Cox Enterprises has named Jimmy W. Hayes chief executive officer, where he’ll oversee Cox Communications, Manheim Auctions, Cox Media Group and Cox Auto Trader. Hayes was most recently executive vice president of finance and chief financial officer for Cox Communications.

Chris Cotter has joined Fox Business Network, where he’ll work as a reporter and anchor. Cotter was previously the host of “Daily News Live” at SportsNet New York.

Lifetime has signed Joan Lunden to host “Health Corner,” a health-focused series that airs Sundays at 9:30 a.m. Lunden was a host of ABC’s “Good Morning America” for nearly 20 years.

Matt Smith has been selected by the BBC as the star of its long-running series “Doctor Who,” making him the 11th actor to play the character. Smith will replace the current Doctor, David Tennant.

Actor Michael Pitt is in talks to appear in HBO’s drama pilot “Boardwalk Empire,” starring opposite Steve Buscemi. “Empire” will be directed by Martin Scorsese.

O, The Oprah Magazine has named Tamara Rappa senior accessories editor, effective immediately. Rappa was previously fashion editor at OK! Weekly.

Abbott Combes, an editor at The New York Times Magazine, died on Friday of lung cancer at age 64. Combes helped launch the magazine’s “About Men” column.

Kathy Wetherell, a reality show producer, was killed in a car accident late last month at age 48. Wetherell worked on a slew of shows during her career, including “The Real World,” “The Bachelor” and “Making the Band.”

Bernie Hamilton, who played the police captain in the 1970s series “Starsky and Hutch,” has died at age 80 of cardiac arrest. Besides his role in “Starsky,” Hamilton appeared in more than 20 movies.

Emily Weiss has joined the New York Observer, becoming marketing director. Weiss had been integrated marketing manager at Wenner Media.

Nat Hentoff, a columnist who had worked at the Village Voice since 1958, was one of three employees laid off by the alternative paper last week. The others were Lynn Yaeger, a fashion writer who had been with the paper for 30 years, and Chloe A. Hilliard, a writer at the Voice for two years.

Former “Saturday Night Live” cast member Al Franken is set to be declared the winner of the U.S. Senate race in Minnesota, which finished a ballot recount that began shortly after Election Day. Franken currently has a 225-vote lead over his opponent, Republican incumbent Norm Coleman, but Coleman is looking for more absentee ballots to be counted. Coleman is expected to challenge the result regardless.

Nick Stuart has been named president and chief executive officer at Odyssey Networks, an interfaith media organization. Stuart had been chief executive at CTVC, a production company in the UK.