Diana Wilkin has been named President, Affiliate Relations for the CBS Television Network, moving to the network job from Freedom Communications’ WPEC-TV (Ch. 12, CBS) West Palm Beach where she was VP/GM of an affiliate.
"Diana is a strong, battle-tested station manager. She has distinguished herself as a rising leader in our industry, and has invaluable experience overseeing distribution from the network perspective. I look forward to her many contributions during this time of so much change and opportunity in the network-affiliate model," said CBS Corporation CEO Les Moonves.
Wilkin succeeds Peter Schruth, who has headed up CBS’s Affiliate Relations function since 1995.
"As someone who has operated local stations throughout the country, I am keenly aware of the opportunities and challenges facing our industry. The network-affiliate relationship has proven itself to be one of the most durable business models in media; however, with the explosion of new media and heightened competition from cable, as well as topics like carriage fees brimming on the horizon, it’s vitally important we take a proactive role in all these issues. I’m eager to work with Leslie and everyone at CBS, as well as our entire affiliate body, as we work not only to strengthen our relations, but also fortify our business," said Wilkin in her first official statement from her new post.
