Dawn Ostroff to leave The CW in June?

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Well, her contract is up then, and reports say she will likely not renew. The CW Entertainment President is expected to announce this after January’s Television Critics Association conference in Pasadena (1/5-1/15). She informed both CBS Corp CEO Leslie Moonves and Warner Bros. Chairman and CEO Barry Meyer of her decision, said The Hollywood Reporter. No word on where she may be heading or who may replace her.


Ostroff has run The CW (a JV between Warner Bros. Entertainment and CBS Corp.) since its inception in 2006. She previously ran UPN. She’s crafted a big 18-34 female audience with The Vampire Diaries, Supernatural, Gossip Girl and Smallville. This season, she also launched Nikita and Hellcats. CW is also planning to launch in February a new unscripted series, “Shedding for the Wedding.”

Why the move? It could be simply because of her husband and four children. Husband Mark Ostroff, an exec at Lazard Wealth Management, now needs to commute to a full-time office in NYC, rather than going back and forth from their current LA home.

RBR-TVBR observation: Because she is among Moonves’ main circle of execs, having served for years, don’t be surprised if she still ends up working for CBS Corp. in NYC. Whether she leaves or not, Ostroff is still crucial to the network’s success during her last few important months there. She will be overseeing the midseason premieres and return of The CW’s shows, as well as ordering new pilots for the 2011-2012 season. She will most likely be present at The CW’s upfront in May. We don’t see any issues in upfront negotiations because of her potential departure. She’s a pro and agency/advertiser confidence in the network will hopefully not be affected.