Warner Bros. Discovery said Kathleen Finch, chairman and CEO of U.S. Networks, will retire at year end after 25 years at the company with Channing Dungey, Warner Bros. Television Group Chairman and CEO, tapped as her successor.
“There is no one better at developing captivating content, compelling talent, and meaningful lifestyle brands than Kathleen, who has been my partner as we built our premier entertainment networks at Discovery and created Warner Bros. Discovery as an unscripted powerhouse. While I understand her long-standing decision to retire, I will certainly miss her, as will the entire company, which has benefitted from her unmatched collaboration and unique understanding of what our audiences crave,” said WBD CEO David Zaslav.
He called Dungey “an unparalleled creative executive who has shepherded countless award-winning hit shows. She has the ideal expertise and experience – as a content developer, platform programmer, and network executive – to lead the US Networks.”
Finch joined Scripps Networks in 1999 as a programmer at the start-up Food Network, following 12 years as a journalist at CBS News. She helped turn the small food-focused network into one of the most watched and well-known cable brands, developing chefs and restauranters like Bobby Flay and Guy Fieri. Also under her leadership, the Property Brothers – Drew and Jonathan Scott – were introduced on HGTV and have become leading renovation and real estate experts.
“It has been an honor to spend the past 25 years at Scripps, Discovery, and now Warner Bros. Discovery. I began my journey at the fledgling Food Network and am so proud to have helped turn it into a cable powerhouse, and then to lead the team developing some of the most addictive unscripted franchises across HGTV and TLC, creating household names out of chefs and house flippers, and capturing the cultural conversation with real-life stories,” she said. “The greatest joy, and the part I will miss the most, is the incredible people with whom I get to work every day. Starting with David and throughout the organization and of course all the amazing on-air talent, this is one of the smartest and most creative groups imaginable. I am so proud of what the US Networks group has accomplished together, and I know under Channing’s leadership there are many successes to come.”
Following Discovery’s acquisition of Scripps, Finch served as the company’s Chief Lifestyle Brands Officer, where she led HGTV, Food Network, TLC, ID, and Travel Channel. In 2022, following the creation of Warner Bros. Discovery, Finch assumed oversight of Adult Swim and Cartoon Network, as well as TNT and TBS. Recently, the U.S. networks have been home to several ratings phenomena, including the multi-platform hit ID’s Quiet on Set, and TLC’s growing 90 Day Fiancé franchise that is a global sensation, appearing in 216 territories and being watched in 44 languages.
Networks suffered a big setback recently with the loss of the NBA and Finch exits amid the seemingly inexorable decline of linear television — illustrated by hefty multi-billion dollar write-downs on the value of the assets at WBD and Paramount last week.
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