NEW YORK—Roger Keating, a leading figure in the development of digital media and a number of important broadcast industry initiatives, will retire from Hearst Television at the end of 2026.
Over the years, Keating’s career involved leadership roles at some of the most familiar corporate names in television and digital media, where he spearheaded a number of innovative projects. Keating joined Hearst Television in 2008 and since 2016 has served as its chief strategy and business development officer.
He also co-founded and led television-industry consortia like Pearl TV and NewsOn that have helped local broadcasters pursue new businesses.
“Roger brought to Hearst Television his infectious curiosity and keen entrepreneurial instincts,” said Hearst Television president Michael J. Hayes. “He questions orthodoxy and embraces possibilities -- traits that have helped us seize opportunities and energized colleagues industrywide. He’s always celebrated television’s traditional strengths while simultaneously looking ahead -- not just at how audiences consume video today, but how they will use it tomorrow. We are grateful for all he has given to Hearst Television and local broadcasting.”
Keating joined Hearst Television in 2008 to lead its nascent digital media unit. As the company’s senior vice president, digital media, Keating was tasked with recruiting and leading a team to build and operate digital products that deliver local news and weather through desktop computers, mobile apps, social media and eventually streaming platforms. During his watch, Hearst Television digital properties achieved market leadership in most of the markets in which they operate. Digital products have become a significant and fast-growing contributor to Hearst Television’s bottom line.
Keating also co-founded and led television-industry consortia so that local broadcasters could better pursue new businesses that require scale and ubiquity.
Prominent among these is Pearl TV, a coalition of nine station group owners whose 2010 formation helped lead to the advancement of mobile TV, companion viewing apps, interactive advertising overlays and addressable linear ads. Pearl also became an incubator for early-stage companies operating in the broadcast TV space and today plays a central role in TV broadcasting’s game-changing transition to ATSC 3.0-based “NextGen TV.”
In 2015 he co-founded and served as inaugural chairman of NewsOn, an alliance of six broadcast TV group owners to bring local-news content to streaming platforms. Keating has been a persistent advocate for addressable linear advertising through his work on the board of Sorenson Media, as a founding member of OAR and membership in the Go Addressable trade association.
In addition to the Pearl, NewsOn and Sorenson Media boards, Keating served on the boards of ConnecTV, Dyle Mobile, Waitr and Internet Broadcasting. He was also an active participant in the YouTube News Working Group and the Google News Initiative, on both serving as a vocal advocate for the interests of local broadcasters.
Keating moved into the newly created role of Hearst Television’s chief strategy and business development officer in 2016, facilitating the adoption of advanced technologies such as machine learning and generative AI.
“What local broadcasters do is important, and I found my true professional home at Hearst,” Keating said. “I was fortunate to be given important challenges, and to get to work with such a talented set of colleagues. It’s time to pass the baton -- but if I could do it all over again, I would in a heartbeat.”
Before joining Hearst, Keating ran a succession of increasingly large and complex cable TV properties. As an area vice president and, later, senior vice president at Comcast, Keating built Comcast’s Internet Division that pioneered high-speed broadband. As an executive vice president at Time Warner Cable, he merged several acquired cable systems to form that company’s Western Region. Prior to joining the cable industry, as a senior vice president of AOL, Keating was general manager of AOL Travel and AOL Health and also led a team that built and launched the early chat bot AOLbyPhone in 2001.
In 1998 Keating founded the streaming video company Zatso, which worked with TV broadcasters to develop personalized newscasts. Following successful completion of multiple financings, the company grew to over 100 employees and launched in 20 U.S. markets, birthing numerous successful digital-media innovations and careers.
Keating began his career with Mercer Consulting, serving a variety of clients in industries as disparate as defense, bakeries, cosmetics, office furniture, trucking, telecom and computers. He holds a bachelor of science in mechanical/industrial engineering from University of Notre Dame, an MBA from Stanford University and is a graduate of the Hearst Management Institute, Hearst’s executive leadership development program.
In 2018 Keating was the fourth recipient of the National Association of Broadcasters Digital Leadership Award.
