Newly Created Position to Oversee Network
News, 27 Local Television Stations and CBS' Industry-Leading
Syndication Business
NEW
YORK, Aug. 14, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Wendy McMahon has been named president and chief
executive officer of CBS News and Stations and CBS Media Ventures,
expanding her role to include singular oversight of CBS News and
Stations as well as leadership of CBS' domestic syndication
business. The announcement was made today by George Cheeks, president and chief executive
officer of CBS, to whom McMahon reports.
In this newly created role and structure, McMahon will now lead
all of CBS News' broadcast and streaming operations, 27 local
television stations in major U.S. markets, 14 local news streaming
channels and CMV's top-rated first-run syndication programming, as
well as its content licensing to television stations and the
division's national advertising sales business.
Programming under McMahon's expanded portfolio will span CBS
News daily and weekly news broadcasts – such as 60 MINUTES, FACE
THE NATION, CBS MORNINGS, CBS SATURDAY MORNINGS, CBS NEWS SUNDAY
MORNING, 48 HOURS and CBS EVENING NEWS WITH NORAH O'DONNELL – to
first-run entertainment series JEOPARDY!, WHEEL OF FORTUNE,
ENTERTAINMENT TONIGHT, INSIDE EDITION and THE DREW BARRYMORE SHOW.
She will also oversee CBS Radio, CBS Newspath and CBS' national and
local streaming news services.
McMahon's new purview will encompass all areas of oversight
previously shared with Neeraj
Khemlani, also president and co-head of CBS News and
Stations, and Steven LoCascio,
president of CBS Media Ventures, as well as her continued
leadership of CBS' local businesses.
Khemlani announced yesterday his plans to begin a multiplatform
first-look deal with CBS to develop content including
documentaries, scripted series and books for Simon & Schuster.
LoCascio, a 34-year veteran of CBS, announced today his plans to
retire at the end of his current contract.
Since being appointed president and co-head of CBS News and
Stations in May 2021, McMahon has
partnered with Khemlani to optimize CBS' journalistic resources
across its national and local platforms to establish a
local-to-global news organization with increased emphasis in
streaming.
In her two-plus years overseeing Stations, McMahon has
transformed the local business with a laser focus on improving the
quality of the stations' content, community service and workplace
culture. This has resulted in stronger competitive positions across
platforms: 11 of 13 broadcast stations are now #1 or #2 in late
local news. CBS Stations' local streaming channels viewership is up
+61% year-over-year in 2023, and the last 11 months have been the
local streaming channels' 11 highest months to date.
She has also expanded local news coverage in many markets,
including launching a seven-hour morning news franchise in
Los Angeles and building the
"newsroom of the future" at WWJ-TV, the CBS-owned station in
Detroit. McMahon established the
CBS Local News Innovation Lab that is creating data-driven
investigations and solutions-oriented journalism for local stations
and partnering with the Network for broader coverage.
"At every turn since joining CBS, Wendy has used her unique
skill set as an innovator, business operator and people leader to
energize operations, support our best-in-class journalism and
position CBS for its multiplatform future," said Cheeks. "She is a
dynamic leader with clear vision who generates forward momentum in
every business she touches. I'm excited for the future of CBS News,
our local stations and our valuable syndication franchises under
her leadership."
"It's an honor to be entrusted to lead as venerated an
organization as CBS News, and I'm inspired to continue to support
the world's greatest journalists at this critical moment for our
profession. I'm also excited to work with the #1 team in first-run
syndication at CBS Media Ventures," said McMahon. "I am fortunate
to have thousands of talented, dedicated colleagues across these
teams to continue the top-notch journalism and productions our
viewers expect from CBS."
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SOURCE CBS; Paramount Global
