He’s been a part of the CBS family since 2015 and became interim News Director of WCBS-2 in New York in January.
Now, Johnny Green Jr. is being promoted to the top role for ViacomCBS’s flagship broadcast TV properties in the Big Apple, now part of a company division that includes CBS News.
It follows ViacomCBS‘s decision to sever its ties with news division leader David Friend following tales of gender and racial misconduct that also cost Peter Dunn his role as President of CBS Television Stations.
Green has been interim News Director at WCBS-2 in New York since January 2021, when then-SVP of News Friend and Dunn were suspended while ViacomCBS conducted an investigation into accusations against the two executives. He’s also been Vice President of News Services at CBS News, where he has overseen Newspath, the division’s affiliate news service, since August 2020.
Friend also led the local news department at WCBS-2 and sibling WLNY-55, branded as “TV 10” due to its placement across MVPDs in the New York Tri-State region.
With Friend and Dunn gone and former WABC-7 and ABC Owned Stations leader Wendy McMahon now President and co-head of CBS News and Stations, Green is getting the nod as President/GM of CBS News and Television Stations’ local businesses in New York.
Translation: He’s at the helm of CBS 2 and TV 10/55, plus Pluto TV “FAST” network CBSN New York and CBSNewYork.com.
Green, who is highly regarded among staff in New York, will assume his new responsibilities on July 12.
Green will continue to lead the CBS New York local newsroom and Newspath on a short-term basis while ViacomCBS conducts a search for his successors at WCBS-2 and at CBS News.
“Since returning to CBS nine weeks ago, I have been thoroughly impressed by the thoughtful and seasoned leadership Johnny has provided inside the CBS 2 newsroom and at Newspath,” McMahon said. “With this well-deserved promotion, we look forward to having Johnny lead our station-wide team efforts to produce great content, serve our diverse communities across the Tri-State Area, and promote a positive workplace culture.”
Green added, “I have great admiration for my colleagues at CBS New York and look forward to collaborating with all of them as we work together to positively transform our business and culture as a united CBS Stations and News organization. I am grateful for the support I have received from Wendy and [President and Co-Head of CBS News and Stations] Neeraj Khemlani and am excited to continue to work with them on bringing their vision to light.”
Prior to moving to New York last year, Green spent five years at WBZ-4 and WSBK-38, the CBS-owned stations in Boston. Green joined the duopoly in 2015 as Assistant News Director and one year later was named Vice President and News Director.
Prior to working in Boston, Green was an executive producer at WCAU-10 in Philadelphia. Before that, he was an executive producer at Hearst-owned WPXI-11 in Pittsburgh.
Green began his career as a producer at WCTI-TV in New Bern, N.C.
Green is a member of the National Association of Black Journalists.
