McLEAN, Va.—Tegna has named Patrick Paolini as the station group’s CEO, effective June 1.
He arrives at the broadcaster as a federal judge has issued a injunction in an antritrust lawsuit seeking to block Nexstar Media Group’s $6.2 billion acquisition of Tegna, which prevents the two station groups from merging their operations.
Paolini will be responsible for Tegna’s daily operations, revenue-generating business strategies, local journalism and production, and growth initiatives. He will report directly to Tegna’s Board of Directors.
Tegna said Paolini brings more than 30 years of local broadcast management experience and a distinguished track record in sales, marketing, and news operations to his new role, including management of large-market television stations.
He joins the company from Fox Television Stations, where he had been executive vice president of advertising sales since 2023.
At Fox, Paolini was responsible for ad sales strategy, initiatives and efforts across the station group. He had been senior vice president and general manager of WTTG-WDCA, the Fox-owned duopoly in Washington, D.C. Under his leadership, the stations branded as Fox 5 (WTTG) and Fox 5 Plus (WDCA) became No. 1 in the market with expanded local news and lifestyle programming throughout the broadcast day, Tegna said.
“Patrick is an ideal choice to lead Tegna,” the company’s board said in a statement. “He brings deep expertise in the broadcast television industry, major-market station management, and high-quality local news, along with a proven track record of driving revenue growth across linear and digital platforms. He is an innovative thinker and a proven leader with an established history of success. We look forward to Patrick’s leadership of this great company.”
Before WTTG-WDCA, Paolini was senior vice president of Fox Stations Advertising Sales. Earlier, he was vice president and general manager of Fox-owned WTXF Philadelphia and sales director at Fox’s New York City duopoly of WNYW New York and WWOR-TV Secaucus, N.J.
“I am honored to be joining Tegna,” Paolini said. “I have tremendous respect for the Tegna brand, for the outstanding local news delivered across its 64 local television stations and hundreds of digital platforms, and for the company’s dedicated employees and local journalists. Tegna will remain committed to providing the exceptional service our viewers, advertisers and communities expect, while continuing to innovate and expand across the platforms that define the modern media landscape. I am excited by the opportunities ahead.”
