Exiting Warner Bros. Discovery Networks CEO Kathleen Finch on Outbidding Lance Bass for ‘Brady Bunch’ House, and the Challenges Facing Cable TV
variety.comJennifer Maas TV Business Writer Kathleen Finch is hungry for a break. The outgoing Chairman and CEO, US Networks, at Warner Bros.
Discovery took over the company’s entire cornucopia of domestic cable networks after the merger of Discovery and Warner Bros., capping a career that included time as a programming exec at Food Network, then more lifestyle brands before ending with that huge portfolio platter.
But as the business evolves, Finch told Variety that she’s been cooking up an exit plan for some time. The announcement regarding her choice was formally made in August, but she said she actually “made the decision privately almost a year ago” to retire from her position.
As Finch prepares to depart at the end of 2024, her oversight will be assumed by Warner Bros. Television chairperson Channing Dungey. “Now that the decision is finally out, it feels kind of good,” she said. “It feels a little bit less surreal and a little bit more exciting.” For CEO David Zaslav, who has worked with Finch since Discovery acquired Scripps Networks in 2018, he admitted that “when Kathleen shared that she wanted to retire at the end of 2024, it was hard for me to imagine this company without her.
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