Showtime Research and Scheduling Chief Kim Lemon to Exit After 34 Years, Paramount’s Laurel Weir to Add Oversight of Premium Cabler

variety.com:

Jennifer Maas TV Business Writer Showtime research and scheduling chief Kim Lemon is exiting his post after 34 years with the company.

Upon his exit, MTV Entertainment Studios and Paramount Media Networks’ Laurel Weir will be adding oversight of the Showtime brand (soon to be renamed Paramount+ With Showtime) to her purview.

Most recently executive vice president of data strategy, research, scheduling and programming, Lemon began his career at Showtime more than three decades ago as a manager of marketing research. “Throughout his tenure, Kim has played an integral role in Showtime’s evolution from a linear network to a bonafide streaming service, establishing a first-in-class data science group,” wrote Showtime/MTV Entertainment Studios and Paramount Media Networks president Chris McCarthy and Paramount’s executive vice president and chief research officer Colleen Fahey Rush in a memo to staff Tuesday, which was obtained by Variety. “He is a pioneer in brand strategy, always prioritizing our content and being mindful of how it would inform our growth while showing great reverence for the creative process and our audience’s feedback.” Lemon will remain with the company for the time being to assist with the transition of his responsibilities to Weir, who serves executive vice president and head of programming and strategic insights & research for MTV Entertainment Studios and Paramount Media Networks.

Weir will continue to dual report to McCarthy, for programming and strategy, and Fahey Rush, for research. A 20-year vet of Viacom/Paramount, Weir is credited with “leading the charge in fueling our linear-streaming ecosystem, maximizing our traditional business and consistently growing market share,” per McCarthy and