As the LA Times’ Geoff Boucher joins ex-USA Today writer Anthony Breznican at weekly magazine EW, 17-year EW vet Dave Karger is moving on. He is heading away from print reporting to a career as a professional video pundit and media front man. He will now grow his media profile at NBCUniversal’s Fandango as the online ticketseller’s first “chief correspondent.” The main lure is increased visibility across NBCUniversal’s media outlets.
Karger was already a frequent entertainment pundit on NBC’s Today Show, appearing over 150 times over the years. Other shows he will appear on include Access Hollywood, E! Entertainment, local stations and other media.
At EW Karger delivered celebrity interviews including cover stories on George Clooney, Johnny Depp and Kate Winslet, and served as the magazine’s Oscar expert; he was the Academy’s official Red Carpet Greeter for the 2011 and 2012 Oscars. He will now report to Hilary Smith, SVP of Digital Communications and Integrated Media Marketing for NBCUniversal’s Entertainment & Digital Networks and Integrated Media division. Smith wants to build Fandango into “a primary source for all things movies.”
Karger will work the red carpet with a Fandango-branded mic at premieres, awards shows, industry conferences and film festivals, where he’ll do video interviews, news reports and reviews. Karger will continue his role as Oscar predicter and commentator.
Karger is a well-known TV and Twitter (@davekarger) presence; he hosted movie interview specials, “The Suite with Dave Karger” (AMC) and “Reel Comedy” (Comedy Central) and has interviewed actors and directors on the BBC, the Sundance Channel, Logo, and the People’s Choice Awards (CBS). He has also appeared on Good Morning America, CBS This Morning, Piers Morgan Tonight, and Anderson Cooper 360.
Fandango’s growing web and mobile destinations saw more than 41 million visitors last month, while the company reported record-breaking online and mobile traffic and ticket sales during the summer of 2012.
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