Merv Griffin Entertainment has confirmed that the company will tap former Mark Burnett Productions exec Roy Bank to the newly created position of president of television. He will oversee the company’s production platform.

Mr. Bank, creator and executive producer of “Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader” as well as upcoming NBC game show “Amnesia,” recently departed Mark Burnett Productions, where he had headed development, production and corporate operations since 2005.

“Merv left us with an entrepreneurial model and a mandate to move ahead with our core business, which is television,” said Griffin Group heads Rob Pritchard and Ron Ward in a statement. “No one could fit our expectations in this area better than Roy.”

Merv Griffin Entertainment is developing a new slate of original programming and announced the second-season renewal of its syndicated game show “Merv Griffin’s Crosswords” at NATPE.

“I was drawn to MGE not only by the tradition that comes with Merv Griffin’s incredible legacy, but also by the unique opportunity to implement my own vision with the backing of Merv’s hand-picked team,” said Mr. Bank.