TYSONS, Va.—Tegna has elevated veteran executives Joan Barrett, Kate Morris and Brad Ramsey to group general managers, tasked to lead its stations across six regions and rounding out the station group’s new leadership structure.
Barrett was named to oversee Tegna stations in its Northeast and Southeast regions. She had been president and general manager of WCNC Charlotte, N.C., since 2020, adding oversight for WFMY Greensboro, N.C., in 2024. Prior to joining Tegna, she was president and GM of KDVR-KWGN Denver and led Shurz Communications’ stations in Wichita, Kan. She is a co-founder and longtime trainer for the Carole Kneeland Project for Responsible Journalism, a nonprofit that trains newsroom leaders.
Morris was appointed to oversee Tegna’s Midwest and West regions. A 25-year local news veteran, she had been president and GM of KPNX Phoenix in 2020 and also oversaw KMSB and KTTU in Tuscon, Ariz. Prior to joining KPNX, known on-air as 12News, she was with KTVB Boise, Idaho, rising through the ranks from executive news director to president and GM and winning seven National Edward R. Murrow Awards, Tegna said.
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She serves on the boards of the Arizona Media Association and the Arizona State University Cronkite Endowment Board of Trustees.
Ramsey will lead Tegna’s Texas and Mid-South stations. Most recently a senior vice president of revenue who led the group’s sports-rights strategy, he helped Tegna become the first broadcaster with full-season team rights across the NBA, WNBA, NHL and MLB. Before that, he was Tegna’s senior VP of media operations.
Ramsey was also senior VP and GM of WFAA Dallas-Fort Worth for seven years, earning 17 major national journalism awards over his tenure, including the National Edward R. Murrow Award for Overall Excellence and the NAB Service to America Award. He serves on the executive committee of the ABC affiliate board.
"Viewers’ habits and advertisers’ needs are constantly shifting, and we have to innovate quickly to serve both,” Tegna CEO Patrick Paolini said. “Engaging content and strong sales go hand in hand, and our local GMs are best positioned to connect them in their markets. These leaders will give our general managers the support, resources, and tools they need to grow our business on every platform, at every station.”
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.
