June 15 2004
The WB's CEO Levin poised to resign.
The man who sent the Angel cast to the unemployment line, may soon be joining them. Maybe there is justice after all, just a little too late for some. (Update) Variety confirms resignation.
You need to log in to be able to post comments.
About membership.


Now all we need is for the new CEO to be a fan of Whedon's work who will beg Joss to come back with a spin off, and we'll be all set!
electricspacegirl | June 15, 00:18 CET
So now I have to wonder, if this happened 6 months ago, would we have another season of Angel?
I hope we get to find out the reasons for his 'resignation'. I assume it was not voluntary due to his very short tenure in the position.
affeking | June 15, 00:20 CET
ZachsMind | June 15, 00:22 CET
But there is so much politics flying around that there are some CEOs who tell the board what to do and other campanies where the CEO is a spineless puppet/fall guy for the PTB behind the scenes.
With the fact that this has happened 'suddenly' and after all the publicity around Ats, and the high ratings for the final episodes, together with the cancelation of the replacement vamp show..... I'd say he was pushed.
zz9 | June 15, 00:34 CET
"LEVIN ANKLES FROG
Exec to set up prod'n pod at Warner TV
In a summer stunner, Jordan Levin has ankled his gig as CEO of the WB.
After being asked to take a reduced role at the Frog, reporting to WB chairman Garth Ancier, Levin instead decided to leave. Ancier will now serve as the sole head of the network and is expected to name a president of entertainment."
And I've now read the full article which states that he was told at the weekend he was being demoted back to entertainment president, which is the position he held before he became CEO.
Simon | June 15, 00:35 CET
debw | June 15, 00:42 CET
prufrock | June 15, 00:43 CET
RavenU | June 15, 00:47 CET
orphea | June 15, 00:52 CET
If this departure has had anything to do with Levin's decision regarding Angel and the subsequent less than positive media coverage and fan reaction, not to mention the excellent ratings for the final episode, it seems likely that the WB may be more open to giving a home to a future slayer show in a year or so perhaps.
Joss will surely be happier dealing with them again now that he doesn't have to work with Levin, somebody he has very little time for.
Immortality Bites | June 15, 00:52 CET
Miko | June 15, 00:53 CET
twiggy | June 15, 00:58 CET
Willowy | June 15, 01:01 CET
Simon | June 15, 01:05 CET
I love it. We should form a giant Numfar chorus line!
meredith | June 15, 01:08 CET
AngelicSlayer | June 15, 01:13 CET
"Levin Jumps from The WB
By Paige Albiniak -- Broadcasting & Cable, 6/14/2004 3:28:00 PM
Jordan Levin, CEO of The WB Television Network, has left the network. Garth Ancier, who was chairman, now takes over sole control.
Ancier will bring in a president of entertainment to run prime time and Kids WB! programming. Bruce Rosenblum. executive VP, Warner Bros. Television Group, will continue to have day-to-day operational responsibility for the network, according to the company.
Levin will have a multiyear production deal at WB parent Warner Bros. He was promoted to co-CEO last fall and became CEO when Jamie Kellner retired last May. That would likely leave more than two years left on his contract.
Warner Bros. Entertainment Chairman/CEO Barry Meyer had recently asked Ancier to be sole number one, asking Levin to return to his former post as president of entertainment, but Levin declined.
The WB is coming off a tough year, down by double-digits in some key demos.
Hmmm - think it may help Joss's chances of getting the animated Buffy on the air if Levin is gone????
As I have mention in the past the WB reported a 10% revenue loss for last year, which negated the 8% increase in TW cable assets so over all TW had to report a 2% loss for the year. So you knew someone's head was going to roll.
[ edited by RavenU on 2004-06-14 23:22 ]
RavenU | June 15, 01:17 CET
"Those responsible for sacking the people who have just been sacked
have been sacked."
Oddjob | June 15, 01:26 CET
Wendy | June 15, 01:27 CET
And: he had to have been pushed, for reasons discussed at length above (horrible performance, short time as CEO, etc., the bad publicity about Angel and Dark Shadows and Foxworthy).
As to future deals with any netlet and ME, I'm dead set against them. I'm far more amenable to even Fox (with some pre-set guarantees about rolling out any new show). A colleague of mine (she used to be a news producer for a network and also local in DC) said she thinks one reason Buffy never made it big (I mean, really big) is that it was on the WB. People just don't take it seriously.
And even less so, now.
Chris in Virginia | June 15, 01:43 CET
;)
Rogue Slayer | June 15, 01:43 CET
SeanValen | June 15, 01:46 CET
HA-HAAA! (Pointing finger)
I know he wasn't alone in the decision, but still. Comeuppance time. Heheh oh come on baby tell me what's the word.....hehehe. The word is GONE fer Mr Levin.....haha.....I'm off now to do a dance of joy.
EdDantes | June 15, 01:47 CET
I would be more gleeful if the damage to Angel wasn't already done. Why OH WHY couldn't this have happened six months ago?!?
And prufrock: BWAHAHAHAHHA!!
Joss' bitch | June 15, 01:50 CET
electricspacegirl | June 15, 01:51 CET
...
...
...So hows about the WB getting off it's lard-ass and REDEEMING itself by starting ANGEL up again???!
------
[:-) Yeah, I know, too late; and Levin's bosses were almost
certainly in sympathy with any decision to cut costs
and put cheap (in many senses of the word) stuff on the
WB schedule.
It doesn't matter whether it Holland Masters or Jordan
Levin at the helm; it's the Wolf, Ram and Hart behind the scenes.]
[ edited by bookrats on 2004-06-15 00:01 ]
bookrats | June 15, 02:00 CET
willowzbitch | June 15, 02:03 CET
However it occurs to me that Buffy and Angel, as brilliant as we know they are, have found their audience and it is unlikely to grow all that much regardless of whether or not a future show was to go to one of the big four networks.
Say, for example, Spike the Series was to be aired on Fox next year, i seriously doubt the audience would grow large enough to get us a second season, even if they guaranteed a full 22 episode commitment for the first. After eight years Buffy as a show has a cult reputation, however ill deserved, which most potential new viewers will be hard pressed to get passed. Due to this they most likely won't give any slayer related show a chance.
Personally i would rather see the new show back on the WB and maintain its current stable audience for five seasons than see it fail as a small fish in a big pond.
Immortality Bites | June 15, 02:09 CET
Exactly. These shows won't survive on the major networks, unfortunately. Even Tru Calling, which is more of a mainstream type show, was having it's problems and there were doubts if it would even be renewed.(And I still have my doubts if we'll get a full season 2!) No way could any spin-off or continuation of the Angelverse make it except on the smaller networks. Hell, it didn't even get what it deserved ON the small networks, no reason to think the bigger ones would give it a second glance. Besides, any kind of Spike type spin-off would be a hard sell, even to the WB or UPN.
Rogue Slayer | June 15, 02:16 CET
It's a shame that it is probably too goddamned late for the WB to call ME and say, "Uh ... guys? Yeah, about that show we cancelled ... we're kind of running short of name recognition next year ... we were wondering if you were doing anything tonight?"
Here's hoping that the second crayon picture, featuring the boils and blinding torment, pays off.
Ocular | June 15, 02:21 CET
Maybe his friends, who like Smallville will help him out. Just kidding, nothing against Smallville, I even watch, specially in my comic book geek mode, but that's it. It's nto a Mutant Enemy Show, nothing I'm in love with.
Not only Jordan played a great part in the demise of ATS, but he also talked loads about the new Dark Shadows and the new Lost in Space, which at the end ended up as nothing.
The bad press and fbad fan reaction from the first, joined by the fact that the network did invest some money on what at the time seemed tlike the new big shows for 2004-2005 season, losing it to oblivion after nothing coming out from the investment,only helped hi dig the hole in my opinion.
And now , unlike ANgel, he'll just Fade Away....
Numfar PTB | June 15, 02:23 CET
A couple of quick web searches reveal;
Garth Ancier: Was reportedly responsible for casting SMG as buffy
David Janollari: was executive producer on a show called eve,.
There couldn't be a connection to a certain representative of the senior partners could there ?
He was as also a producer on Six Feet Under, which must give us some hope for better TV.
technovamp | June 15, 02:25 CET
kdeweb | June 15, 02:34 CET
kdeweb | June 15, 02:38 CET
Silent Night | June 15, 02:48 CET
*does Numfar's dance of joy*
MindPieces | June 15, 03:01 CET
edgy | June 15, 03:19 CET
Elo | June 15, 03:52 CET
palehorse | June 15, 04:08 CET
Mysteriously, The WB's head of corporate communications called in sick today.
This clearly has been brewing behind the scenes for a while -- since Barry Meyer wouldn't have shaken up his executive team after the Up-fronts unless he sensed that all was not well for the coming WB season. He must have been very unhappy with the selection of new series, and how many advertisers committed to them. For those who didn't realize, the addition and schedule shuffling of The Blue Screen and the Foxworthy project were last minute, when they realized that none of their pilots were really that great. Levin wanted Dark Shadows to replace ANGEL-- but it, in a word, sucked. The WB ended up without a strong show to promote for the season. I wouldn't be surprised if Meyer hadn't been putting the pressure on for a while, and it finally got to him. Plus, the ANGEL cancellation turned into a serious publicity debacle, as the press went ugly on them, and it couldn't have helped when the Chicago Tribune ran a story which started "The evil weasels at the WB canceled "Angel," and the show's final episode aired May 19. If there was a hell dimension handy, we'd toss the meanies that run the WB network into it."... so, yes, the fans had an effect.
Whedonage | June 15, 04:19 CET
Well, he deserves it!
randygiles | June 15, 04:27 CET
Of course, if this had happened a little closer to the end of Angel, I probably would have been just as gleeful as the rest of you ;).
teenes | June 15, 04:47 CET
Now, I do think that it makes the most sense if there is ever a new Buffyverse show that it should end up on the WB or UPN or some other cable station because of the already established audience but if this had happened under Levin I would've been very nervous and wary about it's future. Under new leadership, there is a good chance that whoever is in charge now realizes what a gem then had in Joss Whedon and what class his shows brought to their network.
Firefly Flanatic | June 15, 04:52 CET
Gio | June 15, 07:03 CET
RavenU | June 15, 07:06 CET
And on the subject of Jordan Levin, I do want to say this much: I'm not down with his decision and I never will be, but I've worked with Jordan since the start of Buffy and he has always been a supporter and a decent guy. His job is a soul-sucking nightmare. And he's not prom king tonight, no sir, but he's part of why we got to have ten years total of shows on that network -- shows that wouldn't have lasted for... well imagine if they were on Fox. So factor that in. Later on.
I dunno...change is good, maybe The WB will improve a bit now...maybe the climate over at The WB is more habitable for a Buffyverse or at least Mutant Enemy-made series in the future...But I'm not jumping for joy over this news. The guy's still gonna find work and succeed or fail on his own merits, it doesn't change the fact that Angel was canceled prematurely and it doesn't bring it back.
Kris | June 15, 08:08 CET
AND GOOD RIDDANCE!
DarenG | June 15, 08:21 CET
It would be nice if the new guy makes good with the talked about Angel tele-movies. I still think with the right offer DB would do them and Lord knows the WB could use some good PR. Outside of Gilmore Girls, the only thing the WB has in the pipeline that interests me is Global Frequency and that won't be on until mid-season.
No tears for Mr. Levin here.
NOLA64 | June 15, 09:15 CET
Levin was a supporter of BtVS, true, and Joss is a real gentleman for so courteously expressing his concern for Levin's bruising at the hands of outraged fans, but seriously, what else should JL have expected when he set those wheels in motion? Didn't it occur to him that Angel's cancellation could become a juggernaut that just might run him over?
He didn't just cancel a show -- he crapped on the critically acclaimed remaining vestige of one of his network's finest and most ground-breaking series, and by extension its world-wide fanbase who have remained steadfastly loyal to his network despite enduring the internal turmoil, slashed budgets, night-hopping schedules, poor promotion, and WB-mandated reboot (more than once!) that their meddling caused Angel from the very beginning.
Do I feel sorry for him? Um, let me think: He's still got a job, or the prospect of one, with the remainder of his contract still to be fulfilled. So, no. Unlike the 237 very talented, hard-working people that made Angel possible, and who were all unceremoniously pink-slipped on February 13th, I think JL got off pretty easy.
[edit: Not sure how I feel about a spin-off on the WB. Doubtful that they could handle it properly, at this point. And there'd have to be a lot of Joss butt-kissing, I think, for it to even be considered. A lot. What are the odds anyone already there, or coming on board, is going to want to pucker up? HBO seems a better option because I think they'd respect ME's approach and vision. Ooh, and there could be cussin'!]
[ edited by Wiseblood on 2004-06-15 09:58 ]
Wiseblood | June 15, 11:54 CET
kathylovesspike | June 15, 15:21 CET
BTW, good comparison, he still HAS a job if he wants it, the cast and crew do not.
Grace | June 15, 16:46 CET
Maybe we can also start another postcard campaign politely reminding him that maybe he should listen to the fans (or at least think logically) next time.
affeking | June 15, 17:13 CET
Rogue Slayer | June 15, 18:17 CET
cubiclesatan | June 15, 18:53 CET
“Do I feel sorry for him? Um, let me think: He's still got a job, or the prospect of one, with the remainder of his contract still to be fulfilled. So, no. Unlike the 237 very talented, hard-working people that made Angel possible, and who were all unceremoniously pink-slipped on February 13th, I think JL got off pretty easy.”
An excellent point. The news is more bitter than sweet because no matter what, it doesn’t bring Angel back. However, it doesn’t stop me from having the most wicked grin. :-P
bloodflowers | June 15, 18:56 CET
SpikeBad | June 15, 19:17 CET
Levin said, his voice cracking at times. "You don't get often an opportunity to see how much you have impacted people." Guess he hasn't been paying much attention lately.
And no, we shouldn't feel sorry for him, I'm sure he's very set financially and has loads of job prospects. I'm sure he'll soon be making obscene amounts of money for making idiotic, incompetent decisions somewhere in no time.
marmoset | June 15, 19:38 CET
I think Levin deserves to be locked in an invisible box and blown away by an imaginary wind and... and... forced to wear a binding unitard.
MindPieces | June 15, 20:46 CET
lycoming | June 16, 02:21 CET
dcubed | June 16, 03:46 CET
So do we stop petitioning and campaigning for Levin to get his job back now? Now that all seems lost? ;)
EdDantes | June 16, 05:59 CET
[ edited by Dave! on 2004-06-16 22:35 ]
Dave! | June 17, 00:34 CET
Furthermore, what people are primarily angry about is the way the whole thing was handled, not simply the fact that it happened. If you need background there's plenty on this site from February 14 on. The whole thing was pretty despicable.
We're venting, we're allowed.
marmoset | June 17, 03:00 CET
Earl Levin
cousinEarl | June 22, 11:53 CET