Update: Kelly Kahl Named CBS Entertainment President

Glenn Geller, CBS Entertainment president, is leaving the network.

CBS said Geller, who Geller stepped into his role in September 2015, succeeding Nina Tassler, “advised” the network that he is stepping down. The two parties are in discussion over a production deal with CBS Television Studios.

Geller joined CBS in 2001 as director and vice president of current programming. He had been executive vice president of current programming for CBS Entertainment and CBS Television Studios before moving up to the entertainment president’s post.

Geller went out on medical leave in March following a mild heart attack and was due back on the job in late May.

Read more at broadcastingcable.com.

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Beverly Hills, Calif. -- Bryan Fuller, executive producer of the Star Trek: Discovery series headed for CBS All Access, promised a very diverse cast for the hotly anticipated show.

The day had started with CBS entertainment president Glenn Geller relentlessly grilled about his efforts to make the network’s shows more diverse.

At the Star Trek presentation, an ebullient Fuller noted the “wonderful expression of diversity” in the show’s original cast those many decades ago and noted that the Star Trek franchise “is the reason why I became a writer.”

“We are absolutely continuing that tradition,” he said.

Casting has not yet happened, but he said a woman will be cast as the lead, and suggested the character may be racially diverse as well. He's also creating a gay character.

The 13-episode first season of Star Trek: Discovery debuts in January and is the “crown jewel” of the All Access programming slate, Marc DeBevoise, CBS Interactive president/COO, said. That slate includes spinoffs of The Good Wife and Big Brother, and a fourth series to be announced. Last month, CBS Corp. chairman, president and CEO Les Moonves revealed during the company's earnings call that CBS All Access and Showtime's OTT service have a combined 2 million subs.

Since Star Trek: Discovery will be on a digital platform, Fuller acknowledged some freedom from traditional network standards. When asked about sex in the new series, he quipped, “There’s a reason we call [it] STD.”

Read more at broadcastingcable.com.

Nina Tassler, CBS Entertainment chairman since 2014, will step down at the end of the year, with Glenn Geller, executive VP of current programming for CBS Entertainment and CBS Television Studios, stepping up to president of entertainment.

Geller's promotion is immediate; he reports to Leslie Moonves, president and CEO of CBS Corp., and oversees entertainment programming for primetime, daytime and late night.

Tassler will remain entertainment chairman until the end of the year and will take on an advisory role at CBS through at least 2017. She'll pursue what she called "creative interests" beyond the TV world.

The move comes with CBS enjoying a long run as a force in primetime, though the network is challenged to replace aging hits with new ones and to bring down the average age of its audience. Superhero drama Supergirl is one anticipated debut designed to do that this fall.

"Nina and I have been colleagues and friends for 25 years," Moonves said. "It is one of the proudest partnerships of my professional life."

Tassler joined CBS in 1997 as VP of drama at CBS Productions. Before that, Tassler headed drama development for Warner Bros. Television. She called CBS "a special place."

"For the past 18 years, I've been blessed to be part of an amazing team that has lifted this network to an enviable run of success," Tassler said. "I will always love this place, yet it is time for my next chapter, and I'm thrilled that I can pursue my other creative interests while still being part of the company."

Geller has been executive VP of current programming since June 2013, overseeing CBS' combined Network/Studio department and creative affairs for more than 30 primetime series on CBS and The CW.

"Glenn Geller is an accomplished programming executive who has been a major part of CBS' success since 2001," Moonves said. "When Nina told me her plans, we both knew we had an obvious successor in our own ranks

Read more at broadcastingcable.com.