Kelly Kahl (born October 20, 1966) is an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

television executive and film producer. He currently serves as the

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) *President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...

of CBS Entertainment.

Early life and education

Kelly Kahl was born in

Burlington, Wisconsin Burlington is a city in Racine and Walworth counties in the U.S. state of Wisconsin, with the majority of the city located in Racine County. The population of the city was 11,047 as of the 2020 census. History Prior to the arrival of Europea ...

to Ronald and Barbara Ann Kahl. He discovered his interest in television while watching

Saturday-morning cartoon "Saturday-morning cartoon" is a colloquial term for the original animated series programming that was typically scheduled on Saturday and Sunday mornings in the United States on the "Big Three" television networks. The genre's popularity had a br ...

s and noticed programs would change time slots from year to year. He attended Burlington High School, graduating in 1985. He earned a degree in

communications Communication (from la, communicare, meaning "to share" or "to be in relation with") is usually defined as the transmission of information. The term may also refer to the message communicated through such transmissions or the field of inquir ...

from the

University of Wisconsin–Madison A university () is an educational institution, institution of higher education, higher (or Tertiary education, tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several Discipline (academia), academic disciplines. Universities ty ...

. He then went on to receive his

Master of Arts A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Tho ...

degree from

USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism The USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism comprises a School of Communication and a School of Journalism at the University of Southern California (USC). Starting July 2017, the school’s Dean is Willow Bay, succeeding Ernest J. ...

Career

Kahl began his career in 1990 at

Lorimar Television Lorimar Productions, Inc., later known as Lorimar Television and Lorimar Distribution, was an American production company that was later a subsidiary of Warner Bros., active from 1969 until 1993, when it was folded into Warner Bros. Televisio ...

as a research intern. He then worked at

Warner Bros. Television Warner Bros. Television Studios (operating under the name Warner Bros. Television; formerly known as Warner Bros. Television Division) is an American television production and distribution studio of the Warner Bros. Television Group division of ...

as Director, Network Research before joining

CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainmen ...

as Vice President, Scheduling. While serving in this role he was part of scheduling many successful

shows such as ''Bull'', ''Blue Bloods'', ''

The Big Bang Theory ''The Big Bang Theory'' is an American television sitcom created by Chuck Lorre and Bill Prady, both of whom served as executive producers on the series, along with Steven Molaro, all of whom also served as head writers. It premiered on CBS ...

'', ''

Young Sheldon ''Young Sheldon'' is an American List of coming-of-age stories, coming-of-age sitcom television series created by Chuck Lorre and Steven Molaro for CBS. The series, set in the late 1980s and early 1990s, is a Spin-off (media), spin-off prequel ...

'', ''CSI'', and ''NCIS''. He was instrumental in the green-lighting of the television series ''Survivor''. According to ''Survivor'' host

Jeff Probst Jeff Probst (; born November 4, 1961) is an American reality show host and executive producer. He is best known as the Emmy Award-winning host of the U.S. version of the reality television show '' Survivor'' since 2000. He was also the host of ' ...

, Kahl had taken a risk by scheduling ''Survivor'' second season '' Survivor: The Australian Outback'' against NBC's ''

Friends ''Friends'' is an American television sitcom created by David Crane and Marta Kauffman, which aired on NBC from September 22, 1994, to May 6, 2004, lasting ten seasons. With an ensemble cast starring Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa ...

''. ''Survivor'' routinely won viewership against ''

'' during that season, and as a result, Kahl gained significant influence at CBS that has been used to support ''Survivor'' through its 40th season. He served as

executive producer Executive producer (EP) is one of the top positions in the making of a commercial entertainment product. Depending on the medium, the executive producer may be concerned with management accounting or associated with legal issues (like copyrights o ...

on the films ''Return to Zero'', ''Sister Cities'', and ''

Saint Judy ''Saint Judy'' is an American biographical drama film directed by Sean Hanish about Judy Wood, an immigration attorney who changed the law on granting asylum in the United States to save the lives of women. It stars Michelle Monaghan and Alfred M ...

''. His current favorite CBS shows include '' SEAL Team'', '' Love Island'' and ''

Tough as Nails ''Tough as Nails'' is an American reality competition television series that premiered on CBS on July 8, 2020. The show is hosted by Phil Keoghan and features contestants competing in challenges at job sites that test their toughness, with on ...

''. On November 16, 2022, CBS announced that Kahl would step down as head of CBS Entertainment at the end of 2022, ending a 26-year career at the network, who announced that Amy Reisenbach would move up from her role as head of current programming to replace him.

Personal life

Kahl lives in Hermosa Beach, CA with his wife, Kim and their two dogs, Bunny and Gracie. He is a partner at Underground Pub and Grill.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kahl, Kelly 1966 births American television executives Paramount Global people CBS executives Living people People from Burlington, Wisconsin Presidents of CBS Entertainment