Wachtel & McCumber to Share President Duties for USA Network

NEW YORK: Jeff Wachtel and Chris McCumber have been named co-presidents for USA Network, where they will jointly oversee the direction and operations of the channel across all platforms.

McCumber has been serving as executive VP of marketing, digital and brand strategy since December 2007, after having served as senior VP of the division since 2004. He was responsible for the concept, development and execution of the "Characters Welcome" branding. He also led the creative launch and implementation of the pro-social initiative Characters Unite. McCumber also serves as the executive in charge of new business development and all WWE programming across the networks.

Wachtel has been promoted from president of original programming, a role which had him overseeing development of all original programming for USA Network. As co-head of creative for Universal Cable Productions, he shares oversight of all aspects of studio operations. Wachtel joined USA in 2001 as executive VP of series and long-form programming.

As co-presidents, Wachtel and McCumber report to Bonnie Hammer, chairman of NBC Universal Cable Entertainment and Cable Studios. "USA will remain a top priority for me, and I can’t think of a better team to build on the network’s incredible momentum," said Hammer. "Not only have Chris and Jeff performed consistently at the top of their games, their collaborative style is a critical part of USA’s DNA and a key component of the network’s success."