Eric Pankowski has been named senior VP of programming and development at CBS Television Distribution, said Maureen FitzPatrick, executive VP programming and development, to whom Pankowski will report.
In his new role, Pankowski will be responsible for creating and developing first-run syndicated programs while also overseeing current shows including CTD's new late-night talk show, The Arsenio Hall Show, which debuts this fall.
"Eric's an innovative executive who has worked on numerous hit shows in various genres over the years," FitzPatrick said in a statement. "His extensive background and hands-on experience in first-run syndication make him a perfect addition to our team."
Previously, Pankowski was senior VP of creative and development at World Wrestling Entertainment Corp. where he oversaw the creative department that was responsible for producing top-rated shows for USA, Syfy, CW, ION and International Partners.
From 2011 to 2012, Pankowski was senior VP of Reveille/Shine Group, where he was charged with building a first-run syndication business and developing network primetime projects for the studio.
Pankowski also spent a decade at various Warner Bros. entities, including paraMedia inc., where he oversaw the launch of Lopez Tonight and helped to expand the TMZ brand as senior VP, and at Telepictures Productions where he rose from manager of current programming to director of current programming during his four years. While there, he supervised all aspects of production for The Ellen DeGeneres Show, Judge Mathis, elimiDATE, Street Smarts and Steve Harvey's Big Time.
Pankowski graduated from Indiana University in 1999 with a bachelor's degree in telecommunications with a minor in theatre and drama.
