McLEAN, Va.—Tegna has hired veteran station executive Mellynda Hartel to lead its operations in Florida as president and general manager of WLTV-WJXX Jacksonville and WTSP Tampa.
The 30-year industry veteran comes from Fox Television Stations, where she was senior vice president and general manager of KTVU San Francisco and KICU San Jose, Calif. (branded on-air as Fox 2 Plus).
Prior to leading Fox’s Bay Area stations, she held executive and sales leadership positions at stations in San Francisco, Phoenix, Boston and Washington.
“Mellynda is a highly respected leader in our industry, known for her strategic vision, ability to develop strong teams and track record of driving growth and innovation,” said Joan Barrett, group general manager for Tegna’s Northeast and Southeast regions. “She brings a combination of experience, creativity and a passion for local media that will help us strengthen our connection with Florida communities, grow audiences and create new opportunities for our advertising partners.”
WLTV, Jacksonville’s NBC affiliate, and WJXX, the CBS station in that market, operate under the First Coast News brand. WTSP, the CBS affiliate in Tampa, is branded on-air as 10 Tampa Bay.
“First Coast News and WTSP are among Tegna’s strongest stations, with newsrooms that have earned the trust of their communities,” Hartel said. “I’m eager to help them build on that legacy by creating new opportunities for our viewers to access trusted content and new solutions for our business partners.”
Hartel, a graduate of Bryant University, resides in St. Petersburg, Fla.
