• by Wayne Friedman , July 14, 2014

Fox has found two replacements for Kevin O’Reilly as the top Fox Broadcasting network executive -- longtime senior Fox TV production executives Gary Newman and Dana Walden.

Newman and Walden, co-chief executive officers of 20th Century Fox Television, will now add positions as chairman/chief executive officers of Fox Television Group.

Walden and Newman have jointly run the Fox TV studio since 1999. Both will report to Peter Rice, chairman-CEO of Fox Networks Group. The duo had reported directly to Chase Carey, president/chief operating officer of 21st Century Fox.

The pair have been responsible for ABC hit "Modern Family," Fox's  "The Simpsons," “X-Files” and “Glee,” among many others. It also has produced "How I Met Your Mother" for CBS.

Reilly departed in May -- after the 2013-2014 upfront TV presentations -- as chairman of Fox Entertainment. He had been with the company since 2007, and presided over big winning seasons for Fox when it came to prime-time viewership.

But Fox has had a rough time of it over the past two seasons -- losing double-digit percentage viewership for its primetime adult non-sports programming. Key here was Fox’ sharp decline of it once mega-hit “American Idol.”

CBS took top honors among 18-49 viewers in the 2012-2013 season. This year NBC attained the No. 1 spot.