Longtime CBS Entertainment executive Kelly Kahl will depart from his post as president, in which he served for the last five and a half years. The move, which CEO and president George Cheeks described as a “restructuring and streamlining of leadership” in an internal memo, comes after Kahl’s 26-year-long tenure at the broadcast network.
Cheeks, who is also chief content officer of News & Sports at Paramount+, continued in a note, “Kelly is without peer in the broadcast television business. He is the architect of primetime schedules that have made CBS #1 for 19 of the last 20 seasons. He is the masterful and fearless scheduler who moved ‘Survivor’ and ‘CSI’ to Thursday, changing the landscape of that night after a decade of NBC dominance.”
Kahl, who will remain in the position until the end of the year, was promoted to president in May of 2017. Since taking on the role, Kahl has led the network to top standings in audience viewership. His previous posts have included serving as the head of scheduling, in which he built and guided the time slots for shows like “Bull,” “Blue Bloods,” “The Big Bang Theory,” “Young Sheldon” and all three editions of the “NCIS” franchise. He also shepherded the development and scheduling of newer hits “FBI” and its subsequent spinoffs, “The Neighborhood,” “Bob Hearts Abishola,” “Ghosts” and “The Equalizer.”
Before being named president, Kahl was senior executive vice president of CBS Primetime, since 2005. He joined CBS in January 1996 as VP of scheduling at CBS Entertainment, following three years as director of network research at Warner Bros. Television.
“The wondrous and improbable journey that started for me here 26 years ago has come to the finish line,” Kahl said in an internal memo. “I’ll be leaving CBS at the end of this year. It has been an absolute honor and privilege to work at CBS, America’s most watched network. (I’ll never get sick of hearing that.) I’ve lived a TV fan’s dream to work with the most talented writers, producers, and actors in television. Most importantly, I’ve loved being in the trenches alongside all of you — the finest executives and employees in show business. I want to thank every single person with whom I worked for your great efforts, creativity, and professionalism, all of which helped make this tremendous, pioneering network #1 for nearly 20 straight years. This place is special and so are its people.”
Cheeks concluded in his note, “Without question, Kelly has dedicated the last 26 years to building CBS and leaves it positioned for even further success. He has been humble, gracious and generous with his peers every step of the way. On a personal note, I want to thank Kelly for being a valued colleague and sounding board over the past two and a half years.”
Deadline first reported the news.
Reference-www.thewrap.com
