Dennis Miller, who will depart on the finish of this month as President of The CW, conceded that the overhaul of the community was typically “bumpy and uncomfortable,” however was “the one path ahead.”
The exec mirrored on his two-year tenure in an memo to staffers obtained by Deadline. The longtime former board member at Nexstar Media Group segued to a administration function in October 2022 after Nexstar acquired a controlling 75% of The CW. Earlier 50-50 community companions Paramount International and Warner Bros. Discovery every have retained 12.5% stakes.
Miller and programming chief Brad Schwartz, who is predicted to exchange him, oversaw a dramatic shift in technique. Since launching in 2006, the fifth-largest broadcast community had primarily served as a platform for the scripted dramas produced by its company dad and mom. Underneath Nexstar, spending was slashed and reside sports activities and weekend programming joined the fold, and unscripted fare elbowed out all however a small handful of the prior slate. Nexstar execs estimated they might flip a revenue at The CW by 2025 and have lately stated that concentrate on stays in sight.
Perry Sook, CEO of Nexstar, saluted Miller for “broadening the enchantment” of The CW within the firm’s official announcement of the exec’s exit. The information was first reported by Deadline earlier Thursday.
Right here is Miller’s full memo:
It has been precisely two busy and energizing years since I segued from the Nexstar Board to assist put The CW on the most effective trajectory for fulfillment in at present’s broadcast enterprise. I promised Perry I’d herald a topflight crew in all the important thing positions, broaden the community’s program choices, add premium sports activities and set up a transparent path to profitability. Collectively, we at the moment are heading in the right direction to attaining these bold objectives. Because the community continues to realize momentum, I really feel now could be the proper time handy the reins over to my longtime colleague and pal Brad Schwartz and the stellar crew now we have assembled.
We’ve come fairly a distance. We went from zero to 500 hours of sports activities on The CW with partnerships starting from ACC soccer and basketball to NFL movies, to WWE NXT wrestling, NASCAR, LIV Golf and Pac 12. We’ve skilled report rankings development up to now few weeks with reside sports activities, primetime wrestling and our new sport exhibits “Scrabble” and “Trivial Pursuit.” By making all these strategic strikes, now we have considerably enhanced worth for our associates.
You may have all been a significant a part of an necessary transformation for The CW. Whereas change at instances, may be bumpy and uncomfortable, it’s the one path ahead in at present’s media surroundings. I’m fortunate to have gotten to know so a lot of you alongside the way in which and can miss the common interplay, debates, discussions, and supreme camaraderie we constructed collectively. After serving eight years on the Board of Nexstar and two years overseeing The CW, I consider you at the moment are in an enviable place to proceed constructing an extremely precious fifth broadcast community. A community of which you’ll all be fairly proud. And whereas this time I could also be watching from the sidelines or from a field seat, I’ll be rooting in your success daily.
Respectfully,
Dennis
