TORONTO – Walter Levitt has been hired as senior vice-president of marketing at CanWest MediaWorks.
In this position, he will drive all marketing functions for all CanWest MediaWorks broadcast properties, including brand strategy, public relations, on air-promotions and advertising, said Kathleen Dore, president, television and radio, CanWest MediaWorks, in a press release.
Levitt (right) is coming over from Alliance Atlantis where he is senior vice-president, marketing and creative services. He’s at Alliance Atlantis through the end of June.
“It’s an opportunity one rarely gets to be a part of an unbelievably upbeat team working to make things better,” Levitt told www.cartt.ca today. “We’re going to be working to bring Global back to its glory days.”
It’s no secret that the network has struggled with programming decisions, marketing and poor ratings when compared to rival CTV. It just last week cancelled Train 48, which was its main Canadian dramatic production, but plagued by a distinct lack of buzz (and ratings).
"Walter’s outstanding track record in building many of Canada’s strongest television brands and his extensive experience in reaching viewers, make him a perfect choice to lead our marketing effort," said Dore. "I am confident that he will hit the ground running and play a leading role in returning Global to a dominant market position. We’re delighted to have him join our leadership team."
At Alliance Atlantis, Levitt was responsible for all consumer, affiliate and trade marketing across the company’s 13 national specialty networks and successfully built a number of strong Canadian television brands including Showcase, HGTV and History Television.
“I’m a little sad to be leaving Alliance Atlantis,” added Levitt. “Michael (MacMillan, chairman) and Phyllis (Yaffe, CEO) have been absolutely terrific and have given me some tremendous opportunities here.”
Prior to that, he worked at CTV Television, managing customer marketing and promotions and also worked for seven years in radio for both Redmond Broadcasting and CHUM Quebec.
"I am thrilled to be joining CanWest MediaWorks at this very exciting time for the company. The broadcast leadership team is, without doubt, the most dynamic and committed group I have ever encountered in my career in broadcasting. I look forward to working closely with them and everyone in the marketing group to re-focus and re-energize CanWest’s television and radio brands," said Levitt in the release.
The latest appointment comes on the heels of Global and CH’s fall series announcement which is felt to be the best programming lineup in many years (and the cancellation of Train 48). The roster includes 11 new dramas including Prison Break from Fox, the new Jerry Bruckheimer series, E-Ring, from Warner Bros., and the thriller Fathom, from NBC/Universal. Among the nine new comedy series are My Name is Earl, starring Jason Lee (Fox), War at Home starring Michael Rapaport (Warner Bros.), and Out of Practice starring Henry Winkler and Stockard Channing (CBS/Paramount).
