Warner Bros. Television Group Appoints Black Woman TV Executive As New Chairman

Days after Peter Roth announced that he was stepping down as chair of the Warner Bros. Television Group, the entertainment giant appointed veteran TV executive Channing Dungey to lead the studio as its new chairman.

The news comes as Dungey, who has worked as an industry leader for decades, recently stepped down from her role as VP of original content and head of drama at Netflix after less than two years. Prior to Netflix, she became the first Black woman executive to run one of the big four networks during her time at ABC. During her stint at ABC, Dungey was responsible for shows, including “The Good Doctor,” the revival of “American Idol” and the reboot of “Roseanne,” which was canceled in 2018 after star Roseanne Barr posted a racist tweet that Dungey called “repugnant,” reports ABC.

“The Warner Bros.Television Group is the recognized industry leader in content creation and a true destination for talent based on its ability to produce across all genres and for all outlets,” said Dungey in a press statement sent to BLACK ENTERPRISE.

“I’m thrilled to be joining the company at such a pivotal time in its history and look forward to working with my new colleagues at Warner Bros. and across the Studios and Networks Group to build on the incredible work of my predecessor, Peter Roth. This is such an electric time in our industry, and we have so much opportunity available to us between Warner Bros.’ core businesses and HBO Max, I cannot wait to dive in.”

In her new role, Dungey will oversee several divisions of the television conglomerate including HBO, HBO MAX, Cartoon Network, TBS, TNT, and numerous others. Her new role starts in early 2021.

“This is a homecoming of sorts for Channing, who was a production executive at Warner Bros. early in her career, and we’re excited to have her rejoin the studio,” said Ann Sarnoff, chair and CEO, WarnerMedia Studios and Networks Group, in a press statement.

“Channing is one of the most talented, visionary, creative and respected executives working in television today,” Sarnoff added. “She has impeccable taste, a breadth of experience covering all platforms and genres, incredible relationships across the creative community, and a keen sense of what’s next and how best to get it to audiences. She’s a great choice to lead the Television Group as it continues to grow its production operations for HBO Max, while also maintaining its standing as the industry’s leading independent supplier of programming to all outlets.”