Jennifer Mitchell and Tom Canedo have been named presidents at CBS Stations. They join Adrienne Roark, who was promoted to that level earlier this month. All three report to Wendy McMahon, president and co-head of CBS News and Stations.
Roark, who is based in New York, is focused on CBS-owned stations in the eastern U.S. Mitchell, who will be based in Los Angeles and assumes her new role Sept. 7, will concentrate on CBS stations in the western half of the U.S., along with Chicago and Minneapolis-St. Paul. Canedo, who is based at WUPA Atlanta, starts immediately and will focus on the company’s eight CW affiliates.
In April, CBS merged CBS News and CBS Television Stations to form a new division, jointly led by McMahon and fellow president and co-head of CBS News and Stations, Neeraj Khemlani. Johnny Green was named president and general manager of WCBS-WLNY New York, succeeding Peter Dunn, who was also group chief until his departure earlier this year.
“When Neeraj and I returned to CBS three months ago, we committed to our colleagues and the communities we serve that we will ambitiously and passionately reimagine our mission and priorities as a united CBS News and Stations organization,” McMahon said. “We are excited to have made tremendous early strides by recruiting Adrienne, Jennifer, Tom and Johnny to serve in key leadership positions across our Stations group and at our Network Flagship.”
Mitchell spent the last 22 years with the ABC group, where she was senior VP, content development at ABC Owned Stations. McMahon came from the ABC station group too, serving as president.
“I’ve had the privilege of working in the local news business for the majority of my career and I’m excited to bring that experience and passion to the CBS News and Stations team,” Mitchell said. “I’m honored to take on this challenge and collaborate with my new colleagues to position our teams for the growth and success of our rapidly changing local businesses.”
Mitchell added, “It’s a personal and professional thrill for me to reunite with Wendy McMahon and work alongside Neeraj Khemlani to continue to build a culture of collaboration and a community of storytellers that serve our evolving audience.”
Canedo is a 22-year CBS Stations veteran. He is six years into his second stint as general manager at WUPA. Prior to that, he spent three years as VP and general manager of WWJ-WKBD Detroit.
“This new opportunity represents the best of all worlds for me,” Canedo said. “I am honored to be able to draw upon my experience in Atlanta and Detroit and provide support to all eight of the CW stations in our group. And I’m thankful to be able to do this while maintaining my roots at WUPA, where I am fortunate to be surrounded by such great friends and colleagues. It also means a lot to me and my family to be able to remain in Atlanta, which has been our home for more than 20 years.”
Canedo joined WUPA in 1999 as local sales manager.
“Jennifer and Tom come into their roles with diverse backgrounds and unique experiences that will greatly benefit our entire group,” said McMahon. “For example, Jennifer will play a leading role in helping us drive innovation across our streaming and digital platforms. And Tom will draw on his experience as the leader of one of the most successful CW stations in the country and his ability to establish inclusive relationships with community partners.”
