* Brunico Communications’ executive vp/publishing director Ken Faier has left the company after 11 years to join Alliance Atlantis Communications’ kids division as vp of distribution. Brunico is the publisher of Playback, KidScreen, RealScreen, Boards and Strategy.

* Jim Rusnak has been appointed president, Global Television Alberta, effective immediately. Formerly the president of Global Television’s Western operations, Rusnak, in his new capacity, will be based in Calgary and handling the TV properties recently acquired from WIC Western International Communications.

* Marie Beauchamp has been named vp communications and marketing with Les Chaines Tele-Astral. Beauchamp was most recently general manager, advertising and promotion at Groupe tva.

* Heaton Dyer has been appointed director of current affairs and weekly programs for cbc. Dyer, currently executive producer of CBC Morning, was formerly head of Newsworld Business News and has had several years’ experience producing a variety of investigative and topical current affairs programs.

Cynthia Kinch will become executive producer of The National, taking charge of cbc’s flagship hour. Kinch is currently executive producer of Newsworld Reports on CBC Newsworld and is a former senior news producer with The National.

Jonathan Whitten has been named senior producer of The National, overseeing both news and current affairs in the hour, acting as Kinch’s deputy. Whitten is currently bureau chief of cbc’s Washington bureau and was formerly senior producer of The National Magazine.

Alison Smith will join Brian Stewart as a senior correspondent of The National hour. She will contribute interviews and field pieces and will continue as backup to chief correspondent and National anchor Peter Mansbridge. This will free up Stewart to do more documentaries, as he has requested, in addition to studio hosting. Smith will continue to anchor Sunday Report and to contribute to CBC Newsworld.

Nigel Gibson has been appointed executive producer of the 6 p.m. cbc national newscast with Ian Hanomansing, which will originate from Vancouver as of Oct. 2. Gibson is currently senior producer of news for The National. He will work with Liz Hughes, who will assume the role of bureau chief/executive producer of CBC Vancouver. Hughes’ appointment, as one of 14 new bureau chiefs from across Canada, is part of a move to fully integrate all of cbc’s network and regional news operations, and to make them more streamlined and decentralized.

Maria Mironowicz will become director of program development for CBC News, Current Affairs and Newsworld, in addition to her current duties as program director for CBC Newsworld.

* Claudette Paquin has been named the new managing director of tfo, tvontario’s French programming service. Paquin has been with the organization for the past 10 years, most recently as director of planning, support services and assistant to the managing director.

* Vancouver funding analyst Karen Lam has left PricewaterhouseCoopers to become the producer of the 13-part comedy series Skullduggery for the Comedy Network.

* Global Television entertainment personality Bob McAdorey is retiring after 25 years with the company. A member of the Global on-air team since 1976, McAdorey gained fame as co-anchor of News at Noon, anchor of the CanWest Entertainment desk and most recently covering the entertainment beat for Global’s eveningnews.

* Tina Srebotnjak, former co-host of cbc’s Midday, joins tvontario as the new host of the long-running book show Imprint.

* Cynthia Lane has joined Telescene Film Group as the company’s new public relations manager. Lane had a 15-year tenure with the now defunct Astral Home Entertainment, where she most recently served as national advertising manager.