Today, Warner Bros. Discovery announced that Kathleen Finch is retiring as chairman and CEO, US Networks, after 25 years with the company. She will be replaced by Channing Dungey, Warner Bros. Television Group chairman and CEO.
Among Finch’s duties at Warner Bros. Discovery, the executive oversaw animation cable networks Adult Swim and Cartoon Network as well as TNT and TBS.
“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,” CEO David Zaslav in a statement. “While I understand her long-standing decision to retire, I will certainly miss her, as will the entire company, which has benefited from her unmatched collaboration and unique understanding of what our audiences crave.”
In a statement, Finch reflected on her career, including moving from Scripps to Discovery along the way.
“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,” Finch said. “The greatest joy, and the part I will miss the most, is the incredible people with whom I get to work every day.”
Finch also threw support behind Dungey as her successor, saying that the executive’s leadership would have “many successes to come.”
Dungey, ADWEEK’s 2024 TV Executive of the Year, became chairman and CEO of Warner Bros. Television Group in 2020, making her one of the premier Black executives leading the charge in the television industry. Prior to that, she was president of ABC’s Entertainment Group and vice president of original content at Netflix.
In 2023, she revitalized the long-running Bachelor franchise with the hit series The Golden Bachelor. Excluding sports, that series ended up becoming the No. 2 entertainment series, scripted or unscripted, on network television in the key demos.
“Channing is an unparalleled creative executive who has shepherded countless award-winning hit shows,” Zaslav added. “She has the ideal expertise and experience—as a content developer, platform programmer, and network executive—to lead the US Networks.”