Nexstar has named Beyond PR Group partner Beth Feldman the senior vice president of network communications at The CW, replacing Paul Hewitt, the longtime comms chief at the younger-skewing broadcaster.
Feldman will oversee internal and external communication and program publicity effective immediately, taking over for Hewitt — who is leaving the network after 22 years, first at UPN before it merged with the WB to create The CW in 2006 — in the wake of Nexstar’s majority acquisition of the channel.
Hewitt’s exit comes on the heels of longtime CW president Mark Pedowitz being ousted upon the close of Paramount Global and Warner Bros. Discovery’s sale of the network to Nexstar in October.
In a statement about his exit, Hewitt said: “For the past 20 years, I have been incredibly fortunate to have played a role, albeit a small one, in helping shape, influence and even define popular culture with the series we created and shared with our passionate fans. This job has been an absolute gift, and I’m eternally grateful for all of my colleagues in our CW family, the producers and talent on the shows too many to list that I have had the pleasure of working alongside, and above all, a world-class PR team that I am proud to say has always been the best of the best in this industry. I’m looking forward to jumping headlong into the next chapter of my career, and I wish Dennis, Sean, Beth and everyone at The CW and Nexstar all of the best as they steer this network into its bold, new future.”
“Beth’s deep connection to the television entertainment industry and her vast experience creating successful promotional and awareness campaigns for a broad array of news, talk and entertainment programming make her an invaluable resource for The CW,” new CW president Dennis Miller said. “She is an innovative and creative thinker and has well-established relationships with important media outlets across the country and here in Hollywood. I am looking forward to the energy she will bring to our communication efforts as she continues building on the solid foundation established by Paul Hewitt and his team during the last 22 years. We thank Paul for all his help and wish him well.”
Following 15 years as partner at Beyond PR Group, Feldman most recently served as executive director of communication for the networks division of Nexstar Media Inc., overseeing communications for NewsNation, multicast networks and radio. She will continue in this role, along with her new responsibilities at the CW.
“I’m thrilled to be joining The CW Network, where I will be working alongside a team of industry veterans who are just as passionate about the broadcast entertainment industry as I am,” Feldman said. “I look forward to supporting Dennis on the ground floor of this new venture and hope to infuse a sense of excitement and enthusiasm as we strive to reach viewers in strategic and inventive ways.”
