CNN's Cheatwood Heads to FNC

By Staff -- Broadcasting & Cable, 4/5/2007 2:28:00 PM

In a blow to CNN, Joel Cheatwood has joined FOX News as the Vice President of Development, developingprogramming for Fox News Channel and the upcoming Fox Business Channel.

Prior to joining FOX News, Cheatwood served as the executive director of program and talent development at CNN, where he launched both Glenn Beck’s program and Showbiz Tonight for Headline News, achieving the highest primetime ratings in the network’s tenure.

“Joel has a strong reputation in the industry for his good ideas and the ability to execute them. He also possesses a wealth of experiencehe can share with us,” Roger Ailes, Chairman and CEO, FOX News, said in a statement.Cheatwood will report jointly to Ailes and the heads of programming for FNC and FBC, working closely with editorial executives of both networks.

Cheatwood is known in TV circles for his tendency for tabloid feats in local news. Before joining the networks, he was station manager at KYW-TV (CBS) in Philadelphia, and before that, he was vice president of news and promotion at WMAQ-TV (NBC) in Chicago.

He also spent six years as the senior vice president at Sunbeam Television where he was responsible for both news and promotion at WHDH-TV (NBC) in Boston and WSVN-TV (FOX) in Miami. Cheatwood created the “WSVN format,” featuring 7.5 hours of daily news fueled by Cheatwood’s emphasis on aggressive reporting and a fast-paced presentation.

“The first decade of FOX News represents one of the industry's all-time success stories and there's every indication the best is yet to come,” said Cheatwood. “I am thrilled to be a part of a network that is synonymous with innovation, creativity, and risk-taking — it's a television producer's dream.” B&C Staff