ENTERTAINMENT : Warner Taps Insider Jonas to Head Its TV Group

Moving to fill one of the most important TV production jobs in Hollywood, Warner Bros. on Wednesday named Tony Jonas president of its television group, replacing Leslie Moonves, who left last month to become president of CBS Entertainment.

Jonas had been second-in-command under Moonves for the last four years at Warner Bros. Television and is well regarded in the industry, although he is not considered a master pitchman on the level of his predecessor. He faces a big challenge in maintaining the stellar performance of the unit.

“We did zero searching because we knew Tony was the one and only candidate for the job,” said Robert A. Daly, chairman and co-chief executive of Warner Bros. “Tony was Leslie’s recommendation and our choice. . . . He knows the network people. He’s been groomed for the job.”

Warner Bros. Television has been the biggest supplier of prime-time series for almost a decade and is currently enjoying its best season ever. Its network lineup for this fall includes eight new series and 12 returning programs, led by top-rated “ER” and “Friends.” By comparison, Columbia TriStar Television, the next-largest supplier, has orders for 11 series from the networks.

“No one has ever had that many shows on the air,” said Jonas, 43. “But volume and quality have never been a problem at Warner Bros., and we have built a strong team that will remain 90% intact.”

Moonves, who assumes his job at CBS on July 17, will take with him Billy Campbell, senior vice president of drama development at Warner Bros. Television. Otherwise, the executive mix will remain the same, Jonas said. His No. 2, who is likely to be named this week, is expected to be David Janollari, senior vice president of comedy development.

In addition to a stable of successful shows and a proven team, Jonas could benefit from another Moonves byproduct: CBS has agreed to buy five series over the next five years from Warner Bros. Television in exchange for freeing Moonves five months early from his contract.

“To have commitments is a good thing,” Jonas said. “But we’ll do well with CBS regardless, because good shows are good shows.”

Indeed, CBS ordered three new shows from Warner Bros. for the fall, including “Bless This House,” starring Andrew Dice Clay. But the commitment is nevertheless valuable, especially if CBS--currently in the ratings cellar--starts to improve and thus has fewer time slots to fill because of holdover successes.

In addition, the networks in coming years will increasingly favor owning the programs they air, now that federal rules limiting such ownership have been eased.

Jonas, who joined Warner six years ago as head of drama development after a stint at Disney Television, names Moonves as his mentor and teacher and said he plans few changes.

“What would I do differently? I just want to continue to make Warner Bros. a tremendously fertile place for writers,” he said.