Are you still mad Veronica Mars was canceled or that the CW didn’t greenlight that retro-eighties spinoff of Gossip Girl? Well, then, Christmas just came early for you: Multiple Hollywood insiders confirm that founding CW entertainment president Dawn Ostroff (who also ran predecessor UPN) is strongly considering stepping down from her post when the season’s over in May. Rumors that Ostroff might be leaving the CBS–Warner Bros. co-owned network have been going around for years, and until now, they’ve all been bogus. While the network is far from a runaway success, it’s done pretty well in a very tough environment, finding traction with shows such as Gossip, The Vampire Diaries, and 90210. But it’s also
had more than its share of flops (The Beautiful Life) and disappointments (Hellcats), and there’s been much speculation that executives in the Warner Bros. camp have long wanted to try a new exec in place of Ostroff. Deadline, which first posted news of Ostroff’s likely departure this evening, says she’s leaving because her husband has had to spend more time in New York recently and a bi-coastal life was proving too difficult for her family. We’ve heard the same thing from our sources as well, though usually network execs get paid enough to make living in two cities workable. Officially, the CW is declining to “comment on rumor and speculation.”
