Pedowitz Named CW President

Mark-Pedowitz-

Former ABC executive Mark Pedowitz will take over as president for The CW Television Network, replacing Dawn Ostroff, the network's most senior executive since it launched in 2006.  

The two partners of the CW -- CBS Corp. and Warner Bros. Entertainment -- jointly made the announcement. The network was started from the remains of the WB and UPN five years ago.

Pedowitz will have a larger portfolio than Ostroff, responsible for all programming, advertising sales, marketing, distribution, finance, research and publicity. He will take over this month.

Ostroff is leaving the network to relocate to New York with her family. She will stay on through the current broadcast season, ending in May, to help with the transition.

Pedowitz had been running his own production company, Pine Street Entertainment, since February 2010. Before that, from 2004-2009, he was president of ABC Studios, overseeing the shows "Lost," "Desperate Housewives," "Grey's Anatomy," "Ugly Betty," "Scrubs," "Army Wives," "Ghost Whisperer" and "Criminal Minds."

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He also held a number of business posts -- as executive vice president of ABC Entertainment Television Group, overseeing all business, legal and financial affairs for ABC prime time and Touchstone Television, as well as business/legal affairs for ABC Daytime.

Pedowitz joined ABC in 1991 as senior vice president of business affairs and contracts.

Nancy Tellem, the executive who oversees The CW for CBS, stated that Pedowitz brought the network "a strong and diverse background as a business strategist and production executive, as well as a track record of success in all facets of our industry."

Bruce Rosenblum, president of Warner Bros. Television Group, added that Pedowitz was "the perfect executive to help us take the network to the next level."

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