After decades of working to interest advertisers in the Masters, NCAA March Madness, Sunday NFL games and, most recently, Super Bowl LVIII, John Bogusz has thrown his last pass to Madison Avenue,
The CBS Sports ad-sales chief, who has been at the Paramount Global-backed network for more than 26 years, is expected to leave his role as executive vice president of sports sales following one more NCAA tournament and Masters golf competition, according to an internal memo reviewed by Variety. “Bogie,” as he is commonly known among staffers, buyers and clients, departs at a moment of transition for the sports operations at CBS. Sean McManus, the long-serving chairman of the sports business is also stepping away.
Bogusz’ exit comes after CBS orchestrated a record-setting ad haul for Super Bowl LVIII — more than $600 million, goosed in part by the match between the San Francisco 49ers and the Kansas City Chiefs going into overtime.
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“More than just a colleague to so many of us, John has brought immense joy and camaraderie to our organization with his incredible sense of humor and contagious laugh. Many among us will never forget the amazing BogFests,’ or the famous Super Bowl awards dinners, where John’s enthusiasm and fun-loving nature lit up the room,” said Jo Ann Ross and John Halley, chairman and president of Paramount Advertising, in a note to staffers. “His dedication to his work has been matched only by his ability to enjoy life to the fullest, and he has constantly proved to all of us that hard work and a good time are not mutually exclusive.”
CBS has yet to name a replacement for Bogusz. Whoever it is will face a new set of challenges as many traditional media companies grapple with making their TV sports franchises available for streaming crowds. Sports properties once skewed heavily male, but their durability and ability to attract broader audiences amid a fragmenting landscape has lured other kinds of sponsors, including big consumer-packaged goods companies, which often target female consumers.
Bogusz has enjoyed a 45-year career in media sales, and has sold commercials for everything from the legendary Casey Kasem radio program “American Top 40,” to “NYPD Blue” and the Spanish-language variety program “Sabado Gigante.” At CBS, he has worked to sell commercials for eight different Super Bowls, as well as the U.S. Open Tennis Championships, the PGA Championship, and the Final Four, Bogusz started his career as a senior media planner at Young & Rubicam in 1979, then moved on to hold sales roles at ABC and Univision. He joined CBS as senior vice president of daytime sales in 1998, moving to sports in 2002.
