Programming Boss Search Heats Up Brad Schwartz Layoffs – Deadline

EXCLUSIVE: The brand new iteration of The CW is beginning to take form.

Two and a half months after Nexstar Media Group acquired a majority stake within the broadcaster, the brand new house owners are beginning to make strikes that may decide its programming combine and who will likely be main this cost.

Chief amongst these embody the seek for a prime programming government, a re-tooling of its scripted lineup and a drive to greenlight extra unscripted codecs.

This comes after a serious spherical of layoffs on the firm in addition to the departure of long-term execs akin to streaming and branding chief Rick Haskins, advert chief Mitch Nedick and comms chief Paul Hewitt.

Earlier this month, Dennis Miller was named President of The CW Community, changing Chairman and CEO Mark Pedowitz. Deadline understands that he has been main a seek for a programming boss with executives akin to former Pop TV boss Brad Schwartz understood to be within the combine.

Schwartz, who led Pop TV’s Emmy cost with Schitt’s Creek, consulted for The CW on programming issues for round a yr after leaving Amazon-owned audio platform Audible in the summertime of 2020. His expertise in each scripted, Pop was additionally behind sequence akin to Anna Paquin’s Flack, Florida Ladies and the fourth season of One Day At A Time, and unscripted throughout his days at MTV, would make sense for a mixed function.

Nevertheless it’s not totally clear whether or not Nexstar is looking for one government to steer programming throughout its scripted and unscripted slate or two execs with the opposite centered on unscripted.

We hear that the corporate had been eager to holds talks with executives together with former NBC various chief Jenny Groom, Michael Bloom, EVP, Content material at Tom Brady and Michael Strahan’s Faith of Sports activities, and former Warner Horizon unscripted chief Brooke Karzen.

The latter is unlikely, having simply left The Bachelor studio Warner Horizon after greater than 20 years but it surely highlights the extent of candidate the corporate is taken with.

This comes as it’s anticipated to aggressively enhance its footprint in unscripted. It has lengthy aired sequence akin to Penn & Teller: Idiot Us, World’s Funniest Animals and Whose Line Is It Anyway?, in addition to extra formidable codecs akin to Would I Lie To You?, a Robert and Michelle King-exec produced remake of the British format, and Killer Camp.

This push had been overseen by Cyle Zezo, VP, Different & Digital Programming, alongside EVP, Growth Gaye Hirsch, though it’s not clear but whether or not they’re out as a part of the layoffs.

Miller additionally is aware of the unscripted market nicely, having beforehand been chairman of Industrial Media, the now-Sony owned manufacturing group behind sequence akin to American Idol, Selena + Chef and 90 Day Fiancé.

All of this comes amid main adjustments to its scripted ambitions.

The corporate is paring again its drama slate with the likes of The Flash, Riverdale, Nancy Drew and DC’s Stargirl coming to an finish and choices to be made on different reveals akin to All American, All American: Homecoming, Superman & Lois, Walker, Walker: Independence and The Winchesters.

There’s way more to return on the scripted facet, notably as the tv trade heads into its subsequent growth cycle, all of which will likely be paramount for its new programming topper.