Warner Bros. Discovery’s U.S. Networks Group will be reorganized under Kathleen Finch, chairman and chief content officer, with long-time Discovery executive Nancy Daniels adding responsibility for TBS, TNT and truTV.
Those former Turner networks had been overseen by Brett Weitz, who is leaving WBD, the company confirmed.
Also leaving is Tom Ascheim, who oversaw WarnerMedia's Kids and Young Adults business.
That business is being split into three sections, with Adult Swim president Michael Ouweleen adding Cartoon Network and Boomerang to his portfolio. Pola Changnon, who is general manager of Turner Classic Movies and had been reporting to Ascheim, now reports to Finch. The Warner Bros. Animation/CN Studios Group, which also reported to Ascheim, will be headed by Sam Register and become part of the Warner Bros. TV Studios group under Channing Dungey.
Finch is also centralizing the group’s marketing, communications/public relations and content strategy/scheduling operations. Previously individual network groups had their own operations handling those functions.
Finch told staffers in a memo that in addition to creating a less layered organization, WBD’s networks will benefit from a more collaborative and strategic approach to how it schedules and markets its content.
“With so many top networks in our portfolio, we have the ability to synchronize programming schedules across multiple brands and then market those networks in an advantageous way, strategically moving audiences from one tentpole to another — and from one network to another — in a seamless, coordinated fashion,” Finch said.
The centralized units will be headed by Audrey Adlam, group senior VP, communications & public relations, U.S. Networks; Karen Bronzom, chief marketing officer, U.S. Networks; and Julie Taylor, chief of content strategy & insights, U.S. Networks.
All three report to Finch.
Johanna Fuentes, who was head of global communications for WarnerMedia’s studio and networks, also left the company.
Under the new content lineup, all of the brand leaders also will report directly to Finch.
The new brand leader lineup includes:
- Daniels, who now oversees Discovery Channel, Animal Planet, Science, TBS, TNT & truTV;
- Jane Latman, in charge of HGTV, Food Network & Cooking Channel;
- Howard Lee at TLC & Travel Channel;
- Ouweleen, running Adult Swim, Cartoon Network & Boomerang;
- Tina Perry, head of OWN: The Oprah Winfrey Network; and
- Jason Sarlanis, heading ID & Investigative Content.
The flattened organization will also include reductions in head counts. Warner Bros. Discovery has promised Wall Street $3 billion in cost savings. ■
