CBS TV Distribution PR Chief John Wentworth to Retire

John Wentworth, head of public relations for CBS Television Distribution, will retire from the company in 2017. He announced his departure in an email Tuesday.

A longtime CBS veteran, Wentworth joined Paramount Television — predecessor to CBS Television Studios — in 1983. From 1993 to 1999 he served as senior vice president, then executive vice president, media relations and marketing for the studio. He later moved to CBS TV Distribution, serving as executive vice president, communications. Among the series Wentworth oversees publicity for are “Dr. Phil,” “The Doctors,” “Rachael Ray,” “Entertainment Tonight,” “The Insider,” “Inside Edition,” “Judge Judy,” “Hot Bench,” “Wheel of Fortune,” and “Jeopardy!”; as well as off-network series such as “CSI,” “The Good Wife,” “NCIS,” “Penny Dreadful,” and “Blue Bloods.”

Wentworth will remain with CBS through March of next year, assisting with the transition process for his replacement.

“I have been thinking about this for many months so I’m ready and excited to move into the next chapter of my life,” Wentworth wrote in his email to press contacts. “And while I will be retiring from CBS (it actually sounds a bit better to say ‘semi-retiring!’), I don’t plan to retire from working. There are ideas and passions to pursue, hopefully not too far from all of you.”

Wentworth graduated from Emerson College in 1981. He has also held positions at Columbia Pictures and public relations firm Rogers & Cowan.

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