A Washington-area news veteran is returning to local television this month: Joe DeFeo will take over as news director at News Channel 8, Washington, DC’s regional cable channel, on July 25.

DeFeo’s long history in the television business includes nine years as news director at Baltimore’s WBFF and seven years as the vice president of Sinclair Broadcasting Group, which is the largest operator of local stations nationwide. He has also worked at WBAL in Baltimore and WTTG in Washington, DC.

News Channel 8 is owned by Albritton Communications. It is the sister station to DC-area ABC affiliate WJLA. The two stations share reporters, anchors and broadcast facilities in Arlington, VA.

The name has turned out to be more accurate than perhaps originally intended as TBD.com, Allbritton’s local news site launched in partnership with D.C. ABC-affiliate WJLA last August, is about to take on a new identity following Allbritton’s decision to give command of the property to WJLA’s Bill Lord.

In a post on Monday, TBD and WJLA announced that they will be launching a “two-pronged online approach to covering news, traffic, weather, and much more” next week.

Previously TBD had served as the umbrella site for WJLA, as well as Allbritton’s regional cable news station News Channel 8, but now, as part of what Lord has called a “mid-course correction” for the online property, WJLA will launch a new, more autonomous website. Read more