Television
August 21, 2006
Dick Robertson Named Senior Advisor To The Warner Bros. Television Group
(August 21, 2006 – Burbank, CA) – Dick Robertson, one of the architects of the syndicated barter television business, and whose 40-year career in television has established him as one of the most powerful and innovative executives in the industry, has been named Senior Advisor to the Warner Bros. Television Group, it was announced today by Bruce Rosenblum, President, Warner Bros. Television Group.
Robertson, who for the past 17 years has been at the helm of Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution as its President, will step aside from day-to-day management of one of the leading first-run and off-network programming distribution operations in the domestic television marketplace and now concentrate his efforts and expertise on advising Rosenblum and the Warner Bros. Television Group on a number of business, strategic and operational issues and objectives, including current and evolving distribution platforms, programming, sponsorship and production integration scenarios and media sales, among others.
“Calling someone a legend can be a cliché, but in this case, it’s entirely fitting,” said Rosenblum. “Throughout his career, Dick has proven himself a creative, innovative and industry-shaping executive, anticipating and adapting to changes in the syndication marketplace ahead of the competition. Our entire television operation has been the beneficiary of Dick’s extraordinary vision for many years, and this appointment as the Television Group’s Senior Advisor officially recognizes the many contributions he has already made and the many more we look forward to from this TV-industry legend.”
“I’m thrilled and honored that Bruce and Barry Meyer and all the company’s television presidents have a desire to allow me to step away from the day-to-day rigors yet still be involved in this ever-changing and dynamic business,” said Robertson.
“I also want to thank the thousands of sales people, research analysts, marketing executives, station GMs, programming directors, media buyers, advertisers, airline pilots, drivers and hotel personnel that had an important hand in the hundreds of deals we closed, and the tens of thousands of hours of television we delivered to the millions of viewers we entertained. Truly, this business is a team sport and one man cannot do it alone.”
During his career, Robertson has been involved in the sales and launches of hundreds and hundreds of television series and specials. At WBDTD (and its predecessors) alone, he has had a hands-on role in more than 100 series and movie packages, including the critically acclaimed and Emmy Award-winning “The Ellen DeGeneres Show,” the phenomenon “Friends,” the genre-founding original “The People’s Court” and its current successor, the first television dating show “The Love Connection,” the long-running pop culture strip “Extra” and the Emmy Award-winning variety strip credited with reinventing the non-exploitative talk genre, “The Rosie O’Donnell Show.”
Robertson began his career in 1965 as a salesman for WRVA-TV (Richmond, VA) while still earning a bachelor’s degree in advertising from Virginia Commonwealth University. He joined the NBC Television Stations in 1969, where he held various sales and sales management positions in Washington, D.C., San Francisco, Cleveland and New York.
In 1973, Robertson became a sales executive for the CBS Television Network, and in 1977, was named Vice President, Sports Marketing, CBS Sports.
In 1978, Robertson became Vice President, Marketing for the international program distribution company, Telepictures Corporation. He was soon promoted to Senior Vice President, Sales & Marketing and, in 1984, was named Executive Vice President.
When Telepictures merged with Lorimar, Inc. in 1985 to form Lorimar-Telepictures Corporation, Robertson became a member of the Office of the President and, in addition to his corporate duties, was responsible for the company’s domestic television distribution operations. In 1989, when Warner Bros. acquired Lorimar-Telepictures, Robertson was named to his current position.
In July 2003, then-Governor Mark Warner of Virginia appointed Robertson to a four-year term on Virginia Commonwealth University’s Board of Visitors. As 2005’s commencement speaker, Robertson was awarded an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters from VCU—the university’s highest form of recognition, bestowed upon individuals who have made outstanding contributions to society through scholarship, public service, humanitarianism, science and art.
Robertson was inducted into the Broadcasting & Cable Hall of Fame in November 2004. He currently serves on the boards of the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Foundation, the Television Bureau of Advertising and Williams-Sonoma, Inc.
# # #