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It’s official: Kevin Reilly to serve as TNT, TBS president

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Kevin Reilly wasn’t such the sly fox in keeping his latest job jump quiet.

Rumblings surfaced Monday that Fox’s former chairman of entertainment was nearing a deal with Time Warner’s Turner Broadcasting unit to serve as president of its TBS and TNT channels -- and now it’s finally official.

In addition to heading up the company’s two largest cable channels, Reilly will also serve as chief creative officer for Turner Entertainment.

His post essentially marries the duties left by the vacancies of two former top Turner executives: Steve Koonin, former president of Turner Entertainment Networks, and Michael Wright, former programming president for TNT, TBS and Turner Classic Movies.

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Reilly will be based in Los Angeles, reporting to Turner Broadcasting President David Levy. And he joins at a precarious time, as Turner Broadcasting announced over the summer that it would cut 10% of its workforce, translating to 1,475 positions.

The new role comes six months after Reilly left Fox Broadcasting following a bumpy season that saw ratings drop significantly.

In a statement, Levy touted Reilly’s track record and signaled his addition comes at an “ideal time for him and for the networks.”

“Kevin brings a tremendous track record of success not only in terms of programming hits but also in the new media arena, where he was among the first broadcast network executives to push for meaningful investment in digital and social media,” Levy said. “He has never shied away from taking bold programming risks and being a true champion of quality television. And on top of all that, he’s an inspiring leader whose energy, creativity and style are a perfect fit for Turner’s flagship entertainment networks.”

Reilly will oversee program development, business affairs and production, marketing, scheduling and digital platforms for TNT and TBS.

And as chief creative officer, he will chair the newly formed Turner Entertainment Programming Council, which is made up of senior programming executives of Turner’s cable channels -- TNT, TBS, Adult Swim and truTV -- to explore cross-platform opportunities and help the company be more aggressive in “the war for content,” as Levy said.

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Reilly, in the course of his career, has helped develop such shows as NBC’s “The Office” and “30 Rock” to Fox’s “Glee” and “The Following.” And the hope is that he will bring his touch and help revamp the two channels whose bread and butter is programming with broad appeal, such as “Rizzoli and Isles” and “Ground Floor.”

Reilly, in his statement, lauded cable TV as premium real estate -- still -- in the increasingly cluttered TV space.
“There’s so much theoretical blabber these days about the potential of emergent content and platforms that you can drown in it,” he said. “My six-month journey through the robust but chaotic media marketplace led me to re-confirm a less novel idea: the best place to create, distribute and consume premium television content today is cable TV.”

He continued: “We are going to use the considerable resources at Turner to entice top talent, create world-class content and meet and engage consumers in a contemporary fashion. I can’t wait.”

Twitter: @villarrealy

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