Saban Entertainment

Lylle Breier has been promoted to vice president, special events for Buena Vista Pictures Distribution. Breier will be responsible for creating and overseeing all special events related to motion pictures under Disney, Touchstone and Hollywood Pictures. * Ynon Kreiz has been promoted to vice president, business development, Saban Entertainment.

New Line Productions named former Hollywood Pictures executive Jay Stern vice president of production. Stern was vice president of production at Hollywood, part of Walt Disney Co., where he served as liaison to Interscope Pictures and Hawn-Sylbert Productions. Separately, New Line promoted Mark Ordesky to executive vice president of acquisitions and co-productions. * MCA Records has promoted Randy Miller to executive vice president and general manager.

Costa Mesa-based Playmates Toys Inc. has entered a master licensing agreement with Saban Entertainment to manufacture and market toys based on the "All New Captain Kangaroo" television show that will premiere this fall. The new show will feature preschool toys styled after the original, baby boom era show's major characters: the venerable Captain, Mr. Greenjeans, Mr. Moose, Bunny Rabbit and Grandfather Clock.

Top contributors to Gov. Gray Davis' campaign committee during his first six months in office: Contributor Amount A. Jerrold Perenchio: $250,000 Fox Group: $150,000 Saban Entertainment Inc.: $125,000 Yucaipa Companies LLC: $117,556 Pacific Telesis Corp.: $110,000 AKT Development Corp.: $100,000 Ameriquest Capital Corp.: $100,000 Casden Co.: $100,000 Terry M. Giles: $100,000 John J. Moores: $100,000 GTE Service Corp.: $75,000 Hollywood Park Operaters Co.: $75,000 Zenith Insurance Co.

Fox Family Worldwide, which is being purchased by Walt Disney Co., faces a $12.7-million breach-of-contract lawsuit from the former president of the children's cable-TV network. Rich Cronin claims he was never allowed to exercise his lucrative stock-option package when he was fired from Fox Family in May 2000. Cronin claims in his lawsuit, filed Tuesday in Los Angeles Superior Court, that stock options lured him from Viacom Inc.'s TV Land network in July 1998.

Viacom's MTV Networks said Wednesday that the company had fired Nick at Nite's TV Land President Rich Cronin after learning that Cronin had signed a contract to work for Fox Kids Worldwide immediately after his MTV contract expires in July 1998. TV Land's No. 2 executive, marketing veteran Larry W. Jones, was named to replace Cronin. Jones has the new title of general manager of TV Land. Cronin was a 13-year veteran of MTV Networks.

In a first step toward consolidating its children's programming, News Corp. named Margaret Loesch vice chairman of Fox Kids Worldwide, which includes Fox Kids Network, Saban Entertainment and newly acquired International Family Entertainment. Loesch, the architect of the powerful block of children's programming that runs on the Fox Broadcasting Co. weekdays and Saturdays under the Fox Kids Network banner, will report to Haim Saban, chairman and chief executive of the group.

Kevin Gasser, music agent at Creative Artists Agency, is about to be named senior vice president at Hollywood Records, the struggling rock record division of Walt Disney Co., sources said. Gasser, who has worked with such rock acts as Courtney Love and Smashing Pumpkins, was recruited for the job by his former CAA boss, Michael Ovitz. * At Fox Broadcasting Co., Cindy L.