announcing the appointment
today, Richard Plepler, the co-president, and Michael Lombardo, the president
of the programming group and West Coast operations, said: “Frank is one of the
smartest and most astute observers of popular culture, and we are thrilled that
we can call upon his judgment and superb instincts.”

—By Mansha Daswani