CBS Stations appoints Matt Naber and Robert Breen as Co-Heads of advertising sales and operations

CBS Stations has named Veteran CBS executives Matt Naber and Robert Breen Co-heads of advertising sales and operations.The announcement was made by Wendy McMahon, president and co-head of CBS News and Stations, to whom Naber and Breen report.“With Matt and Robert’s leadership, we are excited to accelerate the unification and evolution of our teams across the country to lead multi-platform local sales for our stations as well as the Paramount portfolio,” McMahon said. “Through these changes, we will more directly align our people, processes and resources with the evolving needs of our advertisers and the marketplace.”

Naber and Breen will succeed Julio Marenghi, who yesterday announced his plans to leave CBS as of 1 October. Marenghi has served as CBS Stations’ head of sales for nearly 11 of his 14 years with the Company. They will be responsible for leading local ad revenue, sales strategies and operations across CBS’ 27 local stations, as well as Paramount’s local digital and streaming revenue. “I am incredibly motivated by the opportunity to help transform our business and am excited to work alongside Robert and the rest of my CBS and Paramount colleagues under Wendy’s leadership,” Naber said. 

Naber is an 11-year CBS veteran who most recently served as Vice President and head of local digital and streaming ad sales for CBS Stations and Paramount Global. He has contributed to the growth of the Company’s local digital and streaming ad sales division, accelerating revenue growth and business operations. In addition, Naber has developed and implemented innovative strategies and a client-centric approach to position CBS Stations and Paramount Global for elevated success in the dynamic local media landscape. "This strategic move positions us for not only the current landscape, but also will allow us to advance quickly for future cross-platform transaction types, integrations and measurement as we continue to organize and operationalize around our core and political client expectations," Naber said.

Before beginning his tenure with CBS, Naber worked in Chicago at Starcom Worldwide on Bank of America, Merrill Lynch and U.S. Trust. He also led production and livestreaming local sports coverage at The Big Ten Network. "Capitalizing on our massive reach across our linear and streaming inventory allows us to further strengthen our relationships with clients and agency partners across all screens," Naber said.

Breen assumes his new leadership role after having served as vice president and director of sales at CBS Chicago (WBBM-TV, the CBS News Chicago streaming channel and CBSChicago.com) since 2018. In this role, he has been instrumental in driving revenue growth by implementing innovative sales initiatives and data-driven strategies.  Before joining CBS, Breen spent more than 12 years at WGN-TV in Chicago, including 10 years as sales manager. His background also includes sales positions at WPIX-TV in New York, Telerep, and Petry and Blair Television. “I am thrilled to have the opportunity to work with Matt, Wendy and all of our CBS and Paramount teammates as we navigate the exciting journey of aligning with the rapidly changing business landscape,” Breen said. “Moving forward, it will be vital that we continue to evolve our workflows, processes and go-to-market strategies while maintaining a strong focus on client service and cultivating meaningful relationships. By working together, I am confident we will forge a bright future for our team and valued clients.”