NEW YORK—Hearst Television has elevated Derek Schnell to vice president, news, responsible for overseeing a group of station newsrooms across the broadcaster’s 27-market footprint.
Schnell will also increase his involvement in Hearst’s companywide editorial strategy and initiatives, reporting to Barbara Maushard, Hearst Television senior vice president, news, and chief content officer.
Since 2024, Schnell has served as regional news director and as news director of KCRA-KQCA in Sacramento, Calif., Hearst’s NBC and The CW duopoly in the California capital. His successor at the stations will be named at a later time, Hearst said.
“As journalism continues to evolve, leaders who honor our values while embracing new ideas are more important than ever,” Maushard said. “Derek is one of those leaders. He is both a journalist’s journalist and journalism futurist. His innovative mindset, exceptional news judgment and unwavering passion for supporting and inspiring journalists have earned him the trust and admiration of colleagues across the company. He is a thoughtful mentor, a creative problem solver and a champion for journalism that makes a meaningful difference in the communities we serve.”
In addition to leading the Sacramento stations’ newsroom, a role Schnell has held since 2018, he provided management oversight and editorial support for Hearst’s station duopolies in Monterey-Salinas, Calif., and Albquerque, N.M. He also spearheaded the company’s news and investigative coverage of Northern California through its partnership with Hearst Newspapers’ San Francisco Chronicle.
As the KCRA-KQCA news director, Schnell added 13 hours of newscasts per week; expanded the stations’ digital, social and interactive storytelling; launched daily Spanish-language content across linear and digital platforms; and increased the stations’ production of specials and documentaries, Hearst said.
Schell has spent his entire career with Hearst, the group said, starting with an investigative internship at KETV Omaha, Neb. He then joined KOCO-TV Oklahoma City, Okla., first as a producer and then as an executive producer. He later served as an executive producer at KMBC-KCWE Kansas City, Mo., before joining KCRA-KQRA in that same capacity. He was later promoted to assistant news director at KCRA-KQRA, then eventually to news director.
Schell studied at the Missouri School of Journalism and worked at KOMU-TV, the university-owned NBC affiliate. He is a graduate of the Hearst Management Institute, the company’s leadership development program.
