High ranking Latina Exits CBS

Nina Tassler, who has led CBS Entertainment to great heights since 2004, will step down from her current role as Chairman at the end of the year and pass leadership for the Division to a key lieutenant. Tassler will continue with the Company in an advisory role through at least 2017. Tassler was born to a Jewish father and a Puerto Rican mother who converted to Judaism.

At the same time, Glenn Geller, who currently oversees Current Programming for both CBS Entertainment and CBS Television Studios, has been named President, CBS Entertainment, and will head the Network’s entertainment programming and creative affairs. In his new position, Geller will lead entertainment programming for primetime, daytime and late night, as well as program development in all genres, including comedy, drama, reality, specials and long-form.

The announcement of this transition was made today by Leslie Moonves, President and CEO, CBS Corporation, to whom Geller will now report. Moonves said Geller will assume his full duties as President of the Division effective immediately. During the transition, he will work closely with Tassler, who will remain Chairman until the end of 2015.

“Nina and I have been colleagues and friends for 25 years,” said Moonves. “It is one of the proudest partnerships of my professional life. We’ve enjoyed amazing success together, both here and at Warner Bros., and it’s been a privilege to watch her talents and accomplishments grow. Nina is a creative executive with the instincts of an artist, so it came as no surprise that she would eventually want to express those talents beyond television. All of us here are grateful and proud of CBS’s success with Nina leading our entertainment programming, and we will be the biggest fans for all her future endeavors.”

CBS entertainment chair Nina Tassler

“CBS is a special place,” said Tassler. “For the past 18 years, I’ve been blessed to be part of an amazing team that has lifted this Network to an enviable run of success. It all starts at the top with Leslie, my boss, mentor and friend for two and a half decades, and a leader who inspires excellence in every part of the creative and business process. I owe a tremendous debt of gratitude to Leslie, my colleagues at CBS and all the actors, producers and writers who were part of this incredible journey. I will always love this place, yet it is time for my next chapter, and I’m thrilled that I can pursue my other creative interests while still being part of the Company. I pass the baton to Glenn with great confidence and pride. He is an outstanding leader with great respect for the artistic process and a clear vision for programming success.”

Since June of 2013, Geller has served as Executive Vice President, Current Programming for the CBS Network Television Entertainment Group. In this position, he oversaw the Company’s combined Network/Studio Current department and creative affairs for more than 30 primetime series on CBS and The CW.

Continued Moonves: “Glenn Geller is an accomplished programming executive who has been a major part of CBS’s success since 2001. When Nina told me her plans, we both knew we had an obvious successor in our own ranks. Glenn brings outstanding skills to all parts of the creative and production process, and he has led large programming teams both at the Network and Studio that oversee our biggest franchises and hit programs. He’s worked under the best with Nina and David Stapf, and is very ready to assume this larger role.”

As head of Current Programming for both the Network and Studio, Geller has overseen creative affairs for many of the highest-rated and most popular series on television, including the #1 television franchise (NCIS, NCIS: LOS ANGELES, NCIS: NEW ORLEANS); this summer’s top scripted broadcast series (ZOO); the critically acclaimed JANE THE VIRGIN (for The CW) and THE GOOD WIFE; and last year’s freshman hits SCORPION, MADAM SECRETARY and CSI: CYBER.

            Geller has been with CBS since 2001, serving as Director and Vice President of Current Programming at the Network before seguing to the Studio as Senior Vice President of Current Programming. Prior to CBS, Geller served three years in the Drama department at 20th Century Fox Television.

Under Tassler’s leadership, CBS has been America’s #1 network for 12 of the past 13 years. During that time, she has programmed the Network with a broad range of popular and critical hits, including THE BIG BANG THEORY, THE GOOD WIFE, CRIMINAL MINDS, “How I Met Your Mother,” BLUE BLOODS, ELEMENTARY, MOM, UNDERCOVER BOSS, MADAM SECRETARY and SCORPION, among others.

Previously, as Executive Vice President, Drama Series Development, she developed the highly rated and commercially successful CSI and NCIS franchises.

Over the past three years, Tassler and her team have expanded CBS’s year-round programming strategy with event summer series such as UNDER THE DOME, based on Stephen King’s bestselling novel, EXTANT, a mystery thriller starring Academy Award winner Halle Berry, and ZOO, based on James Patterson’s #1 bestselling novel.

Tassler’s programming teams have also strengthened other key day parts. In daytime, CBS’s top-rated lineup has grown with a balance of dramas, game shows and the Emmy-nominated, hit talk show THE TALK. In late night, she has led the Network’s programming transition with THE LATE SHOW with STEPHEN COLBERT and THE LATE LATE SHOW with JAMES CORDEN.

Tassler joined CBS in August 1997 as Vice President, Drama, CBS Productions, before moving to the Network as Senior Vice President of Drama Development in 1998, then becoming President of Entertainment in 2004. Prior to CBS, Tassler headed drama development for Warner Bros. Television, where she helped develop successful series such as “ER.”

About CBS Corporation

CBS Corporation (NYSE: CBS.A and CBS) is a mass media company that creates and distributes industry-leading content across a variety of platforms to audiences around the world. The Company has businesses with origins that date back to the dawn of the broadcasting age as well as new ventures that operate on the leading edge of media. CBS owns the most-watched television network in the U.S. and one of the world’s largest libraries of entertainment content, making its brand — “the Eye” — one of the most recognized in business. The Company’s operations span virtually every field of media and entertainment, including cable, publishing, radio, local TV, film, and interactive and socially responsible media. CBS’s businesses include CBS Television Network, The CW (a joint venture between CBS Corporation and Warner Bros. Entertainment), CBS Television Studios, CBS Global Distribution Group (CBS Studios International and CBS Television Distribution), CBS Consumer Products, CBS Home Entertainment, CBS Interactive, CBS Films, Showtime Networks, CBS Sports Network, Pop (a joint venture between CBS Corporation and Lionsgate), Smithsonian Networks, Simon & Schuster, CBS Television Stations, CBS Radio and CBS EcoMedia. For more information, go to www.cbscorporation.com.