Nuñez gets int’l as CBS hires Fox veteran for US

CBS has reorganised its distribution activities with Paul Franklin coming to the studio from Fox to run US sales.

Armando Nuñez, who has been running both US and international, will solely focus on the latter in the distribution shake-up.

Franklin takes the president, CBS Television Distribution role, and joins from Fox this week. At Fox he has served a decade-long tenure as executive VP and general sales manager for 20th Television and MyNetworkTV. In total, he was at Fox for 28 years.

In his new CBS role he will oversee all US distribution and report directly to CBS Corp. CEO and president Les Moonves.

“Paul is one of the most accomplished and talented executives in the broadcast business,” said Moonves. “He’s highly respected as a relationship builder, dealmaker and strategist, with a track record for leading some of the most successful syndication sales campaigns of the past decade and for helping build a brand-new programming service and distribution system from the ground up.”

Nuñez, meanwhile, will have a purely international role as president, CBS Studios International. In late 2012 he took on a combined international and US role, with the previous US sales boss John Nogawski exiting at that point.

“Armando Nuñez is one of the most highly regarded executives in our company,” said Moonves. “Four years ago, we asked him to add domestic syndication to his plate and he has provided tremendous leadership, stability and success to this valuable division.

“Now we’re calling on him to dedicate 100% of his efforts to our expanding international business, where, thanks to his leadership, our revenue and new business opportunities continue to grow dramatically.”

Franklin’s move to CBS after almost three decades at Fox, is the latest in a series high level exec departures at the studio with key US and international execs leaving in recent weeks.

Marion Edwards, president of Twentieth Century Fox Television Distribution’s international operation, yesterday announced her retirement. That news came just weeks after TBI was the first to report that European sales boss Steve Cornish was retiring. His role has subsequently been filled by David Smyth.

CBSSI, meanwhile, last year said goodbye to the long serving Joe Lucas, who retired after more than four decades at CBS.