In a bombshell shakeup at the WB Network, sources said Jordan Levin resigned his post as chief executive of the network that he has helped shape during the past decade as he rose through the programming ranks.
WB chairman Garth Ancier will take on sole responsibility for running the network. Ancier said he would soon appoint an entertainment president to fill the void in programming left by Levin's departure. There was speculation that the WB was eyeing producer David Janollari, a former Warner Bros. Television executive, for the post, but WB reps would not comment and Janollari could not immediately be reached for comment.
The shakeup at the WB came to a head during the past weekend, when Warner Bros. chairman and CEO Barry Meyer, who oversees the WB, told Levin that he wanted Ancier to be the sole leader at the helm of the network. Levin was offered the chance to stay with the network in his former post as entertainment president, which Levin rejected in favor of a producing deal with Warner Bros. Television.
In announcing the management change, Warner Bros. chairman and CEO Barry Meyer made it clear that he felt that even though Ancier and Levin had been working as team for less than a year, the WB's bifurcated management structure was in need of an overhaul.
Levin was promoted to the CEO post at the WB in September in preparation for the departure of founding WB chairman and CEO Jamie Kellner, who formally stepped down last month. At the time of Levin's promotion, WB, Fox and NBC veteran Garth Ancier was brought back to the WB fold as chairman to share Kellner's former duties with Levin. There was no replacement named for Levin as entertainment president as Levin maintained day-to-day oversight of programming and scheduling matters.
"Taking the non-traditional organizational route was a noble effort, but having a sole leader is simply more productive, efficient and effective," Meyer said in a statement. "Garth and Jordan are both extraordinarily talented executives and superstars in their own right. We are delighted that Jordan will become an independent producer for Warner Bros. Television. Once cannot overstate Jordan's contribution to the success of the WB, and we look forward to him duplicating that success at WBTV."
Levin also was candid in a statement about the circumstances surrounding his resignation.
"They had a management structure in mind that although would have allowed me to continue to drive the creative direction of the company, did not allow me the opportunities and responsibilities that I had already embraced with great enthusiasm," Levin said, adding "My goals are to continue my career as both a creative and a business executive."
Courtesy of The Hollywood Reporter |
