King World President Departs

King World Productions Inc. said President and Chief Operating Officer Jules Haimovitz has left the distributor of the “Oprah Winfrey Show” after little more than a year with the company. Haimovitz, 47, will act as a consultant to King World through September to help in the transition. Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Michael King, 50, will serve as interim chief operating officer until Haimovitz’s successor is chosen. Haimovitz, who joined King World in June 1997, is a former executive at PolyGram and Viacom Inc. He’s held in high regard by Wall Street, and his appointment was widely considered a sign that King World would soon use its ample cash reserve to make some big acquisitions, said Art Rockwell, an analyst at Drake & Co. “It doesn’t surprise me. I never thought the chemistry between Haimovitz and the King brothers was right,” Rockwell said.