Nancy Tellem

Microsoft Corp.announced in September 2012 that Nancy Tellem, former president of CBS Network Television Entertainment Group, had joined Microsoft as Entertainment & Digital Media president. Tellem has been a CBS executive since 1997, most recently as senior adviser to CEO Leslie Moonves, where she explored business and strategic opportunities — domestic and international — involving content partnerships, new production models, emerging media and technologies. As president of the CBS Network Television Entertainment Group, Tellem supervised programming, development, production, business affairs and operations. She oversaw the network’s prime-time, daytime, late-night and Saturday morning lineups (with shows like “CSI,” “Survivor,” “Everybody Loves Raymond” and “The King of Queens”). Before joining CBS, Tellem was executive vice president of Business and Financial Affairs for Warner Bros. Television and was part of the team that launched the landmark programs “Friends” and “ER.” In 2006, Tellem was inducted into the Broadcasting & Cable Hall of Fame for her contributions to the electronic arts. In 2008, Forbes ranked her 32nd on its list of “The World’s 100 Most Powerful Women” and Entertainment Weekly named her the third-smartest person in TV for quickly restoring CBS’s entire primetime lineup after the 100-day writers’ strike. Earlier in her career, she worked on Capitol Hill, served as Assistant General Counsel for Columbia Television, Senior Vice President of Business Affairs at Lorimar Television, and Executive Vice President for Business and Financial Affairs for Warner Bros. Television.