Corporate cruelty

One year ago today CBS announced that Patrick McClenahan had been named president and general manager of KCBS and KCAL, the company's L.A. duopoly. From the press release:

"Since announcing our plan to have Patrick assume leadership of our Los Angeles stations, he has done a tremendous job of ensuring a smooth transition that has been supported by the strong and experienced team of department heads and managers at the duopoly," said [by Tom Kane, President and Chief Executive Officer, CBS Television Stations]. "Our decision to hand the reins to Patrick has been extremely well received by our employees, advertisers and business partners and the community as a whole, and we look forward to supporting Patrick and his team as they manage the continuing evolution and growth of our stations in this crucial market."

Today, CBS announced that Steve Mauldin has been named president and general manager of KCBS and KCAL, the company's L.A. duopoly. From the press release:

Steve is one of our most experienced executives running major market duopolies, having done so in both Dallas and Miami to great effect - both in terms of driving sales growth and leading his stations to first place in late news," said [Peter Dunn, President, CBS Television Stations]. "He is a local TV veteran who was successful in Los Angeles earlier in his career, knows the intricacies of our business very well, and brings purpose and vision to every assignment he's given. Los Angeles is a huge market for CBS and we're privileged to have one of our strongest operators leading the charge."

Note the different executives making the announcements. CBS CEO Les Moonves recently named Dunn, who had been general manager at NY's WCBS, to take over the TV station group. The local media side of CBS, both TV and radio, is being shaken up, and this is probably one of the early moves. Again from the release:

Mauldin will succeed Patrick McClenahan as the duopoly's President and General Manager.McClenahan is leaving the company to pursue other opportunities. "Patrick McClenahan has been a valued member of our team, especially during times of change and uncertainty," Dunn added. "We sincerely thank him for his many contributions to our success over the years and wish him the very best in his future endeavors."