Weigel Broadcasting has hired a former CBS media executive to serve as its new point person for affiliate relations between its multicast networks and local TV stations, The Desk has learned.
Elizabeth Tumulty will join Weigel as its Senior Vice President of Affiliate Relations, succeeding Maura McDonough Cope, who is retiring after a 42-year career in the television industry.
Tumulty joins Weigel Broadcasting Co. with more than two decades of experience in network television distribution and affiliate strategy. From 2016 to 2019, she served in a similar role at CBS, where she worked on affiliate relations between the broadcast network and nearly 200 independently-owned local TV stations. Her tenure at CBS included navigating shifts in distribution models and strengthening relationships with station groups during a period of significant industry change.
Before joining CBS, Tumulty was a founding member of the senior executive team that launched the The CW Network, serving as its inaugural Head of Distribution and Affiliate Relations. Earlier in her career, she held leadership roles at the The WB Network, where she rose through the ranks to lead day-to-day affiliate operations and communications.
At Weigel, Tumulty will handle affiliate relations for the company’s slate of multicast networks, which include the top-rated MeTV and sister networks Heroes & Icons, Story Television and MeTV Toons. Weigel also operates two multicast networks – Dabl and Start TV — through a joint venture with CBS owner Paramount.
“As we look to the future, we are thrilled to welcome Elizabeth to the Weigel team. Her reputation as a strategic powerhouse and her deep-rooted respect within the broadcast community make her the perfect leader to build upon the incredible relationships Maura has fostered,” Neal Sabin, the Vice Chairman of Weigel, said in a statement on Tuesday. “We are forever grateful for Maura’s ability to scale our networks and to pass the baton to Elizabeth as we continue to evolve and expand Weigel’s partnerships.”
McDonough Cope began her career as a national representative for Petry Television before becoming the Vice President of the Central Region for Paramount Television Syndication. She joined Weigel in 2010 and helped scale its multicast networks business via broadcast affiliate and streaming platform deals. Weigel said McDonough Cope’s efforts allow its multicast networks to go from just one network with a single broadcast TV affiliate to more than 10 networks with over 1,000 broadcast affiliates.
