Nexstar continues to make its mark on The CW.
The station group on Tuesday announced that longtime CW head of communications Paul Hewitt is leaving the network after a 22-year run. Beth Feldman, a former partner at Beyond PR Group, is taking over the role. The change is effective immediately, reporting to new CW president Dennis Miller. Sources say Hewitt was among the dozens of staffers who were laid off Tuesday as Nexstar continues to reshape the network. Sources say layoffs included some photo editors as well as publicists.
“For the past 20 years, I have been incredibly fortunate to have played a role, albeit a small one, in helping shape, influence and even define popular culture with the series we created and shared with our passionate fans,” Hewitt said. “This job has been an absolute gift, and I’m eternally grateful for all of my colleagues in our CW family, the producers and talent on the shows too many to list that I have had the pleasure of working alongside, and above all, a world-class PR team that I am proud to say has always been the best of the best in this industry. I’m looking forward to jumping headlong into the next chapter of my career, and I wish Dennis, Sean, Beth and everyone at The CW and Nexstar all of the best as they steer this network into its bold, new future.”
Hewitt, among the handful of the TV industry’s most well-respected PR executives, had served as exec vp communications. In his role, Hewitt also was the executive who wrote speeches for CBS and CW upfront presentations and helped establish the massive DC Comics universe at the network. The CW was formed in 2006 when UPN and The WB Network merged. Hewitt at that time had been with UPN since 2002 and came over to become the vp corporate communications at The CW’s launch. Since that time, he’s worked his way up to exec vp communications, a role he held since 2016.
Hewitt’s dismissal should come as no surprise. Despite his impressive stature in the industry and fact that he’s had a hand on every single show in the network’s history, station group Nexstar parted ways with CW CEO Mark Pedowitz after they took control of the broadcaster in October. Pedowitz, sources say, had been negotiating to stay at the network but a last-minute hiccup in the dealmaking — which likely involved his reporting structure — killed the deal. Nexstar installed Miller, a former member of its board, to replace Pedowitz.
Since then, Nexstar has pushed out Pedowitz’s top lieutenants including its head of finance and marketing. The moves coincided with the launch of The CW’s 2022-23 season.
Hewitt’s departure only fuels concern about Nexstar’s commitment to the few scripted originals that remain on The CW’s schedule.
Ahead of its formal sale, The CW canceled more than half of its U.S. scripted originals, with recent announcements that two more would be ending this season.
Nexstar is expected to evolve The CW into a broad-skewing network that CEO Perry Sook vowed to make profitable by 2025. The CW has never been profitable since its creation though its business model was not designed to do so. Rather than The CW turning a profit, its programming delivered millions and millions of dollars to former owners CBS Studios and Warner Bros. TV who sold programming to Netflix and via international sales. With the need to keep content for its own streamers, HBO Max and Paramount+, the $1 billion CW output deal with Netflix was not renewed and international sales dried up as those rights needed to stay with their internal streamers.
For Hewitt’s part, the Bloomington, Indiana, native started his career in Fox’s research and marketing department in 1995 and worked his way up to manager of corporate communications. During his time with The CW (and its previous iterations), Hewitt oversaw all communications strategies, media relations, program publicity, corporate communications, photo publicity and talent relations as well as all internal communications.
Feldman, meanwhile, takes over as senior vp communication and will oversee internal and external communications. During her tenure at Beyond PR, she worked on such series as The Talk, Survivor, The Good Wife, Mom, 48 Hours, The Goldbergs, Dr. Ken and Timeless. From 1996-2007, she worked at CBS as vp communications, having worked on such shows as CSI, The Amazing Race and the final season of Everybody Loves Raymond. In addition to her role at The CW, Feldman will continue in her role as executive director of communication for the networks division of Nexstar, overseeing NewsNation and shows including the recently launched Cuomo.
“I’m thrilled to be joining The CW Network, where I will be working alongside a team of industry veterans who are just as passionate about the broadcast entertainment industry as I am,” Feldman said. “I look forward to supporting Dennis on the ground floor of this new venture and hope to infuse a sense of excitement and enthusiasm as we strive to reach viewers in strategic and inventive ways.”
“Beth’s deep connection to the television entertainment industry and her vast experience creating successful promotional and awareness campaigns for a broad array of news, talk, and entertainment programming make her an invaluable resource for The CW,” said Miller. “She is an innovative and creative thinker and has well-established relationships with important media outlets across the country and here in Hollywood. I am looking forward to the energy she will bring to our communication efforts as she continues building on the solid foundation established by Paul Hewitt and his team during the last 22 years. We thank Paul for all his help and wish him well.”
Source: Hollywood
