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Roger Werner was named Chief Executive Officer of Outdoor Channel and President of Outdoor Channel Holdings in October 2006.
Roger Werner is one of a small group of cable industry pioneers who has designed built and managed some of cable television's most successful networks. Most recently he developed the Speedvision (now Fox's 'Speed Channel') and Outdoor Life Networks and served as their President and CEO from 1995-2001. Werner developed these networks in partnership with investors Cox Comcast and ATT. Launched in December 1995 Speedvision and Outdoor Life achieved profitability as planned in 2001 on combined revenue of over $100 million.
In July of 2001 Werner and his partners Cox and ATT concluded the sale of their network shareholdings to Fox and Comcast. This deal valued the two networks at $1.4 billion making Speedvision and Outdoor Life two of the largest most successful programming start-ups in cable television history.
Werner's career in the television programming industry began in 1979 when he joined the international management firm McKinsey & Company. From 1980-1982 he served client ESPN in the formation and implementation of the start-up network's original strategic and operational plans. He left McKinsey to become ESPN's Chief Operating Officer in March of 1982.
During his six years as Chief Operating Officer ESPN became the world's largest and most profitable cable television network. Also during this period ESPN grew from $1 million to over $600 million in annual sales and from an annual loss of $30 million to profits of approximately $150 million. Between 1982-1988 Werner's team pioneered award-winning SportsCenter news programming cable's first NFL coverage exclusive NASCAR coverage and international events such as the America's Cup. ESPN also developed sports networks in over twenty international markets during this period.
In 1988 Werner briefly served as Executive VP of the ABC Television Network Group at the request of Thomas Murphy then Chairman of Capital Cities ABC Inc. At the end of 1988 Murphy asked Werner to return to ESPN as CEO where he stayed until October 1990. At that time Werner joined cable pioneer Bill Daniels to help him develop his emerging regional sports network interests. In his five years with Daniels Werner helped build the Los Angeles-based Prime Ticket (now Fox Sports West) into America's largest and most valuable regional cable network. He simultaneously launched America's first Spanish language sports network La Cadena Deportiva (now Fox Sports Americas) and managed Daniels' partnership interests with TCI in an additional five regional networks. In August of 1994 he successfully concluded the sale of the last of these businesses to a Fox/Liberty JV and began work on what would become the Speedvision and Outdoor Life networks.
Werner is a former board member of the NCTA and a past recipient of the CAB's President's Award. He is a graduate of Trinity College in Hartford CT (BA 1972) and holds a Masters in Business Administration from the University of Virginia (1977) where he was class president and served as a member of the alumni board.
Werner is Chairman and co-owner of WATV Productions a Los Angeles based television production company that is a leader in automotive and motorsports programming. He also serves on the board of Narrowstep Inc. (OTC: NRWS) the leading provider of internet-based video content delivery technology.
Werner the father of three is currently active in vintage racing and aviation when he's not at work on new television programming and technology initiatives. | 