Sharon Blank has been appointed executive director of the Shaw Broadcasting Funds.

Blank, a former executive with Vancouver Television, will oversee both the Shaw Television Broadcast Fund and the Shaw Children’s Programming Initiative.

As executive director of the funds, Blank will work under Annabel Slaight, chair of the stbf and Julia Conway Royer, chair of the scpi.

The appointment is effective immediately and Blank will be based in Calgary.

The STBF, an independent fund established in 1998, is designed to support the Canadian production of children’s and family programming. The next deadline for applications is Feb. 15, 1999.

The SCPI is a $27.5-million commitment by Shaw to invest in the development and production of children’s programming through the Shaw and Conway funds. The next deadline is Feb. 1, 1999.