NEW YORK—Veteran CBS executives Matt Naber and Robert Breen have been named co-heads of advertising sales and operations at CBS Stations and will report to Wendy McMahon, president and co-head of CBS News and Stations.
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.
Naber and Breen will succeed Julio Marenghi, who has announced his plans to leave CBS as of Oct. 1. Marenghi has served as CBS Stations’ head of sales for nearly 11 of his 14 years with the Company.
“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 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 played a pivotal role in shaping 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.
Prior to joining 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.
Naber was born and raised in Grosse Pointe, Mich. and attended Indiana University. During his time at IU, he served an impactful internship at CBS Chicago (WBBM-TV) that instilled a deep passion for CBS and remains a driving force in his career. Outside of work, Naber can be found spending time outside with his wife and daughter or on a mountain with friends and family.
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. Breen’s commitment to challenging the status quo has led to transformative changes both at WBBM and within CBS Stations. He has optimized operations and systems, leading to elevated station performance and overall success for the station group. He has played a leading role in the creation and implementation of future-forward processes that prioritize both clients and sellers’ needs. Through his culture-centric leadership, Breen has fostered a work environment that encourages creativity, innovation and collaboration, resulting in higher employee satisfaction and increased productivity.
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.
Breen is an alumnus of Iona University. He finds joy in giving back to the community by coaching youth ice hockey. He and his wife and two teenage children live in Chicago.
