CBS Television Distribution president Paul Franklin is retiring after more than three decades in television at both CBS and Twentieth Television.
“I tried to retire once before, but failed,” Franklin said in a statement. “I just couldn’t pass up the opportunity to work at CBS and lead the top syndicator in the business. For the last few years, I have thoroughly enjoyed working with my colleagues at CBS, our talented hosts and producers, and our station partners. CBS has been a highlight of my career, and I am proud to have kept us on top. I’ve worked in this industry I love for more than three decades, but now it feels like the right time to retire and finally have time to spend with my family, watch my son play college baseball and pursue some personal goals.”
“Throughout his career, Paul has been a well-liked, well-respected executive and he will retire with an accomplished track record of leadership and successful sales campaigns,” said Joe Ianniello, president and acting chief executive officer, CBS Corporation, also in a statement. “At CBS, he kept our syndication division on top while smartly positioning us for the future with deals to extend key talent and franchise series. We congratulate Paul for an outstanding career and wish him all the best in his upcoming retirement.”
No replacement for Franklin has yet been determined. Franklin plans to exit his post by the end of the year.
Franklin joined CBS Television Distribution in July 2016, after taking a voluntary buyout at Fox, allowing Armando Nunez to return to focusing his sole attention on CBS’ international sales. Nunez had been overseeing both domestic and international distribution since John Nogawski departed as president of CTD in 2012.
Franklin came to CTD from Twentieth Television, where he started in 1988 and worked his way up to executive vice president, general sales manager of both Twentieth and MyNetwork TV. In his role at CTD, he oversaw first-run production and sales of such programs as Entertainment Tonight, Inside Edition, Judge Judy, Dr. Phil, Rachael Ray and more.
During his tenure, CTD launched DailyMailTV and Face the Truth, both produced by Jay McGraw's Stage 29 Productions. CTD also last year canceled The Insider and moved InsideEdition into many of those access time slots in major markets, which has resulted in larger ratings for that show.
