Corner Office

Mark Boe has been named vice president, station manager and director of sales at KSTW, the CW-affiliate in Seattle.

Boe joins KSTW from Tribune Broadcasting, where he was the director of sales for the Pacific Northwest region, overseeing KCPQ-KZJO in Seattle and KRCW in Portland.

“Mark is an incredibly talented and experienced broadcaster,” KSTW general manager Ron Longinotti said in a statement. “We are very fortunate to have someone with the extensive local, regional and national perspective that Mark brings to the table and we know that KSTW will continue to grow and thrive under his leadership.” Read more

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Kirk Black, the vice president and general manager of Meredith Corporation’s WGCL in Atlanta, has parted ways with the station.

“Kirk Black has resigned to pursue other career opportunities,” a spokesperson for Meredith Corporation told TVSpy. “We are not commenting beyond that.”

Black also served as senior vice president for Meredith’s Local Media Group, a role which included oversight of the company’s national sales operations in Chicago and LA and the company’s eastern hub in Atlanta.

Broadcasting & Cable reports other WGCL staffers, including a top sales manager at the CBS-affiliate, departed suddenly today. Read more

Philip Stolz, who has been senior vice president of Hearst Television since 1998, will retire next year, the company announced today.

The retirement caps more than 40 years in the television industry. Stolz began his career as an account executive and sales manager at WXOW in La Crosse, WI, and eventually went on to serve as general manager for WBAL in Baltimore, WDTN in Dayton, WQOW in Eau Claire, WI, and KCRG in Cedar Rapids, IA.

“Phil’s insightful understanding of television news, programming, sales and community engagement, coupled with his sound business judgment, has contributed enormously to the success and positive reputation of our company,” Hearst president and CEO David Barrett said in a statement.  Read more

As part of a multimillion dollar investment in its O&Os, the Telemundo station group has announced the appointment of new general managers in three markets: Los Angeles, Puerto Rico and Miami.

Celia Chavez will take the helm at KVEA in Los Angeles. Chavez comes from WSNS, the Telemundo station in Chicago, where she has been president and general manager since 2009.

At WKAQ in Puerto Rico, Jose Cancela will take over as president and general manager. Cancela comes from KVEA in Los Angeles, where he has been president for less than a year. Read more

Emily Barr, who has been president and general manager of WLS since 1997, is leaving the Chicago ABC O&O to lead Post-Newsweek Stations, the television broadcasting division of the Washington Post Company.

Barr will join Post-Newsweek in July, replacing Alan Frank, who is retiring as president and CEO at the end of the year. Her last day at WLS is today.

“We are so fortunate to have Emily Barr join us,” Donald Graham, chairman and CEO of the Washington Post Company, said in a statement. “She’s been an outstanding manager in one of the greatest companies in the industry and a force for innovation everywhere she’s been.” Read more

Allan Cohen, the president and general manager of Belo’s KMOV, will retire at the end of the month after more than three decades at the St. Louis CBS-affiliate.

Cohen was hired as general manager of KMOV in 1980, making his “one of the longest tenures of any broadcasting executive in the nation,” according to a statement announcing his retirement. His last day will be May 31.

“Under Allen Cohen’s leadership, KMOV rose from a modest television operation to become one the most watched CBS stations in the country,” Belo president of media operations Peter Diaz said. “Allan and his staff have made KMOV an indispensable part of the St. Louis community.” Read more

Janene Drafs has been promoted to vice president and station manager at KOMO-KUNS, the Fisher Broadcasting duopoly in Seattle. Her appointment is effective immediately.

Drafs is a 25-year employee of Fisher Broadcasting who most recently was vice president and general sales manager at KOMO-KUNS. In her new role, she will continue to be responsible for sales activity at the duopoly.

“Janene has the expertise and track record to be an excellent station manager in this market,” Jim Clayton, the SVP-GM of Fisher Seattle Broadcasting, said in a statement. “She knows the landscape very well. And I am pleased to announce her new responsibility.”

Gary Yoder has been named vice president and general manager of WALA-WFNA, the LIN Media duopoly in Mobile. His appointment is effective immediately.

Yoder has been vice president and general manager of WUPW since 2009. WUPW, the Toledo Fox-affiliate, merged with WTOL, the CBS-affiliate in the market, last month. Prior to his appointment as VP-GM, he served as the station’s general sales manager.

“Gary is an accomplished broadcast executive who brings a forward-thinking approach to multiplatform news, sales and promotions,” Scott Blumenthal, LIN Media’s EVP for television, said in a statement. “He also has a genuine, heartfelt commitment to meeting the needs of our viewers and advertisers.” Read more

Dean Radla has been promoted to general manager of KABB and KMYS in San Antonio.  Radla has served as director of sales for the Sinclair duopoly since 1999.

“The past fifteen years at KABB and KMYS have been very rewarding and gratifying, and I am thrilled to have the opportunity to expand my leadership responsibilities as general manager,” Radla, who served as KABB’s local sales manager beginning in 1997, said in a statement. “I look forward to building on the stations’ strong operations, quality programming and local news offerings, and continuing to serve our local community.”

Radla succeeds John Seabers, who was recently promoted to Sinclair TV Group Manager. Read more

Although the traditional path to general manager was once to rise from the ranks of the sales department, TVNewsCheck reports on a growing trend of news directors taking over the top spot at local stations:

News directors are being hired for stations’ highest managerial positions at a greater rate than ever, industry watchers say. And those who made the move earlier are moving up in market size.

And although the bulk of GM jobs still belong to people from sales, we can expect to see more and more news people assuming those coveted gigs in the very near future, according to media experts.  Read more