Rob Tuck, the veteran ad-sales chief of the CW network, is leaving the outlet as it moves forward under new ownership, according to two people familiar with the matter
Tuck has posted information about his coming retirement on social media. He has been with the CW and its antecedent, the WB, since mid-1995 — its first broadcast season — rising up through the ranks until he was named executive vice president of national sales in 2008. Before joining the WB, Tuck was group director of national broadcast at the large TeleVest media-buying agency, which was renamed MediaVest.
A spokeswoman for the CW did not immediately respond to a query seeking comment,
Tuck is one of the industry’s longest-serving TV ad-sales chiefs, having run the CW’s outreach efforts to Madison Avenue for nearly 14 years. During that time, he helped garner ad support for programing ranging from “Gossip Girl” and Wildcats” to “The Flash” and “Arrow.”
During his tenure, the CW was a pioneer in developing a system that allowed for sponsors to buy both linear TV inventory as well as digital inventory alongside the same TV programs. While the CW launched it in 2020, most major TV companies followed suit several years later.
Tuck exits after several other top executives at the network have done so, including Mark Pedowitz, the CW’s longtime CEO; Rick Haskins, who oversaw streaming operations and marketing; Mitch Nedick, the top finance executive; and Paul Hewitt, the network’s publicity chief.
Nexstar took a 75% stake in the CW, completing the transaction several weeks ago, while Warner Bros. Discovery and Paramount Global, the other stakeholders and former controlling owners, were each left with 12.5% of the venture. Two antecedent media corporations, Time Warner and CBS Corp., launched the CW in 2006 when it became clear that the now-scuttled TV networks UPN and WB lacked the ability to gain scale or grow profits on their own.