UPN topper taps out
Nunan said to be active in search for replacement
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Nunan and UPN prexy-CEO Dean Valentine are still discussing the terms of Nunan's exit, but Nunan is expected to depart the grappler net by the end of the summer. Valentine has only started the process of finding a replacement, and industry insiders said it's unlikely one will be named any time soon.
Nunan and Valentine have been discussing the possibility of Nunan's exit for several months now, according to UPN execs familiar with those conversations. Decision, first reported Monday by Variety.com, is said to be mutual.
Indeed, insiders report that Nunan has been helping find his replacement, offering Valentine a laundry list of candidates who might fill the entertainment prexy post.
A UPN spokeswoman declined comment on the matter.
News of Nunan's departure comes in the wake of the decision by WB Entertainment co-prexy Susanne Daniels to ankle her post for a new role within the AOL Time Warner conglom (Daily Variety, June 11).
Sources said Nunan broached his departure with Valentine in March, but that the two execs decided to wait until after the network's upfront presentation before revisiting the topic. Nunan's contract was also believed to be up for renewal around this time.
With no other advancement possible at UPN, Nunan opted to move on. Insiders say it's unclear what Nunan's next move might be and whether he'll remain within the Viacom family.
It's expected Valentine will look to replace Nunan with someone with strong ties to the production community as UPN seeks to convince suppliers that the netlet is serious about rebranding itself as a home for quality entertainment. Netlet earlier this year acquired the WB dramas "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and "Roswell," and UPN execs have said they want to use those shows as building blocks.
While UPN has had ratings success with its "WWF Smackdown!" franchise and its Monday block of urban laffers, the netlet has struggled under Valentine and Nunan to develop a breakout scripted series hit of its own.
Identity crisis
Originally, Nunan and Valentine sought to make UPN into a network for Middle America -- "UPS for UPN," as Valentine dubbed it. That approach failed to lure auds.
Once UPN acquired "WWF Smackdown!" the net repositioned itself as a home of male-skewing skeins.
Nunan has been with UPN since October 1997, joining the netlet as exec VP of programming. Nunan was Valentine's first major hire and replaced Mike Sullivan, UPN's first entertainment president.
Valentine surprised Nunan the following June by naming him entertainment prexy at an affiliates meeting without advance warning.
Flew with Peacock
Nunan joined UPN from NBC, where he served as head of NBC Studios and senior vice president of NBC Inc., overseeing series such as "Homicide: Life on the Street" and "Profiler."
Prior to joining NBC in 1995, Nunan was exec VP of primetime development at Fox, where he helped oversee series development. Nunan's Fox tenure also included a stint as senior vice president of comedy.
