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Grasso Joins Oprah Network As SVP Programming

Executive Joins Startup From Lifetime

By Multi Channel News Staff -- Multichannel News, 10/31/2008 7:15:00 AM

Lifetime Television executive Maria Grasso has been named senior vice president of programming for OWN: The Oprah Winfrey Network.

In her new role, Grasso, whose credits include Army Wives,One Tree Hill and Everwood, joins Nina Wass in overseeing development of scripted, alternative, short and long-form programming for OWN, which is slated to bow sometime in 2009. Grasso and Wass will also manage the creative department, production, and scheduling. Based in Los Angeles, Grasso starts her new gig Nov. 3.  

“Maria brings to the table an exceptional track record and desire to contribute to the world through television in a whole new way,” said OWN president Robin Schwartz, to whom she will report, in a statement. “Together. Maria and Nina will be a dynamic creative team. We are on our way.”

Grasso comes to OWN from Lifetime, where she was senior vice president, series development and current programming since 2006, responsible for all scripted series. During her tenure, she developed and oversaw Army Wives, the most successful series in the network’s 24-year history. She also developed the new comedy Rita Rocks, starring Nicole Sullivan, Richard Ruccolo and Tisha Campbell-Martin.   

Before that, she served as senior vice president, drama development, WB, where she was instrumental in developing such primetime series as Supernatural, Everwood and One Tree Hill.

Her resume also includes entries as executive vice president, development for Will Vinton Studios, and senior vice president of comedy development at both Warner Bros. Television and Universal Television. She began her career at MTV Networks.

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  Am I the only one who has a problem with the fact that each and every single senior management position at OWN is being given to a woman? I understand that Oprah Winfrey's core talk-show audience is women (as is the rest of daytime, based on Nielsen's "scientific" ratings data), however, OWN is supposed to be a 24-hour cable channel with a mission to, in Oprah's own words, "build a network that will celebrate the best in people." Do men not deserve to be given a shot at being the "best" they can be? Isn't there a question about the EEOC legality of so blatantly excluding EITHER gender from senior management positions? If there was a network that was openly excluding women from its senior ranks, there would be pickets in the streets. But because it's Oprah, and because women are (debatably) perceived to be social underdogs, this is allowed to go on?

  
  

  
  T. King - 11/2/2008 2:44:00 AM EST
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