CBS announced that Wendy McMahon will become the new president and CEO of the broadcasting company’s new division which includes its news department, just a day after the departure of former CEO Neeraj Khemlani.
In a staff memo, Khemlani told staffers that he plans on pursuing a new multi-year deal with CBS that will have him focus on developing content including books for Simon & Schuster, documentaries and scripted series.
In a news release Monday, the network said that McMahon, who previously served as co-president of the news division, will now oversee all of CBS News, its stations and the division’s domestic syndication business.
McMahon will also have oversight of the department’s broadcast and streaming operations, 27 local television stations in major U.S. markets, and 14 local news streaming channels.
She will continue to oversee CBS Media Ventures syndication programming and its content licensing to television stations and the division’s national advertising sales business.
McMahon’s portfolio will include all the department’s weekday and weekend programs such as “60 Minutes” and “CBS News Sunday Morning” and its entertainment programs like “Entertainment Tonight” and “Jeopardy!”
McMahon will continue to report to CBS President and CEO George Cheeks.
“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,” Cheeks said in a statement. “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.”
In her own statement, McMahon pointed to the company’s continued strengths.
“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,” McMahon said. “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.”
CBS News also tapped Ingrid Ciprian-Matthews as the new president of CBS News, where she will oversee the networks’ across all platforms, including broadcast, streaming, digital, and radio. Ciprian-Matthews will report to McMahon in her new position.
Khemlani’s departure is the latest in a series of exits by top television executives in the past months. In June, Chris Licht, a former CBS News executive, stepped down from his role as CEO of CNN after a tumultuous tenure with the cable news giant.
— Updated 4:31 p.m.