Bob Cook Confirms Departure From Twentieth Television
Greg Meidel reportedly in line to replace him
By Paige Albiniak -- Broadcasting & Cable, 6/19/2009 2:24:50 PM
Twentieth Television President and COO Bob Cook has resigned his post and will be forming his own company called MBN Inc., he said Friday.
Cook’s new company will develop digital platforms for Twentieth’s syndicated programs, as well as for other production companies.
The Los Angeles Times reported this morning that Greg Meidel, who runs MyNetwork TV for News Corp., is expected to take over Twentieth. Cook said he didn’t know if that was true. A Fox spokeswoman said that the company is “conducting an internal and external search for Cook’s successor.”
Meidel has a great deal of experience in syndication, having run divisions at both Universal and Paramount, now CBS Television Distribution. He’s also turned MyNetwork TV into a “programming service,” as opposed to a network, which buys its programs from syndicators instead of developing them itself.
Cook’s contract is not up until November, and he plans to remain at Twentieth for a few months during the transition.
“I’ve always had an entrepreneurial spirit,” said Cook. “This is my opportunity to capitalize on that.”
Cook, who was inducted into B&C’s Hall of Fame in 2008, has headed Twentieth for the past decade.
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Good luck Bob, I am sure you will be missed at Fox.
Jim Ricks, Jr. - 6/19/2009 4:16:29 PM EDT
