Haim Saban has embarked on a management reshuffle at ProSiebenSat.1's, four months after taking over the German broadcasting group.

SAT.1 managing director Martin Hoffmann, whose future had been subject of much speculation since the summer, has been replaced with immediate effect by Swiss media entrepreneur Roger Schawinski who founded the first national Swiss private TV channel Tele 24 in 1998.

Meanwhile, at ProSiebenSat.1 Media's HQ in Munich, the executive board will be reduced to four members with the departure "by mutual agreement" of Claus Larass from the board post for News, Information, and Political Programmes from 31 Dec 2003.

"The reorganisation of the board is an important step to further increase the efficiency in our organisation and to adjust optimally to the requirements of the competition", said ProSiebenSat.1 Media's chairman and CEO Urs Rohner.

With Larass' departure, the post of managing director for the news channel N24 will be filled by Torsten Rossmann, who has been the Group's spokesman and Head of Corporate Office since 2000.

Katja Pichler, company spokesperson for the marketing company SevenOne Media, will be Rossmann's successor as spokesperson for the ProSiebenSat.1 Group.

In future, the ProSiebenSat.1 Media executive board will consist of Rohner (Chairman and CEO), Lothar Lanz (CFO), Guillaume de Posch (COO) and Juergen Doetz (Media Policy).

The changes come just a month after the rapid exit of board member Ludwig Bauer "due to differing views on the future strategic direction of the company"