Warner Bros. Discovery‘s head of U.S. networks, Kathleen Finch, will retire at the end of the year, with Warner Bros. Television group chairman and CEO Channing Dungey set as her replacement.
News of Finch’s pending retirement comes on the heels of Warner Bros. Discovery’s second-quarter earnings release on Aug. 7, which revealed a major devaluation in the company’s cable networks group. Those TV networks include HGTV, Discovery, CNN, TBS, Food Network, TNT, Investigation Discovery (ID), TLC, Animal Planet, Cooking Channel, Cartoon Network/Adult Swim, truTV and more, which fall under Finch’s oversight.
Finch came over to Discovery in 2018 as part of the acquisition of Scripps Networks (the original home of the now 30-year-old Food Network), where she was a top programming exec, to become one of Zaslav’s key lieutenants in the pre-WarnerMedia merger days, tasked with leading Discovery’s 12 lifestyle brands, including HGTV, TLC and Food Network.
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Following the birth of Warner Bros. Discovery in April 2022, Finch was given oversight of almost all U.S. networks, including the so-called “T-Nets,” TBS, TNT and truTV, and Cartoon Network/Adult Swim.
Those added channels that traditionally deal in largely scripted fare have seen several cancellations and slate shuffles in the post-merger era, as well as a new focus on sports, acquisitions, and airing existing Warner Bros. films and series.
“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,” Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav said Friday. “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. Channing is 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.”
Dungey has led Warner Bros. Television Group since October 2020. She oversees the studio’s flagship television production unit for live-action scripted programming, which has produced such hits as “Abbott Elementary” and “Ted Lasso,” as well as its unscripted group (home to “The Bachelor” franchise, including spinoff “The Golden Bachelor”) and alternative programming production units. In addition, she has oversight of animated programming produced through Warner Bros. Animation, Cartoon Network Studios and Hanna-Barbera Studios Europe.
Dungey came to WBTV after serving a stint as VP of original series at Netflix; previously, she was president of ABC Entertainment, where she shepherded projects including “The Good Doctor” and the return of “American Idol.”
“It has been an honor to spend the past 25 years at Scripps, Discovery, and now Warner Bros. Discovery,” Finch said Friday. “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. 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.”
