Cynthia Littleton
The Hollywood Reporter

Bruce Ferber, a former executive producer of ABC's "Home Improvement," has been recruited as the new showrunner on Viacom Prods.' comedy "Sabrina, the Teenage Witch." The show is shifting to the WB Network this fall after a four-season run on ABC.

Under a two-year deal with Viacom Prods., Ferber will replace Miriam Trogdon as the "Sabrina" showrunner. He'll serve as executive producer alongside Paula Hart, the mother of series star Melissa Joan Hart.

As part of the deal to secure his services for "Sabrina," Ferber has been given a separate pilot commitment from the WB Network and Warner Bros. TV.

Before signing on with "Sabrina," Ferber spent seven seasons on Touchstone TV's "Home Improvement," rising from supervising producer to executive producer in 1994. Earlier in his career, he worked as a writer-producer on such sitcoms as "Coach," "Growing Pains" and "The Facts of Life."

Ferber is repped by United Talent Agency and attorney Cliff Gilbert-Lurie.