KCET taps former ABC Family boss Michael Riley as new CEO

After a months-long search, KCET-TV has settled on former ABC Family executive Michael Riley as its new chief executive officer.

The Burbank-based public broadcaster made the announcement Monday morning.

“After a thorough and comprehensive search from a pool of talented candidates, we are thrilled to bring Michael on board to take the reins of this great public service organization,” Dick Cook, chairman of the board of parent organization KCETLink Media Group, wrote in a statement.

Riley left his role as president of ABC Family in 2013 after a successful tenure that saw such series as “Pretty Little Liars” grow into established franchises for the cable network. Prior to that, he held top positions at Radio Disney and Turner Entertainment.

Riley replaces Al Jerome, who retired last March after an 18-year tenure at KCET.

KCET announced in 2010 that it would leave PBS, home to such programs as “Sesame Street” and “Downton Abbey,” and become an independent public broadcaster. Since then, the station has carved out its own programming niche but struggled behind the scenes with fundraising and budgetary issues.

Twitter: @scottcollinsLAT