McLEAN, Va.—Tegna has elevated a trio of veteran sales leaders, Ryan Drake, Tony Motta and Angela New, to president and general manager roles at stations in key markets across the U.S.
The three executives will now be responsible for crossplatform station operations and driving results for advertisers while focusing on audience growth, revenue and streaming, Tegna said.
Drake was named president and general manager of a pair of Tegna-owned ABC affiliates in Iowa, WOI Des Moines and WQAD Davenport. He had been director of sales at WOI since 2024, promoted from local sales manager. He joined the station as a senior account executive in 2020 after starting his media career at The Guardian newspaper in London, Tegna said.
“Ryan has been an incredible asset to our sales team in Des Moines,” Kate Morris, group general manager for TEGNA’s Midwest and West regions, said. “I’m confident that both WOI and WQAD will benefit from his expertise, creativity and ability to create a winning culture.”
Motta was named president and general manager of the Arizona stations KPNX Phoenix, an NBC affiliate, and KMSB-KTTU, a Fox/The CW duopoly in Tuscon. He had been director of sales at KPNX and earlier filled that role at KOVR and KMAX in Sacramento, Calif. He has also worked for CBS Radio and Cox Media Group. He’ll be tasked with overseeing the development of a Tucson news bureau.
“Tony’s understanding of our communities in Arizona and his commitment to developing people position him well to lead our stations,” Morris said. “He will play a pivotal role in our continued success in Phoenix and foster the growth of a robust news operation in Tucson.”
New will be president and GM of ABC affiliate WVEC in Norfolk and Hampton Roads, Va. She had been the station’s director of sales since 2019, adding responsibility for KARE Minneapolis in 2025. She started her TV ad-sales career in 2006 at Petry Media, moving to WVEC as an account executive. She then spent nearly 10 years with WTKR Norfolk before returning to WVEC as a major accounts manager.
“Angela knows WVEC and Hampton Roads well,” Joan Barrett, group general manager for Tegna’s Northeast and Southeast regions, said. “She’s spent nearly 20 years working in this market, building relationships with local businesses and getting to know the communities WVEC serves. That perspective, along with her experience leading sales teams at both WVEC and KARE will serve her well in this new role.”
In March, Tegna was acquired by Nexstar Media Group in a $6.2 billion transaction. However, the companies are currently required to operate separately under a federal hold-separate order as a multistate antitrust lawsuit challenging that deal plays out in court.
