Jamie Kellner, a longtime television executive who was one of the key figures in World Championship Wrestling’s demise in 2001, has passed away at the age of 77.
In reporting on Kellner’s passing, Michael Schneider of Variety hailed Kellner as “the only exec ever to create two broadcast networks — Fox and The WB.
“Kellner’s impact includes landmark programming like The Simpsons, Married… With Children, Cops, In Living Color and 21 Jump Street at Fox; the long run of pop cultural touchstones at the WB like Dawson’s Creek, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Gilmore Girls, 7th Heaven and Felicity; and he even worked with Lorne Michaels in the first syndication sale of Saturday Night Live while at Orion,” Schneider wrote.
“He also was key to the early careers of creatives like Greg Berlanti, JJ Abrams, Kevin Williamson and Joss Whedon, and comedy stars including Jamie Foxx, Steve Harvey and The Wayans Bros,” added Schneider.
Kellner’s most relevant contribution to the sports world came as CEO of Turner Broadcasting in 2000. At the time, that put TNT Sports, including MLB’s Atlanta Braves, the NBA’s Atlanta Hawks and NHL’s Atlanta Thrashers (who have since relocated and are now the Winnipeg Jets), under his purview.
WCW was also one of Kellner’s charges.
“Shortly after Kellner succeeded Ted Turner as head of broadcasting, he canceled WCW programming on TBS and TNT,” Bryan Rose of F4Wonline.com wrote. “This caused Fusinet Media, who was initially set to purchase the struggling company, to pull out of their deal, allowing Vince McMahon and WWE to purchase the company and change the face of pro wrestling.”
From 1996 through the early months of 1998, WCW was the biggest wrestling promotion in the world. However, when WWE (then known as the World Wrestling Federation) retook that spot through the spring and summer of 1998, WCW entered a period of decline. That decline largely continued until the company’s demise in early 2001. WWE.com detailed, “Analysts estimated that WCW lost between $60 and $80 million in 2000.”
[Variety.com, F4Wonline.com, WWE.com, Photo Credit: Analog Indulgence on YouTube]