NEW YORK (AP) – Jordan Levin, chief executive of the WB television network, quit on Monday rather than accept a demotion to entertainment chief.
Garth Ancier, who has been chairman of the network and largely running it in partnership with Levin, is taking over the chief executive’s role.
The WB, founded in 1996, has lost some of the buzz status among young people that it had when shows like “Dawson’s Creek” and “Felicity” were hits. But the network has been encouraged by the ratings for its new series, “Summerland.”
The network has operated with an unusual team management approach.
Levin, Ancier, and the network’s just-retired founder, Jamie Kellner, have worked in a collaborative style.
That approach didn’t satisfy the network’s corporate boss, Barry Meyer, chairman of Warner Brothers Entertainment. The management structure was set up by Kellner just before Meyer took over his oversight role, and Meyer and Kellner reportedly didn’t get along.
When Meyer chose Ancier as the leader, Levin was offered the job of network entertainment chief, but he declined.
“My goal has never been to reach the rarified air of the executive ranks,” Levin said. “For me, the idea of doing a job that I’d already done was not appealing.”
Levin has accepted a production job at Warner Brothers studios.
AP-ES-06-14-04 2054EDT
Send questions/comments to the editors.
Success. Please wait for the page to reload. If the page does not reload within 5 seconds, please refresh the page.
Enter your email and password to access comments.
Hi, to comment on stories you must . This profile is in addition to your subscription and website login.
Already have a commenting profile? .
Invalid username/password.
Please check your email to confirm and complete your registration.
Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.
Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.