WASHINGTON—The NAB Leadership Foundation (NABLF) in partnership with Hearst Television has announced the participants in the 2026 Emerson Coleman Fellowship, an immersive program designed to prepare the next generation of leaders in broadcast television programming and production.

Paid internships at local television stations are an integral part of the fellowship, where students receive hands-on experience in live programming and production environments. They also attend virtual learning sessions, complete a capstone project pitching their original show ideas and receive mentorship to support their professional development.

The foundation is announced these details about this year’s cohort and their internship locations:

• Alana McBean – WABC-TV, New York, N.Y.
• Amarion Weathersby – WFLD-TV, Chicago, Ill.
• Jauntre' Gray – WOFL-TV, Lake Mary, Fla.
• Victoria Marchetti – Hearst Media Production Group, Glendale, Calif.
• Miriam Galica – WABC-TV, New York, N.Y.

"We are thrilled to welcome this outstanding group of students and excited about helping them at the beginning of their career journeys,” said NABLF President Michelle Duke. “Over the past four years, this program has created new pathways for students pursuing creative opportunities in media and broadcasting.”

The program is made possible through the continued support of NABLF sponsors: Brooks Pierce, CBS Media Ventures, Comcast NBCUniversal, Debmar-Mercury, FOX, Hearst Television, Katz Media Group, Locality, Nielsen Foundation, SmithGeiger, Soledad O’Brien and Brad Raymond, Sony Pictures Entertainment, Teen Kids News, The Walt Disney Company, Warner Bros. and Weigel Broadcasting Co.

LEXINGTON, Ky—In a notable advance in the way local broadcast TV stations can monetize their content, Viamedia.ai has announced that it is working with Hearst Television to enable true household-level addressability for broadcast television.

The partnership marks a fundamental shift in how broadcast television inventory can be activated and monetized, allowing advertisers to target specific households utilizing ad inventory of the most-watched linear video outlets in markets across the country.

“Local broadcast TV delivers unparalleled impact for advertisers within targeted markets and we’re adding to our toolkit the capabilities to target not just the whole of the market but specific households within markets,” said John Robertson, Hearst Television vice president, distribution. “As we evolve our business alongside our valued partners in the media-buying and distribution communities, it’s imperative that we use technology that makes our linear inventory even more efficient and impactful. Viamedia has delivered an effective tech solution that enables us and MVPD partners to deliver addressability across broadcast streams coupled with the advanced data, analytics and transparency marketers seek. The result is a holistic ad buy – a one-stop-shop encompassing linear and digital attributes.”

This development follows an extensive market test to enable targeted television advertising via dynamic ad insertion within streams using broadcast spectrum. The test, conducted over several months, involved Viamedia, Hearst Television station WLWT-TV and MediaKind (formerly Harmonic), whose advertising SaaS product provided technology enabling last-mile, household-level ad delivery.

The new tool provides a station like WLWT the ability to participate in previously unavailable markets which could drive a 25% increase in monetizable impressions.

Through Viamedia’s Parrot Ad Decisioning System (ADS) platform and Hearst Television’s architecture of a compatible broadcast technology infrastructure, advertisers gain access to precision targeting and flexible buying models initially on Hearst Television’s inventory in select markets.

Parrot ADS manages and monetizes advertising across linear, CTV, and programmatic environments. It helps broadcasters and MVPDs alike to unify ad delivery, extend campaigns across screens, and simplify reporting and monetization across the TV ecosystem.

As a result of the deployment, Hearst Television can now make select inventory available for dynamic, data-driven activation, meeting advertiser demand for heightened audience addressability and measurability. It also strengthens the already powerful advertising proposition of local TV advertising with added analytics and performance metrics.

“The TV viewing audience remains one of the most attractive scaled opportunities for advertisers to reach engaged consumers, even as the ecosystem grows increasingly fragmented,” said Evan Rutchik, president & chief strategy officer of Viamedia. “While CTV and FAST Channels are growing in popularity among advertisers, linear still accounts for a massive audience. By bringing true addressability to Hearst’s broadcast inventory, we move the market toward a model where broadcast delivers the same level of precision and accountability that advertisers expect from other channels, which can help create additional value for all parties – including broadcasters, MVPDs agencies, and brands. We are excited to work with Hearst Television to bring this inventory to market for advertisers who appreciate premium content and localized ad delivery.”

“TV, especially broadcast, offers great value to advertisers, and the ability to precisely target a specific audience dramatically increases the importance of the channel in media plans,” added Phil Sloan, senior vice president and managing director, Canvas. “Hearst Television, Viamedia and their partners have opened the door to making all of TV a performance-driven channel, meeting advertiser demand. We look forward to continuing to explore this for our clients’ campaigns as they look to raise awareness and measure outcomes.”

Viamedia’s approach operates across a three-part ecosystem: broadcaster inventory, distribution infrastructure, and the Parrot ADS technology layer. Together, these components allow broadcast spots to be delivered dynamically in addressable form within qualifying environments, supporting both local and national campaigns.

Viamedia uses artificial intelligence to unify a process that previously required advertisers to balance multiple vendors and data sources to reach audiences across a plethora of screens. The goal is to unlock faster execution for buyers, but also to open new monetization opportunities for MVPDs, video providers, and now also broadcasters.

Hearst Television is a Supporting Member of the Go Addressable trade organization whose mission is to further accelerate the advancement of addressable TV advertising.

NEW YORK—Andrea Stahlman, who began her successful news career as an intern at WLKY-TV, Hearst Television’s CBS affiliate in Louisville, Kentucky, and since 2012 has served as the station’s news director, has been promoted to president and general manager of the station.

The Louisville native succeeds Glenn Haygood, who is retiring later this month after more than four decades in television broadcasting.

“Andrea has devoted her entire professional life to her hometown of Louisville and WLKY,” said Hearst Television president Michael J. Hayes. “She knows this community like few other journalists ever have and is the ideal executive to shape and lead WLKY into the future.”

Following graduation in 1993 from Notre Dame -- where she was a member of the Fighting Irish volleyball team – Stahlman interned at WLKY and within a few months was hired full time as an assignment editor. She quickly rose to news producer, then executive producer and, in 1999, assistant news director before taking the reins of the news department.

Stahlman has led the multi-platform news team that today produces more than 45 hours weekly of live news as well as digital content and special projects.

The team’s output has earned WLKY Ohio Valley Emmy Awards for Overall Excellence seven times over the last dozen years, as well as a 2022 Kentucky Broadcasters Association Station of the Year honor, and three National Headliner Awards over the last two years.

Since 2008 alone, WLKY has garnered 17 regional Edward R. Murrow Awards from the Radio Television Digital News Association (RTDNA), including wins for Overall Excellence, Best Newscast, Best Website and Breaking News, as well as dozens of regional AP and Emmy awards.

Following nomination by an employee member of the U.S. Air Force Reserve, Stahlman was honored in 2024 with a Seven Seals Award. Bestowed by the Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR), a Department of Defense program, the award recognizes significant individual or organizational support for the National Guard and Reserve.

In addition to her bachelor’s in business administration from Notre Dame, Stahlman is a graduate of the Hearst Management Institute, Hearst’s executive leadership development program, and of the National Association of Broadcasters’ Broadcast Leadership Training Program.

A lifetime RTDNA member, Stahlman served as its board chair from 2020 to 2021. She is also a member of Leadership Louisville Center, a nationally recognized civic engagement and leadership development nonprofit founded in 1979.

NEW ORLEANS—The Hondo Rodeo Fest and Hearst-owned WDSU-TV have announced a deal that will make the NBC affiliate in New Orleans the exclusive broadcast partner for the Hondo Rodeo’s three-night million-dollar rodeo competition April 10-12th from 6-8 pm CST at the Caesars Superdome.

The Hondo Rodeo Fest is a three-day rodeo competition, concert series and street fest coming to New Orleans on April 10-12th at the Caesars Superdome. It features headliners such as Jason Aldean, Cody Johnson and Creed, in addition to performances by Lynyrd Skynyrd, Old Dominion and Bailey Zimmerman.

The event will broadcast each night on WDSU's 6.2 channel MeTV New Orleans and be streamed on Hearst's streaming app Very Local.

“We’re thrilled to partner with Hearst Television to bring the Hondo Rodeo competition into homes across the New Orleans market,” said James Trawick, CEO of The Hondo Rodeo Fest. “The Hondo Rodeo Fest is a multiple day event where we both celebrate rodeo as a sport and its deep roots in Western culture. By teaming up with WDSU-TV, the number one station in the region, we’re able to further create exposure for our talented athletes and the Western culture values that make this event so special.”

Mike Neelly, president and GM of Hearst Television WDSU-TV added that “The Hondo Rodeo Fest is bringing a high-energy, three-day event to our community, complete with high-level rodeo competition, concerts and a street fest. New Orleans knows how to throw events, and our track record proves itself on partnering with these incredible institutions to share the experience with our viewers.”

For more information on The Hondo Rodeo Fest, visit https://thehondorodeofest.com/.

NEW YORK—Christopher Martinez, who joined Hearst Television in 2021 as OTT director of sales, has been promoted to the newly created role of vice president, advanced advertising. He will continue to report to Jonathan Sumber, Hearst Television’s vice president, digital sales.

“Chris understands the nexus between digital advertising and legacy media,” Michael J. Hayes, Hearst Television president said. “Working with Jon Sumber and colleagues on Hearst Television’s digital team, in concert with our stations across the country, he has helped expand not only our digital footprint but marketing partners’ businesses with proven, high quality, brand-safe, results-driven ad products and strategies.”

Martinez’s new role encompasses digital-ad product development, platform integration, and oversight of the company’s digital ad-tech stack and emerging platform strategy while continuing to work closely with clients and partners.

“Chris’s new position is central to Hearst Television’s digital monetization strategy and will serve as a connective point between product innovation and real-time market conditions,” Sumber said.

Martinez began his advertising sales career with Katz Television Group in 2014, gaining experience in the linear TV space as a sales assistant before moving into the role of account executive. He received the inaugural Television Bureau of Advertising (TVB) Next Award for Television Sales in 2017 and one year later was promoted at Katz to manager of integrated video for Hearst’s OTT product, Hearst Anyscreen. Since he joined Hearst Television as OTT director of sales in 2021, the company has tripled its OTT revenue.

Martinez has been active within Hearst Television mentoring programs. He is an alumnus of Seton Hall University, where he studied Diplomacy & International Relations, with minors in Spanish and Economics. He is also a graduate of the Hearst Management Institute, Hearst’s executive leadership development program, and sits on a number of industry committees within the Television Bureau of Advertising (TVB) and the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB).

WASHINGTON—The National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) has announced that Michael Rosellini will receive the 2026 Digital Leadership Award. Rosellini will be recognized at the We Are Broadcasters Awards Ceremony, held on the Main Stage of the 2026 NAB Show on Tuesday, April 21, in Las Vegas.

The NAB Digital Leadership Award, created in 2015, recognizes a broadcast executive who has played a pivotal role in advancing digital innovation and transforming traditional broadcast operations into successful multi-platform media businesses.

Rosellini, senior vice president digital services for Hearst Television, will receive the 2026 Digital Leadership Award in recognition of his transformative impact on local television’s digital evolution.

Promoted to his current role in 2023 after serving for a decade as vice president digital operations, Rosellini leads teams responsible for product development, engineering, data and operations across Hearst Television’s station-branded news websites and mobile apps, as well as its Very Local direct to consumer streaming platform.

He has overseen multiple end-to-end product redesigns, CMS migrations, and continuous modernization of the company’s digital video, data and advertising technology stacks. Notably, Rosellini and his team designed, built and launched a full suite of OTT and CTV applications in-house that power Hearst Television’s expansion into streaming under the Very Local brand. Rosellini also represents Hearst Television’s digital interests within key industry organizations, including the National Association of Broadcasters and Pearl TV, supporting collaborative innovation efforts such as NextGen TV.

Currently, Rosellini is playing a key technology role on the Hearst team working to help the advertising industry understand the fundamentally brand-safe attributes of local-news inventory through better AI driven contextual signals.

Since joining Hearst in 2008 to build its first in-house software engineering team, Rosellini has helped shape the company’s digital strategy from the ground up. An active mentor for colleagues, Rosellini is an alumnus of the Hearst Management Institute, an executive leadership training program. 

NEW YORK—Hearst Television said it promoted Mike Kronenfeld to vice president, national sales. The television ad sales and management veteran joined the station group in 2023 as director, national sales.

In his new post, Kronenfeld will continue to report to Hearst Vice President, Sales Gerry McGavick and Executive Vice President and Group Head Eric Meyrowitz, the company said.

“Mike has long been revered as one of the most accomplished television sales executives in the national advertising marketplace and we are fortunate to have had him advocating for Hearst Television for a substantial portion of his career,” Hearst Television President Michael J. Hayes said. “As a partner and as an employee, he has successfully delivered outstanding results throughout. His sales acumen and his extensive management experience make him an excellent fit for this important role as we develop more solutions for marketing partners in a dynamically changing competitive marketplace.”

Kronenfeld joined Hearst Television in 2023 from Katz Television, where he was executive vice president, leading the group responsible for representing Hearst Television exclusively and serving on the Katz executive leadership team. Prior to Katz, he was CEO of The CW affiliate WBNX-TV Cleveland.

Kronenfeld also worked as president and chief operating officer of pioneering broadcast industry rep firm Adam Young Inc. and was on the executive management team of station group Young Broadcasting. He also ascended through the media buying ranks at ad agency BBDO, Hearst said. He started his career at television rep firm HRP.

Kronenfeld has also served the Television Bureau of Advertising’s Sales Advisory Committee. He earned a psychology degree with a concentration in communications from the State University of New York at Buffalo.

Hearst Television owns and operates 35 television stations and two radio stations, as well as Hearst Media Production Group and the Very Local app.

ORLANDO, Fla.—I started my first TV job in 1985 in the Orlando market at WESH-TV, loading 2-inch carts into an ACR25 for commercial playout and news playback on ¾-inch tape. At the same time, Florical Systems released its first product, TimeShifter. Since then, I moved on to Betacart, live shot acquisition and master control while Florical stepped up the technology with ShowTimer and AirBoss.

Forty years later, we’re both still here—my employer, Hearst Television, which acquired WESH in 1998, operates 35 stations nationwide. Every day, we manage the flow of syndicated shows, network feeds, commercials and promos that need to reach the air without fail.

My current role is to make sure that content is prepared, validated and delivered to our stations in a way that is both reliable and efficient. Ingest and media asset management sit at the center of this process, and over the past two years, we’ve transformed how we handle them with Florical.

The Deployment
We began rolling out Florical’s ingest and asset management module in 2024 with the goal of creating a stronger foundation for how content enters our ecosystem—whether that content is coming in from distributors, agencies or internal production teams. By putting ingest and asset management in place first, we were able to establish group-wide consistency in how files are received, cataloged and validated.

Earlier this year, we completed the next phase of that transition, moving our stations onto Florical’s AirBoss automation for playout. Having the ingest and asset-management tools already in place made that transition much smoother, because the content feeding automation was already standardized and predictable.

Stephanie Sobiech, our content coordinator, is on the front line every day, handling program and promo distribution and working directly with incoming feeds from Pathfire, PitchBlue, Extreme Reach, OTSM and our networks. With Florical, she no longer has to manually track whether a file is complete or in the right format; the system validates incoming content automatically and flags any problems before they reach the air chain. That has freed her to focus on higher-level coordination instead of chasing technical errors.

Commercials and syndicated programming represent another critical part of our workflow, and Florical has helped us bring real efficiency to that process. At Hearst, we operate on a “touch-once, distribute-to-many” model.

A single program or commercial may need to be delivered to 25 stations, and Florical’s workflows allow us to handle that with economies of scale. The content is ingested and validated once, then mapped and distributed to all the stations that need it. Our dedicated commercial preparation and approval team depends on these workflows every day to ensure spots and shows are delivered consistently group-wide. Instead of repeating the same steps, they can focus on confirming the content is correct and ready, knowing the distribution piece is handled efficiently.

The benefits extend to housekeeping, as well. Because the system manages distribution centrally, we can avoid duplication and unnecessary storage at the station level. At the same time, archived content remains accessible through AWS, so if a station needs to pull material back, it can be retrieved quickly without adding complexity to the local workflow.

Error Reduction
Since completing the rollout, the biggest change I’ve seen is consistency across the group. Whether it’s Stephanie managing syndicated feeds, the commercial team approving spots or operators checking final playlists, everyone is working under the same ingest and distribution standards. We’ve reduced manual errors, shortened turnaround times and freed people to spend more energy on coordination and quality control rather than on chasing missing files.

Looking forward, the metadata foundation we’ve built with Florical puts us in a strong position for the next phase of automation. AI-assisted workflows that can reconcile traffic logs, detect anomalies, and even self-correct ingest issues will depend on having robust and consistent metadata. For us, that future starts with the reliability we’ve already gained from
Florical’s ingest and asset-management tools.

More information is available at www.florical.com.

NEW YORK and OMAHA, Neb.—Hearst Television has promoted Allison Smith to president and general manager of KETV, its ABC affiliate in Omaha.

Since 2018, Smith has been news director at KCCI-TV, a Hearst-owned CBS affiliate in Des Moines, Iowa.

She takes over for Sean Oswald, who was tapped as president and general manager of Hearst-owned ABC station WISN-TV Milwaukee.

“Allison is an accomplished news leader who has demonstrated success in every opportunity she has earned,” Hearst Television President Michael J. Hayes said. “She brings an understanding of the region which will accentuate the strength of the leadership team at one of our most successful properties.”

The new post marks a return to Nebraska for Smith, who graduated from Waverly High School near Lincoln before earning her bachelor’s degree in broadcast news from Drake University in Des Moines and starting her career at KCCI as news producer. She then moved on to producer and executive producer roles in Ohio and Pennsylvania before rejoining Hearst in 2014 as assistant news producer at WLWT Cincinnati. She returned to KCCI as news director in December of 2018, only the station’s fourth-ever news director and the first woman in that post.

Under Smith’s tenure, the station in 2023 won 16 Iowa Broadcast News Association Awards, including first place for Overall Excellence, Best Newscast and Best Sportscast, as well as six regional Edward R. Murrow awards. In 2023, she was named News Director of the Year by B+C. The Iowa Broadcasters Association named Smith its broadcaster of the year for 2024. She has won three regional Emmy Awards, two for Outstanding Newscast and one for Interview/Discussion Program.

KCCI under Smith’s guidance received the NAB Leadership Foundation’s Service to America Award in 2023; KETV received the same distinction last year.

Smith serves on the Board of Trustees for the Iowa Freedom of Information Council and as a member of the Waukee Rotary. She holds an MBA from Iowa State University.

NEW YORK and FORT MYERS, Fla.—Hearst Television said it has elevated Darrel Lieze-Adams to president and general manager of its stations in Fort Myers-Naples, Florida, WBBH-TV and WZVN-TV.

Hearst acquired market-leading WBBH, an NBC affiliate, in 2023; the station group also operates Montclair Communications-owned WZVN, an ABC station, under a local management agreement.

Lieze-Adams joined the Florida stations in 1997 as news director and added the title of vice president, news, digital, marketing and production in 2019. During his tenure, he expanded the stations’ number of newscasts and oversaw a revamp of the news set of WZVN, known on-air as ABC7. He was named vice president and station manager in 2021.

“Darrel knows Southwest Florida intimately and has been instrumental in helping build WBBH and WZVN into the respected brands they are today,” Hearst Television president Michael J. Hayes said. “His leadership, especially in times of crisis as demonstrated through severe weather events in recent years, distinguishes him as an invested executive serving the Gulf Coast and our teams in Southwest Florida.”

WBBH-WZVN was honored by the Radio Television Digital News Association this year with the Edward R. Murrow Award for Best Newscast in a Small Market, the stations’ fifth national Murrow award since 2022, Hearst said. Under Lieze-Adams, WBBH-WZVN has won nine national Murrow awards for for Best Newscast, Investigative Reporting, Innovation, News Series, Writing and Breaking News, according to Hearst.

Lieze-Adams came to Waterman Broadcasting, WBBH’s former owner, from Hubbard Broadcasting-owned KTSP-TV Minneapolis-St. Paul in 1997. As KTSP’s senior executive producer of broadcasts, he won a regional Emmy Award for producing the “Healthcare in the Heartland” regional town hall event with then-President Bill Clinton. Before KTSP, he served in several news roles at KGAN-TV Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

Lieze-Adams earned a bachelor’s degree from St. Cloud State University in Minnesota and has taken part in several professional development programs, including the Poynter Institute Broadcast Leadership Summit. He is a 17-year veteran, three as board chair, of the ABC Network News Director Advisory Board.

His civic affiliations include service on the executive committee of the Foundation of Lee Public Schools; board membership for the Red Sox Foundation’s Home Base SWFL support program for veterans and service members in need; and on the advisory board of Florida Repertory Theater. Local magazine Gulfshore Life named him a person of the year.

Hearst Television has promoted David Callahan to the corporate role of director, broadcast information technology. He had been IT manager at WXII-WCWG Winston-Salem, North Carolina, and will continue to be based at the CBS-The CW duopoly.

Callahan takes on his new role Dec. 1, following the retirement of 49-year Hearst veteran Larry Vancini. He will report to Vice President, Information Technology Kenneth Murphy.

“David is an extremely talented systems engineer who has been an invaluable member of the Hearst Television technology team for many years,” Stefan Hadl, Hearst Television senior vice president, broadcast engineering and technology, said in a statement. “His diverse experience in the broadcast industry affords him a special vantage point and understanding of our operations and technology, making him the perfect individual to help lead our television properties’ IT needs into the future.

“We congratulate David on this well-earned promotion, and we thank Larry for all his many contributions to our company and industry, and we wish him all the best in retirement,” Hadl added.

The son of a mobile truck engineer at North Carolina’s UNC-TV, Callahan joined Hearst-owned WXII-TV in 2002 as a maintenance technician. There, he played a key role in the station’s analog-to-digital transition.

Later, as IT manager, he adopted server-virtualization technologies at the stations, as well as newsroom, production and master-control automation systems, Hearst said. He recently led one of the station group’s first implementations of a new standard enabling transmission of uncompressed video over IP networks, the company said.

Prior to joining Hearst, he served in various production and engineering roles within the market at WXLV-TV.

Hearst TV owns or operates 35 TV stations and two radio stations in 27 markets across 39 states, reaching more than 24 million U.S. TV households.

NEW YORK and MILWAUKEE—Jan Wade, president and general manager of Hearst Television-owned ABC affiliate WISN-TV Milwaukee and that market’s first woman GM, will retire at year-end, the station group said.

In departing WISN, Wade caps a career of more than 40 years at top stations in seven major markets, Hearst said. Her successor will be named at a later date.

“I feel blessed to have spent the past four decades working in a profession that I am so passionate about,” Wade said. “I am also greatly honored to have worked beside many valued and talented colleagues all along the way. I will cherish them.

“I am also particularly grateful to have spent the past several years with Hearst Television,” she added. “Finally, it is my hope that I have made a small difference in the stations and the communities I’ve served.”

During Wade’s tenure, she oversaw a substantial expansion of the 70-year-old station’s local news and programming, Hearst said, with the station expanding its weekday morning news and adding newscasts at 4:30 a.m., 11 a.m., 4 p.m. and 9 p.m. She also oversaw the launch of Sunday-morning public affairs program “Upfront” and weekly sports magazine show “Big 12 Sports Saturday.”

The expanded newscasts helped WISN maintain its market-leading position in local news, Hearst said, with the station’s weekday newscasts winning in every major sweeps period for the past five years. WISN also won several awards in Wade’s tenure, including multiple regional Edward R. Murrow Awards, a national Murrow and designation by the Wisconsin Broadcasters Association as its 2023 News Operation of the Year. The WBA has named WISN its Station of the Year 10 times since Wade joined in 2007, Hearst said.

WISN’s community service efforts under Wade were recognized in 2021 with the NAB Leadership Foundation Service to America Award, honoring the station for helping to raise more than $1 million to benefit The Hunger Task Force’s work to feed Milwaukee citizens affected by COVID-19.

“Leveraging her deep industry experience, Jan has led WISN to a consistent level of excellence and quality in all facets of the organization while further solidifying its position as Milwaukee’s news leader,” Hearst Television president Michael J. Hayes said. “Jan is a broadcaster and she has led by example while expanding and strengthening WISN’s important role in the community.”

Prior to joining Hearst and WISN, Wade was president and GM of ABC affiliate WATE-TV Knoxville. Before that, she held leadership roles at stations in Nashville, Tennessee; Tampa, Florida; Providence, Rhode Island; and Minneapolis. She started her TV career at WLKY-TV Louisville, Kentucky, as assistant promotion manager.

She was board chair of the Wisconsin Broadcasters Association and currently serves on its executive committee and as co-chair of its Diversity and Inclusion Committee; served for five years on the ABC TV Board of Governors; and was a National Association of Broadcasters Ambassador. She was named a Milwaukee Business Journal Woman of Influence in 2017 and has received The Silver Circle Award from the Midwest/Chicago Emmy Chapter.

NEW YORK —Derek Schnell, who since 2018 has served as news director of KCRA-TV and KQCA-TV, Hearst Television’s NBC- and CW-affiliated stations in Sacramento, California, has been promoted to regional director of news for the company. He will continue to serve as KCRA/KQCA news director.

In his new position, Schnell will have management oversight for the news operations of the company’s California stations, KCRA/KQCA and KSBW-TV, the NBC affiliate in the Monterey-Salinas market, and its Albuquerque, New Mexico, ABC affiliate, KOAT-TV. He will also be more actively involved in the company’s groupwide news initiatives, according to the company.

“Derek has proven in every role he’s assumed for us that he’s a natural leader with a creative and innovative mind,” said Barbara Maushard, Hearst Television senior vice president & chief content officer, news. “Through newscast expansion, special multiplatform programming, engagement with technological advances and his commitment to journalistic excellence, Derek has further defined the Hearst Sacramento duopoly as the market leader. He will continue to inspire colleagues as he takes on added responsibilities. It’s a natural evolution for Derek and our team.”

Under Schnell's leadership, KCRA and KQCA have expanded coverage as Northern California's news leader, adding 13 additional hours of newscasts each week extending these efforts to digital, social and interactive storytelling. He launched daily linear and digital Spanish content initiatives while increasing the volume of special programming and documentary work. This content has changed laws in California, sparked renewed investment in historically disadvantaged communities and earned numerous national and regional honors across platforms, Hearst said.

Schnell has spent his entire professional career at Hearst Television, from intern to news director. After an investigative internship at KETV in Omaha, Schnell joined KOCO-TV as a producer before becoming an executive producer. He later moved to KMBC-TV and KCWE-TV, Hearst Television's ABC and CW affiliates in Kansas City, where he served as an executive producer, joining KCRA/KQCA in the same capacity before being elevated to assistant news director and news director.

Schnell started his journalism career at KOMU, the university-owned NBC affiliate in Columbia as a student at the University of Missouri.

COLLEGE PARK, Md.—The Library of American Broadcasting Foundation has announced that Hearst Television will be honored with the 2nd Annual Library of American Broadcasting Foundation’s (LABF) Excellence in Broadcast Preservation Award in recognition of the company’s outstanding dedication and commitment to preserving broadcast history.

The presentation will take place during the Annual “Giants of Broadcasting” luncheon celebration on Tuesday, November 12th at noon at Gotham Hall in New York City.

The honor is awarded to an individual, organization, or company, who exemplifies the essence of preservation and collection within the broadcast industry.

“Hearst is leading the way in preservation among media companies across the country,” said LABF co-chairs Heidi Raphael and Jack Goodman. “Their commitment and dedication to preserving important moments in local and national broadcast history across the entire company for future generations to follow for years to come is truly exceptional. It is truly a privilege to be able to honor them for this outstanding work.”

Hearst Television is a national multimedia company with 35 owned or operated television stations, two radio stations, and digital properties in 27 markets. Reaching 24 million U.S. television households, Hearst Television delivers local and national news, weather, information, sports and entertainment programming via every available content-delivery platform. Hearst Television is a division of Hearst, one of the nation’s largest global, diversified information, services and media companies, whose diverse portfolio also includes ownership in cable television networks such as A&E, HISTORY, Lifetime and ESPN; 24 daily and 52 weekly newspapers; digital services businesses; and more than 200 magazines around the world.

For more information on purchasing tickets and sponsorship opportunities, please contact Event Producer BJ Corriveau at bjcorriveau@giantsofbroadcasting.org.

WASHINGTON—Several broadcast station groups have formed an advocacy to invest and promote the advancement of RUN3TV, a software suite for ATSC 3.0 that takes advantage of the format’s IP architecture to offer a wide range of advanced options, including DVR-type features as well as emergency alerts and ad personalization. 

The companies—Gray Television, Sinclair Broadcast Group, Hearst Television, Tegna and The E.W. Scripps Company—are members of Pearl TV, a consortium of broadcasters, manufacturers and NGOs that was formed at the dawn of the ATSC 3.0 transition when it launched six years ago and have been among the most proactive station groups in deploying and promoting ATSC 3.0. Specific financial terms of the investment were not disclosed. 

ATSC 3.0 has been launched by more than 91 stations in 40 markets, bringing the advanced broadcast standard to within reach of more than 75% of U.S. households. Pearl says it expects that number to grow to more than 200 stations in 53 markets by the end of 2024.

The broadcast group investors will lead the funding to accelerate the commercial launch of the ATSC 3.0 Framework Authority (A3FA), the driving force behind the RUN3TV platform. Pearl TV says it expects additional broadcast groups to become involved in the future. Progress Partners is the exclusive financial adviser for Pearl TV and A3FA initiative.

Pearl TV says the move unites broadcasters to offer new services and unlock the full potential of the convergence of broadcast and broadband that ATSC 3.0 enables.  The effort provides a common method for viewers to take advantage of NextGen TV broadcasting by standardizing broadcast application capabilities across manufacturers to provide interactive services and the convergence of over-the-air with over-the-top (broadcast + broadband) connectivity. 

For viewers, RUN3TV introduces an innovative suite of features designed to elevate the NEXTGEN TV experience, enabling functionalities like “Start Over” and advanced emergency alerts for broadcaster’s applications. This platform not only enriches the viewing experience with enhanced access to local news, weather, and on-demand content including VOD and streaming services but also provides viewers with immediate access to essential information and their favorite entertainment. With RUN3TV, viewers benefit from a more interactive, engaging, and modern viewing experience.

For broadcasters, RUN3TV makes it easy to integrate essential and advanced features across various platforms, while also allowing for the customization of unique services and content. This platform enhances broadcasters' ability to gather detailed viewership data, offering insights that help tailor content directly to viewer preferences, according to Pearl TV. With RUN3TV, broadcasters can not only provide seamless access to applications like “Start Over” and advanced emergency alerts but also significantly improve content discovery and viewer engagement.

"Our investment in RUN3TV and ATSC 3.0 is a strategic endeavor for local broadcasters like Gray, bringing additional, measurable value to local stations by providing more choices for our viewers.  RUN3TV improves over the air viewership measurement, but it also gives our viewers more options at the touch of a button to engage deeper with their local stations,” said Pat LaPlatney, CEO of Gray Television.

"By integrating our applications into the RUN3TV platform, we're committed to uniting the industry toward enriching the viewer experience, including offering more interactive services and essential public services like emergency alerts," stated Chris Ripley, CEO of Sinclair Broadcast Group.

Also critical to this effort is the collaboration with media measurement companies, including Nielsen and Comscore, Pearl said. Nielsen and Pearl TV have worked closely since 2018 and Nielsen watermarking success was confirmed during early ATSC 3.0 transmission trials. More recently, Pearl TV and Nielsen have further engaged as the NextGen TV rollout has now reached 75% of U.S. TV households.

“Nielsen is pleased to evolve our longstanding relationship with Pearl TV as we jointly explore the use of OTA ‘big data’ in our local TV measurement. OTA households have been a critical element of our local TV service for decades, and this latest development around RUN3TV is an exciting step in potentially being able to harness the power of OTA broadcasting data sources, which will only enhance our local TV measurement,” said Paul LeFort, Managing Director of Nielsen’s Local TV business.

Pearl TV engaged Comscore in 2018 to draw from Comscore’s long-term expertise with ‘big data’ as an industry leader validating, aggregating and providing solutions from return path data from virtually every Multichannel Video Programming Distributor (MVPD) in the ecosystem, the group said.  Comscore partnered with Pearl TV on the ATSC 3.0 trials and now brings more than two decades of expertise to the new RUN3TV platform.

"Our partnership aims to enhance audience measurement precision with big data capabilities for over-the-air, contributing to the industry's growth and innovation. Comscore eagerly anticipates the rollout of RUN3TV by broadcasters as it will allow enhanced return path data capabilities increasing the customer satisfaction and value of measurement," commented Brian Pugh, Chief Information Officer, Comscore.

ENGLEWOOD, Colo.—Dish Network has reached a new multiyear carriage agreement with Hearst Television, Inc., ending a blackout of the Hearst-owned stations that began on September 8.  

“We’re pleased to have reached a long-term agreement that benefits all parties and most importantly, our customers,” said Gary Schanman, executive vice president and group president, video services, Dish Network. “Thank you to our customers for your patience and understanding as we worked through the negotiations.”

The blackout had impacted Dish customers' access to 37 local channels in 27 markets. 

The new deal, which was announced on Nov. 10, restores: Alburqueque, NM (KOAT), Baltimore, MD (WBAL), Birmingham, AL (WVTM), Boston, MA (WCVB & WMUR), Burlington, VT (WNNE & WPTZ),Cincinnati, OH (WLWT), Des Moines, IA (KCCI), Fort Myers, FL (WBBH), Fort Smith, AR (KHBS & KHBSD & KHOG), Greensboro, NC (WCWG & WXII), Greenville, SC (WYFF), Harrisburg, PA (WGAL), Jackson, MS (WAPT), Kansas City, MO (KCWE & KMBC), Louisville, KY (WLKY), Milwaukee, WI (WISN), Monterey, CA (KSBW & KSBWD), New Orleans, LA (WDSU), Oklahoma City, OK (KOCO), Omaha, NE (KETV), Orlando, FL (WESH & WKCF), Pittsburgh, PA (WTAE), Portland, ME (WMTW & WPXT), Sacramento, CA (KCRA & KQCA), Savannah, GA (WJCL), Tampa, FL (WMOR), West Palm Beach, FL (WPBF).

NEW YORK—The Broadcasters Foundation of America has announced that Jordan Wertlieb, executive vice president and chief operating officer of Hearst is the 2024 recipient of the Broadcasters Foundation of America Golden Mike Award. 

The award will be presented during a black-tie fundraiser on Monday, March 4, 2024, at the Plaza Hotel in New York City. This year’s host, presenters, and performer will be announced shortly.

“I am honored by this recognition from the Board of the Broadcasters Foundation,” said Wertlieb. “The Broadcasters Foundation’s mission is to provide financial aid to our colleagues whose lives have been impacted by illness, accident, or natural disaster. I am committed to helping those in need and grateful to all who support this important organization.”

Wertlieb was promoted to executive vice president and chief operating officer of Hearst in May 2023. He has been a member of the Hearst board of directors since 2013.

Previously, Wertlieb was a senior vice president of Hearst and president of Hearst Television since 2013, responsible for Hearst Television's stations and digital properties (across 26 U.S. markets), two radio stations, and its production company, Hearst Media Production Group. During his tenure, Hearst Television expanded substantially in original television and digital programming, and its stations earned numerous regional and national journalism and community service honors.

Wertlieb is a member of the Broadcasters Foundation Board of Directors and currently serves as its Vice Chair.

“We’re proud to honor Jordan for his distinguished career, commitment to broadcasting, and dedication to the charitable mission of the Broadcasters Foundation,” said Scott Herman, chairman of the Broadcasters Foundation of America. “He is a staunch believer in top-quality content that audiences want.”

Tim McCarthy, president of the Broadcasters Foundation, commented, “Jordan’s impressive career is matched only by his inspiring commitment to the Broadcasters Foundation. He gives his time and energy to advancing our cause, including attending our recent Media Mixer in New York City, an event designed for junior professionals in broadcasting to meet and network with top-level executives.”

In addition to the Broadcasters Foundation Board, Wertlieb serves on the Board of the National Association of Broadcasting’s (NAB) Leadership Foundation and is a member of the A+E Networks Board. In 2015, he was inducted into the Maryland D.C. Delaware Broadcasting Hall of Fame and, in 2018, to the Broadcasting & Cable Hall of Fame. In 2021, he was recognized by the National Association of Television Program Executives (NATPE) with its Lew Klein Award for Leadership and by the Library of American Broadcasting Foundation (LABF) for Lifetime Achievement during the LABF's Giants of Broadcasting & Electronic Arts awards ceremony.

The Broadcasters Foundation Golden Mike Award is presented annually to an individual for their excellence in and commitment to broadcasting, and their ongoing service to the community at large. The award ceremony and dinner attract a who’s who of broadcast media executives and celebrities.

Previous recipients include: Bob Pittman, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of iHeartMedia; David Barrett, former President and Chief Executive Officer of Hearst Television; Perry Sook, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Nexstar Media Group; Emily Barr, former President and Chief Executive Officer of Graham Media Group; Hilton Howell, Jr., Chairman and Chief Executive Officer at Gray Television; and Jack Abernethy, Chief Executive Officer of FOX Television Stations; among others.

The Broadcasters Foundation has distributed millions of dollars in aid to broadcasters who have lost their livelihood through a catastrophic event, debilitating disease or unforeseen tragedy. Personal donations can be made to the Foundation’s Guardian Fund. Corporate contributions are accepted through the Angel Initiative, and bequests can be made through the Foundation’s Legacy Society.

More information, including how to make a donation or apply for aid, is available at www.broadcastersfoundation.org, or by contacting the Broadcasters Foundation at 212-373-8250 or info@thebfoa.org.

BURBANK, Calif.—The CW Network (The CW) has announced that it has expanded and  extended its network affiliation agreement with Hearst Television. 

Under the new multi-year agreement, Hearst will continue carrying The CW’s entertainment and sports programming in six markets across the country, and commencing on September 1, will launch The CW on Hearst’s KQCA-TV, a new CW affiliate in Sacramento, California. 

Financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed. 

“Hearst has been an important partner for The CW throughout the years and we are extremely pleased to  be launching a new CW affiliate in Sacramento,” said Dennis Miller, president of The CW Network. “KQCA TV is already home to LIV Golf in Sacramento, and this agreement will ensure that viewers there won’t  miss a moment of our other highly-rated sports and entertainment programming, including ACC college  football and basketball, and INSIDE THE NFL, both of which premiere this fall.” 

In addition to the launch of The CW on KQCA-TV, the new agreement covers WKCF-TV in Orlando, Florida,  KCWE-TV in Kansas City, Missouri, WPXT-TV in Portland, Maine, WCWG-TV, in Greensboro, North Carolina,  WNNE-TV in Burlington, Vermont, and KHOG-TV/KHBS-TV in Ft. Smith, Arkansas. 

“The evolution of The CW with the infusion of live sports like NASCAR Xfinity Series racing and ACC football  and basketball, along with new entertainment programming, brings excitement and momentum to our  group,” said Michael J. Hayes, president of Hearst Television. “We look forward to working with Dennis  and his team in this expanded partnership, continuing our relationship with the network.” 

NEW YORK—Heart Television has promoted Kenneth Murphy to vice president of information technology.

Formerly serving as executive director for network architecture and engineering, Murphy has risen rapidly through the ranks of the station group’s technology operation, moving from network engineer in 2005 to manager of network engineering, associate director of network engineering and finally to director, his immediate past role, the company said. 

“Ken has a history of Hearst success and will bring that knowledge with him in this move to Hearst Television,” said Hearst TV president Michael Hayes. “His experience in security, systems and integration is additive to our technology strategy today and fortifies it for the future.”

Murphy counts among his many accomplishments leading an initiative to standardize Hearst’s network security, which achieved a companywide unification of network security platforms; directing research, development and implementation of a modern SD-WAN platform; transforming the group’s network capabilities while enabling new business connectivity opportunities; and leading an initiative to identify and isolate business-critical at-risk networks to prepare for possible threats and attacks.

“Ken will be responsible for helping lead all of Hearst Television’s technological initiatives,” said Stefan Hadl, Hearst Television’s senior vice president, broadcast engineering & technology. “A primary focus is on IT security. He will also lead the planning, design and implementation of our next-generation IT networking infrastructure to support all operations relative to connectivity, storage, data and video transport and distribution And he will help lead our strategic planning and deployment of cloud resources and technology with the objective of making our operations more efficient and nimble.”

Murphy graduated Summa Cum Laude from Strayer University in Charlotte, N.C., with a Bachelor of Science degree in Information Systems with concentration in Internetworking Technologies. He has participated in a Hearst Technical Leadership Program administered by Cornell University as well as a Hearst Leadership Development Program administered by Harvard Business Publishing. 

He was an inaugural recipient of Hearst’s Neil McManus Award in recognition of customer service, dedication, professional excellence and team leadership and is a United States Air Force veteran who earned medals for Good Conduct, Outstanding Service and Meritorious Service.

More information is available on the company’s website.

BOSTON, Mass.—Hearst Television has named Kevin Kalia director of engineering for WCVB Channel 5, Hearst Television’s flagship station. Kalia will assume the new post on July 10. 

“Kevin is an extremely talented broadcast executive who has been an invaluable member of the Hearst Television team for many years,” said Kyle I. Grimes, WCVB president and GM. “Kevin’s diverse leadership experience in the broadcast industry allows him a unique vantage point, and his dedication to mentorship perfectly aligns with WCVB’s commitment to public service. We are excited to welcome Kevin to WCVB’s management team and know he will be a tremendous addition to the Channel 5 family.”

Kalia joins WCVB from WGAL, Hearst Television’s market-leading property in Lancaster, Pa., where he served for four years as the director of engineering managing all broadcast engineering operations as well as the station’s facilities and platforms. Kalia helped lead the station through the uncharted waters of the pandemic by innovating and adapting technologies while simultaneously launching and executing the largest renovation project in the history of the station, the company reported. 

Long dedicated to advancing the media industry and mentoring future professionals, Kalia also worked to build relationships with regional universities and high schools providing resources to media students. Kalia led the charge and successfully secured an unprecedented grant from the Pennsylvania Association of Broadcasters to fund all new equipment for the broadcast program at McCaskey High School serving as a beta for future high school grants in the state. 

Before WGAL, Kalia was the assistant chief engineer at WYFF, Hearst Television’s Greenville, S.C. station. While at WYFF, Kalia helped manage all aspects of the newsroom’s renovation. He also managed all technical logistics for the station’s special events including two Clemson National Championship parades, total solar eclipse coverage, and a Gubernatorial Debate. Before WYFF, Kalia was Digital Content Manager at Hearst’s WTAE in Pittsburgh, Pa. where he first was a producer in WTAE’s News Department. He began his broadcasting career at WTAJ in Altoona, Pa. as a news producer.  

Kalia, a member of The Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers, holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Media Studies/Film & Television from Pennsylvania State University.

NEW YORK—Hearst has agreed to acquire WBBH-TV from Waterman Broadcasting Corporation in a deal that will add the NBC-affiliated television station serving the Fort Myers and Naples, Florida, DMA to its presence in the Florida market. 

WBBH-TV also broadcasts the Heroes & Icons network on a digital sub-channel. 

Financial terms were not disclosed. 

Under the transaction, Hearst will assume Waterman Broadcasting’s programming relationship with Montclair Communications, Inc., owner of WZVN-TV, the market’s ABC affiliate. WZVN-TV also broadcasts the MeTV and Dabl networks on its digital sub-channels.

The anticipated closing date for the transaction is third-quarter 2023, pending completion of all regulatory approvals.

The acquisition of WBBH-TV expands Hearst’s presence in Florida. The company owns WESH-TV and WKCF-TV, the NBC and CW affiliates in Orlando; WPBF-TV, the ABC affiliate serving the West Palm Beach television market; and WMOR-TV, an independent television station in Tampa-St. Petersburg. Hearst Television reaches nearly one out of every five households in the U.S.

WBBH-TV and WZVN-TV have earned multiple awards for compelling and in-depth journalism and service to the Fort Myers and Naples communities. Collectively, the stations earned three national Edward R. Murrow Awards in 2022 from the Radio Television Digital News Association.

“This transaction provides an excellent strategic fit for our company and underscores our commitment to local television broadcasting and to leadership in our television markets across the country,” Steven R. Swartz, president and CEO of Hearst said.

“Bernie and Edith Waterman have been outstanding stewards of WBBH-TV and the programming relationship with WZVN-TV,” added Jordan Wertlieb, president of Hearst Television Inc. “They have served the viewers of Fort Myers and Naples with distinction since 1979. Of course, both stations provided important lifesaving coverage during Hurricane Ian and have been providing information and updates as the area recovers and rebuilds. We are proud to have been selected to continue the legacy of such distinguished broadcasters.”

"The decision to sell WBBH is challenging and emotional," commented Edith B. Waterman, president of Waterman Broadcasting. "We have had the great privilege of proudly serving southwest Florida for more than four decades. Broadcasting has filled our lives with wonderful relationships and deep ties to our communities. I am so grateful to all the talented and dedicated employees who made our innovative stations pillars of their communities and great places to work and grow over the last 67 years.”

Fort Myers/Naples is the 55th largest television market in the United States. The acquisition would add a 12th NBC affiliate to the Hearst station group. Hearst also owns 14 ABC affiliates. Both represent significant partnerships with the respective networks.

WBBH-TV went on the air in December 1968 as the market’s NBC affiliate. Waterman Broadcasting Corporation was founded by Bernard Waterman in 1956 when he purchased WAAB-AM in Worcester, Massachusetts. WBBH and what is now WZVN began a programming relationship in 1994.

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif.—Hearst Television ABC affiliate KMBC in Kansas City, Mo. deployed gear from TVU networks to provide local and on-site coverage of Super Bowl LVII last week. Coverage included local watch parties, at-game interviews, and fan celebrations during the championship which saw the Kansas City Chiefs defeat the Philadelphia Eagles in the last minutes of the game. 

Having prior experience of dealing with bandwidth limitations at crowded events like watch parties and fan celebrations, KMBC—for the 2023 SUper Bowl celebrations—deployed five TVU One 5G video transmitters; TVU Partyline cloud collaboration solution; TVU MLink uplink transmitter, and TVU Grid for IP-based video switching, routing and distribution to capture and deliver video from Kansas City and Phoenix - the championship host city.

“The beauty of the TVU One is that they’ve gotten to the point with IS+ that they’re so reliable we can anticipate bandwidth challenges on-site and correct them before they happen,” said Neeley Schmitz, Assistant News Director, KMBC-TV. “There were thousands of people at a watch party in downtown Kansas City on Sunday. We had some bandwidth challenges there. We simply adjusted the bit rate down and increased the latency by one second. The shot was clean without any issues. That ability to immediately adapt our equipment to the environment was crucial.”

TVU One delivers high-quality live video over a 5G cellular bonded infrastructure, according to the company Using its proprietary IS+ technology, all TVU uplink solutions use any combination of cellular, satellite, microwave, WiFi and Ethernet IP connections to deliver live HD video from practically any location. IS+ allows any IP connection at any time without stopping the transmission.

For the victory parade on Feb. 15h, KMBC set up four TVU One’s at various locations along the route using network connectivity, and one TVU One fed pool video to TVU Grid for sharing with other Hearst stations and other national networks. KMBC also shared live coverage from Phoenix, post-game interviews, and local live fan celebrations throughout the city on Grid.

A TVU MLink from the station’s SUV transmitted live video from the celebratory fireworks display from Kansas City’s Union Station after the Chiefs’ victory.

Schmitz said they appreciated being able to use TVU Partyline as a real-time return video feed for the remote crews in Phoenix to communicate with the control room. “One of the biggest challenges we’ve faced is communication between our local staff and our reporters and photographers out of town—for them to visually interact with the images they’re sending. During the championship game, we sent our photographers in Phoenix a Partyline link and routed our main feed from the control room to their Partyline screen so they could see the images they’re sending as we’re putting them out from Kansas City.”

He added that KMBC uses TVU Partyline for virtual, on-air interviews with one person and multiple interviewees. “It's clean because we can distribute it seamlessly through our TVU infrastructure in the studio, and it always works. It’s much more reliable for us than the mainstream video call software.”

Aside from its reliable transmission, the mobility and accessibility provided by the TVU ecosystem were two of the main attributes Schmitz cited during the remote live production: “Having to run a hardwire cable from a satellite or mobile truck from the watch party in Kansas City’s Power & Light district, with that crowd, would have made the shots we got impossible. TVU gives us that versatility. We had a photographer traveling from one sporting goods store to another, capturing people grabbing championship t-shirts and sweatshirts. We were able to quickly edit the video and get it on air. The efficiency and accessibility of TVU has really elevated what we’re able to do.”

“KMBC’s deployment of its full ecosystem of TVU solutions is at the heart of everything we do,” said Paul Shen, CEO, TVU Networks. “They’re using our technology to provide the most engaging video coverage possible during one of the year’s biggest live events in the city. The reliability of wireless TVU connectivity meant they could broadcast from several locations in Kansas City and Phoenix simultaneously. We’re thrilled we could help them reach their audience in a way that makes every viewer feel part of the action.”

LEAWOOD, Kan.—A wide-ranging discussion of NextGen TV possibilities available to broadcasters both in the U.S. and Jamaica was front and center during the “New Opportunities in NextGen Broadcast” virtual panel as part of the 2022 TV Tech Summit on Nov. 17.

Panelists included Stefan Hadl, senior vice president of broadcast engineering and technology at Hearst Television; Del Parks, president of technology at Sinclair Broadcast Group; Raymond Robinson, strategic account director at Crown Castle International; and John Schur, president of the Solutions Group at Telos Alliance.  

After a recap of where Sinclair and Hearst Television are along their ATSC 3.0 deployment paths, both Parks and Hadl agreed that encouraging broader and more rapid consumer adoption of NextGen TV will require the industry to begin offering 3.0-enabled service enhancements that set the next generation of television broadcasting apart from what is available with the existing DTV standard.

Both praised the recent Pearl TV announcement of a FastTrack program to make it easier for CE manufacturers to build HDMI-based 3.0 receiver dongles that can work with existing ATSC 1.0 sets equipped with an HDMI port as an important step in getting NextGen TV service in front of people.

An industrywide effort in which broadcasters actually pay some or all of the cost of such dongles should be on the table, said Parks.

Doing so not only would expose more viewers to the benefits of 3.0, but it would also make it possible to accelerate the currently indefinite sunset date for ATSC 1.0 service, making it easier and faster for broadcasters to begin exploiting all available broadcast bandwidth for new, potentially profitable service offerings, he said.

(Broadcasters were given a five-year ATSC 1.0 sunset by the FCC, but it is doubtful they will strand a large percentage of their audiences with 1.0 sets and no ability to receive 3.0 over the air.)

Whether or not the industry gets behind such an effort, Pearl’s initiative to accelerate development of receiver dongles is welcome news, said Hadl.

Telos Alliance’s Schur pointed out ATSC 3.0—particularly AC-4, the audio codec selected for use with the standard in the United States—offers broadcasters many “freebies” that he described as service enhancements that do not require additional investment in 3.0 technology beyond the cost of a basic deployment.

For example, object-based audio built into Dolby AC-4 is a pathway to new service offerings and opportunities. With object-based audio, enhancements like descriptive audio and multiple language audio tracks, are possible. Dialog enhancement, which viewers can use to pull forward dialog and push back music and effects is another freebie broadcasters can leverage to serve something new to their audiences, he said.

Crown Castle International’s Robinson brought everyone up to date on the deployment of ATSC 3.0 in Jamaica. There, the standard offers broadcasters several opportunities to serve viewers better. In particular, remote education and emergency alerting are two opportunities broadcasters will use in Jamaica to meet the needs of islanders.

There are challenges, however. Unlike the U.S., Jamaica is jumping directly from analog to 3.0; another difference is the socio-economic status of most Jamaicans, who are not likely to spend a large percentage of their annual income on a new NextGen TV set. That in turn makes some sort of analog-to-3.0 set top box all the more important to ultimate success. Whether or not CE makers will respond with an STB solution, is an unknown.

To view this session and others from the Nov. 17, 2022 TV Tech Summit on demand, register for the event here.

NEW YORK and IRVINE, Calif.—Hearst Television announced today that its free streaming service, Very Local, is now available on Vizio smart TVs.

Very Local provides round-the-clock local news in Hearst Television markets nationwide. Viewers can also stream Very Local original series that encompass food, travel, adventure, dating and true crime—all with an emphasis on stories from viewers' hometowns, and content relatable to communities everywhere.

"The addition of the Vizio platform marks a major step in the growth of our distribution for Very Local's programming," said Andrew Fitzgerald, Senior Vice President, Streaming Video Services, at Hearst Television. "We want to reach consumers with quality local content wherever they are and on their own timetable, and working with Vizio helps us substantially in that objective. We're confident Very Local will prove an excellent complement to Vizio's outstanding lineup of movies, TV shows, sports, kids and family content, news, lifestyle programming, gaming and more."

"We aim to give our audiences content that not only excites, but is relatable, too," said Chris Tanquary, Senior Director of Business Development at Vizio. "Very Local's addition to Vizio is sure to give our users the news, weather and shows that matter to them most, no matter where they are in the U.S."

Hearst’s Very Local App is available for free on Amazon Fire TV, Android TV, Apple TV, Roku or Vizio. 

NEW YORK CITY—Hearst Television has promoted Stefan Hadl, who has worked for the past three years as vice president of engineering, to senior vice president of broadcast engineering and technology, Hearst Television president Jordan Wertlieb said today.

“Stefan is an outstanding leader. He has been instrumental in advancing Hearst Television technology, leading our teams in the rollout of next generation television, and synthesizing the distribution of all our video assets on current and emerging platforms,” Wertlieb said. “Thanks to Stefan’s vision, our company is well-positioned to meet the expectations of the consumer while concurrently leading and attracting extraordinary talent to embrace the industry’s important and rapid video transformation.” 

Hadl led a team that helped navigate the operation of Hearst Television stations through the pandemic, including workflows involved with people working remotely and onsite. The same team under his leadership launched more than 40 new digital multicast channels across Hearst TV’s footprint and drove the company’s participation in the nationwide rollout of NextGen TV—with 14 of its 20 largest market stations taking part, the company said.

A member of multiple industry organizations, including ATSC, NAB, SMPTE, SBE and the Pearl consortium, Hadl joined Hearst Television in 1995 as a broadcast engineer at KCRA-TV (now the KCRA-TV/KQCA-TV duopoly) in Sacramento, Calif. 

Since then, he has held several engineering leadership positions at the company, including director of engineering at WMUR-TV in Manchester, N.H.; director of engineering at KCRA-TV/KQCA-TV, after returning to the station; and director of engineering and operations at WCVB-TV in Boston. Before becoming group vice president of engineering, he served as director of engineering of Hearst Television’s eastern region stations, including its Baltimore radio stations. 

More information is available on the broadcaster’s website.

ATLANTA—Allen Media Group has announced a new partnership with Hearst Television today, adding 27 premium news channels from Hearst’s Very Local digital news service to AMG’s Local Now free streaming service for local news and entertainment. 

The 27 free ad-supported streaming (FAST) channels are a part of Hearst Television's locally-focused digital brand, Very Local, serving 26 U.S. media markets spanning 39 states. The channels feature award-winning journalism from around the country and curated local content connecting consumers to their communities and beyond. The content includes original series that span across genres including food, travel, dating, adventure, and true crime.

"Local Now has the most local channels of any free streaming platform," said Byron Allen, Founder/Chairman/CEO of Local Now parent company, Allen Media Group. "We are thrilled to bring best-in-class local programming from Hearst Television to the Local Now platform. Our users value premium local news channels that they know and trust."

"We're excited to expand Hearst Television's streaming footprint by making our Very Local channels available to the diverse and growing audiences on the Local Now streaming app," said Andrew Fitzgerald, Hearst Television Senior Vice President of Streaming Services. "As consumers seek to connect with local news and information on streaming platforms, Hearst Television will meet them where they are with award-winning news and originals via Very Local."

Local Now provides localized news, weather, sports, traffic, and entertainment, produced by various leading news organizations, in more than 225 markets across the U.S. It offers more than 450 free streaming channels, including a Local Now channel in every DMA in the country, as well as more than 16,000 movies, TV shows, and documentaries. The Local Now app is available on Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, Android TV, Xfinity, Vizio, Samsung, Android and IOS devices. (X)

Hearst Television's Very Local programming will also be available on TheGrio Streaming App, Allen Media Group's free-streaming platform where Black America watches 24/7 premium content including award-winning movies, television shows, comedies, documentaries and a diverse array of channels. TheGrio Streaming App is now available on Roku, Amazon Fire TV, AppleTV, Android/Google TV, and Android and Apple handheld devices.

NEW YORK—Hearst Television has announced that Alvin R. Lustgarten, who since 2020 has served as Hearst Television's senior vice president, technology and information services, will retire in summer 2023, capping more than three decades with Hearst Television and more than four decades in various roles within Hearst corporation.

“Al has been one of the most important common threads in the Hearst Television tapestry for over thirty years,” said Hearst Television President Jordan Wertlieb.  “His leadership of the technology strategy, systems, and processes as well as his mentorship of many of our colleagues, has been instrumental in the evolution of Hearst Television from its original footprint to the significant scale of today’s company.  We are all grateful for the significant contributions to our company and the industry that Al has made to position all of our businesses for success for years to come.”

Prior to his current title, Lustgarten was, since 2001, vice president, technology and information services overseeing the company's technology, information, and back-office ad operation services. Lustgarten has also provided strategic leadership for many of the company's new technology initiatives, including artificial intelligence, machine learning and analytics; has played a critical role in overseeing Hearst Television's cloud transformation; and has led all aspects of its information security program. 

"During his tenure at Hearst Television, Al has witnessed many advancements in broadcast technologies, business models, and the operational needs that accompanied each of these changes. Al has consistently proven himself to be a versatile executive, meeting every new challenge and leadership opportunity," added John Drain, Hearst Television's chief financial officer. "He has led many innovation initiatives to re-orient and re-tool legacy practices and systems to meet contemporary demands and anticipate next generation needs. It's been rewarding to have him as a valued colleague."

“I’ve been fortunate and privileged to spend nearly my entire career at Hearst,” Lustgarten said.  “The company has afforded me incredible opportunities – such as enabling me to be a part of the team building Hearst Television into one of America’s premier local broadcast companies.  I’m thankful to all those who have worked with me, mentored me, and supported me; they have all contributed significantly to my success.”

Before Hearst Television, Lustgarten served in finance, accounting, and technology positions within parent company Hearst and Hearst Magazines, which he joined in 1981.

During his years at Hearst Television, Lustgarten played instrumental roles in the development of the company’s sales and financial reporting systems and its IT and communications infrastructures, among many other accomplishments.

Lustgarten also has held leadership roles within the television industry, especially focused on efforts to modernize business practices.  He was a founding member of the TV Interface Practices (TIP) Initiative, a working consortium formed by local television broadcasters dedicated to promoting open interfaces to streamline advertising transactions for broadcasters and their media agency partners. Earlier this year, in partnership with colleagues from Gray Television, Graham Media, and CoxReps, Lustgarten was instrumental in Hearst Television’s investment in a Media Sales Gateway named Admiral -- a sell-side tool that provides both the infrastructure and workflows to automate converged advertising sales.

Lustgarten serves on numerous industry and Hearst corporate advisory committees and boards, representing the interests of Hearst Television's technology, security, and ad operations, and has been a frequent speaker at industry and partner conferences.  

Lustgarten received his undergraduate degree from the University of Hartford and holds an MBA from Fairleigh Dickinson University (FDU); he is an active participant in the FDU Silberman College of Business alumni program.

NEW YORK—In an interesting example of how broadcasters are looking to cross-pollinate their TV and digital efforts, Hearst Television’s broadcast stations in 26 markets will be airing a weeklong sample of original, entertaining reality programming courtesy of the company's recently introduced Very Local free streaming service. 

Starting on Labor Day September 5, the Very Local shows will appear during select time slots across the Hearst station footprint in a showcase of the best of the digital service's new original series. Content spans the breadth of Very Local's offerings, with a focus on food, travel, adventure, dating, and true crime. Each one-hour on-air programming block will highlight a different theme and will be hosted by one of Very Local's most popular personalities.

"Very Local Presents: More to Explore is a week-long celebration of the extraordinary talent, passion and resilience found in local communities across America," said Very Local director of programming Laura Ling.  "We're thrilled to share these stories with the broader television audience, and we hope viewers will download the free Very Local app for more."

Highlights of the digital programming making its way to broadcast include: 

• On Monday, September 5th, Ashley Adams, the host of Very Local's "Maker Nation", introduces viewers to some of the hottest crafters across the U.S., and then presents an episode of "Eat Play Stay", a Very Local flagship series featuring the best of what to do, where to dine, and where to stay in cities around the country, Hearst Television reported. 
• Tuesday, September 6th is hosted by Kinga Philipps, Shark Week's Tiger Queen, who is guide and guru behind Very Local's "Finding Adventure". After a "Finding Adventure" episode in which Kinga helps a young mother conquer her social anxiety and face her fears, Kinga introduces a new Very Local series, "Local Love", which features a single going on three blind dates -- while discovering a love of new things to do in her hometown. 
• Wednesday, September 7th takes viewers on a search for justice -- with two episodes of Very Local's popular true crime series "Hometown Tragedy", developed in collaboration with Hearst TV news teams around the country.
• On Thursday, September 8th, "Survivor" all-star Rob Mariano, host of Very Local's "Boston Rob Does Beantown", takes viewers through some of his favorite Boston hot spots and then tees up an episode of "My Amazing Cheap Date", in which couples compete to see who can make the most of a date-on-a-budget.
• The week-long on-air special programming showcase wraps on Friday, September 9th, with host Bime Cruz of "Blind Kitchen Boston". The charismatic chef hosts a blind-folded culinary battle, then spotlights the cooking series, "Plate it, Pittsburgh!" where sandwiches get the gourmet treatment in a creative culinary competition, the company reported. 

NEW YORK, N.Y.—Preman Narayanan, a veteran of some of the leading companies in targeted television advertising, is joining Hearst Television as vice president of ad operations and information services. 

Narayanan will assume that role, a newly created position at Hearst Television, effective August 1. He will be based at the company’s Charlotte, North Carolina, office.

Narayanan will oversee Hearst Television's linear and digital advertising operations and business operations departments and will help set the strategic direction of the company's advertising technology and information systems.

“Preman brings a wealth of advertising operations experience and will be a key player on the Hearst Television team as we continue to evolve our platforms to support advanced advertising solutions that meet the changing needs of our advertisers,” said John Drain, Hearst Television chief financial officer.

“Preman joins us at an exciting time for local broadcast advertising,” added Al Lustgarten, Hearst Television senior vice president of technology and information services, to whom Narayanan will report.  “Brands and buyers will have new opportunities to utilize advanced advertising techniques; Preman will lead the operations and ad technology initiatives which will enable our customers and sellers to take advantage of these opportunities.”

Narayanan has worked since 2013 at Effectv, based in Philadelphia, most recently as vice president of IT and technical operations. Among his roles there, he oversaw the implementation of advanced advertising solutions for Effectv's large Southern Division. 

Before Effectv, he was director of technology and operations for the Midwest and Southwest regions at Time Warner Cable Media. Before that, he was associate director – corporate strategy and U-verse TV advertising for AT&T. He also served in key product-development positions for EchoStar Broadband LLC and SkyStream Networks.  He began his career at ASTRO All Asia Networks in Kuala Lumpur in his native Malaysia.  He holds a bachelor’s in electrical engineering from Malaysia’s University of Technology and participated in the SCT/ISBE Leadership Program at Dartmouth University’s Tuck School of Business.

NEW YORK—The connected TV ad platform Publica has announced a technology agreement with Hearst Television that will help Hearst Television to enhance its streamed content with a traditional TV-like viewing experience, while maximizing Hearst's CTV advertising revenue. 

As part of the agreement, Publica will help Hearst deliver a seamless ad experience via the introduction of Server-Side Ad Insertion (SSAI) and help Hearst maximize revenue by running a unified-auction between multiple SSPs and Ad Exchanges. 

"Publica's SSAI and Unified Auction technology allows us to accomplish two critical objectives; to provide the best and most relevant experience for viewers, while enabling safe and efficient solutions for our advertisers," said Jonathan Sumber, vice president of digital sales, Hearst Television.

Key Publica technology features that Hearst Television has implemented include:

• Server Side Ad Insertion (SSAI) —  Gives Hearst Television the ability to deliver a seamless stream of CTV content and ads, with the granular controls to optimize each slot by revenue per second within the pod.
• Advanced Ad Pod Decisioning — Gives Hearst Television the ability to guarantee an advertiser first pod placement, and own a pod by brand category, helping with competitive separation and buy side frequency management.
• Unified Auction — Enables Hearst Television to run a controlled, unified auction of all demand sources to extract the highest yielding ad per slot in each streaming ad pod. Hearst Television is also using the Publica 'Live Logs' feature to enable real time transparency into each of the programmatic auctions within which the company's inventory is cleared; this permits Hearst Television to optimize yield and data strategies in real time to ensure it does not lose demand to supply path optimization (SPO).

Publica has been instrumental recently in helping the IAB Tech Lab to build out the new protocols that bring increased security and targeting to streaming ad breaks via the introduction of OpenRTB 2.6, and also ads.cert 2.0 that secures the practice of SSAI. In implementing Publica CTV ad decisioning technology, Hearst Television can ensure its CTV inventory is being targeted and served in the most secure way possible, providing its advertisers with the controls and transparency they require, the companies said. 

"We're excited to be collaborating with Hearst Television and providing them with the ad decisioning technology to grow their global advertising revenues, and empowering Hearst Television with the SSAI capabilities to improve their streamers' viewing experiences on CTV," said Ben Antier, co-founder and CEO, Publica.

NEW YORK—As part of a larger effort to recruit young engineering and IT talent to the rapidly changing local TV industry, Hearst Television has launched a new fellowship program in honor of a longtime top engineering executive at the station group.  

The Marty Faubell Broadcast Technology Fellowship is named for Martin “Marty” Faubell, who retired from Hearst Television in 2020 after serving the company for more than three decades, most recently as vice president of engineering.

The fellowship, to begin fall 2022, is designed to expose students and recruits to and actively engage them in all aspects of television production, with emphasis on engineering, IT, and the role of these disciplines within a live broadcast facility, the company explained. 

The program will culminate in a 10-week period of active, hands-on experience within broadcast operations, engineering and IT maintenance and support, electronic newsgathering (ENG), production, and broadcast transmission, among other skills and activities.  

“Marty spent a great deal of his career focused on the development and growth of future talent in the technology arena of our business,” said Jordan Wertlieb, Hearst Television president. “We are pleased and proud to honor him with the creation of this program, which was developed to help ensure a bright future for emerging generations of technology leaders in our company and the industry by applying the type of mentorship Marty provided so many for nearly four decades.”  

“Marty has been my mentor, colleague and friend for many years,” said Stefan Hadl, Faubell’s successor as Hearst Television’s vice president of engineering. “I cannot think of a better way to honor all his accomplishments and contributions to our industry.  

The new fellowship is part of a larger effort by Hearst Television to recruit and nurture entrants into local television from diverse backgrounds and disciplines, the company said.

The company launched a veteran recruiting effort in 2015 which has since grown substantially.  

In 2016, to develop young news producers, Hearst Television established the Fred Young Hearst Television Producing Fellowship, in recognition of its longtime senior-most news executive and one of television journalism’s most honored leaders.  

In 2021 Hearst Television and its parent company, Hearst, in league with the Emma Bowen Foundation, established an endowment in honor of Hearst vice president of finance Jeana Stanley -- who passed away in June 2020 -- to provide minority students need-based scholarships and internship opportunities within the media industry. 

The new Marty Faubell Broadcast Technology Fellowship comes at a time when the local TV industry is undergoing an unprecedented period of technological change, with stations embracing IP infrastructures, cloud-based technologies, streaming media, the new NextGen TV broadcast standard and a host of other cutting edge technologies. 

“It might surprise students and others not completely familiar with the industry that broadcast television stands on the cutting-edge of media and communications technology,” Hadl added.  “Television engineers and IT professionals touch every aspect of the field and are blazing trails in the use of CTV, OTT, VOIP and other developments, and hold in their hands a world of possibilities thanks to the latest technology enabling us to deliver what is known as NextGen TV.  There couldn’t be a better time for young people to enter the field, and for us to usher them into the industry via a program named for Marty.”

Faubell was Hearst Television’s vice president of engineering from 1997 to 2020, overseeing the company’s engineering operations and staff.  

Among other achievements, he supervised the stations’ shift from analog to digital broadcasting – a highly successful transition throughout the industry – and he innovated dedicated satellite access for enhanced newsgathering and content-sharing between the company’s stations, speeding their ability to bring important national and international news to local audiences.    

Previously, he was director of engineering for Hearst’s WTAE-TV in Pittsburgh, PA, where he supervised the introduction of advancements including robotic cameras, satellite newsgathering resources and digital editing.  

Before WTAE, he was assistant chief engineer at New York City’s WPIX-TV and, before that, he was engineering maintenance supervisor at highly regarded Raleigh, NC, station WRAL-TV.  A Cherry Hill, N.J. native, Faubell holds a bachelor’s degree in broadcast engineering and a master’s degree in broadcast management, both from Bob Jones University in Greenville, SC.  A member of the Society of Broadcast Engineers and the Society of Motion Picture and TV Engineers, he performs volunteer work with Habitat for Humanity.

More information the fellowship is available here. 

Matrix Solutions, a provider of media revenue management technology, announced today that it has signed partnerships with Gray TV, CoxReps, Graham Media and Heast Television to use its Media Sales Gateway platform.

Cox Enterprises’ Videa software will serve as the initial back-end technology for traditional linear spot and all future development will be built on Azure with an open architecture. The Media Sales Gateway, named Admiral, will be a sell-side tool that provides both the infrastructure and workflows to automate converged advertising sales, from demand through order fulfillment, including digital and OTT inventory, traditional spot, and impression-based/dynamic ad insertion for live linear.

Accommodating multichannel, omni-platform selling, Matrix says Admiral will provide a viable path for media companies to transition to converged, impression-based workflows, without needing to change the underlying traffic system. Its dynamic interoperability will ensure that orders are routed automatically to the appropriate inventory, regardless of a company’s current execution system.

“Emerging revenue platforms have introduced significant opportunities for us, but only if we can effectively optimize them,” shared Pat LaPlatney, Co-CEO and President, Gray Television. “Matrix has proven to be a trustworthy partner with in-depth media sales expertise and a shared goal of advancing our industry through collaboration.  We look forward to exploring how Admiral will enhance our operational workflow.”

• Buy-Side Aggregation: a portal for agencies to transmit requests for proposals.
• Inventory Management: provides visibility to all available inventory assets across digital (OTT, CTV) and linear platforms.
• Proposal/Negotiation: originates and builds converged proposals to electronically negotiate with the agency/buyer.
• Order Management: converts accepted proposals into orders and automatically propagates the required information to the underlying execution systems.
• Make-Goods and Campaign Management: once the initial orders are sent; make goods and campaigns will be managed through the system until the final order requirements are completed.

Admiral will be developed and released in several phases. The first phase will include the Buy-Side Aggregation platform and a primary workflow for traditional linear ad sales, with a target for completion in early fourth quarter of 2022. The second phase will include a fully converged experience for traditional linear, digital, and OTT workflows, with a completion target of second quarter 2023. Development will continue to include impressions-based linear with dynamic ad insertion workflows, including a push to ATSC 3.0 execution systems, as well as advanced reporting and analytics.

“I am a huge believer in the potential that can be achieved when media and technology companies partner. It leverages shared knowledge and expertise in a transparent way and produces expedited outcomes and solutions that are both economical and effective while generating maximum results,” commented Mark Gorman, CEO, Matrix. “We are grateful and honored by the partnerships of Gray Television, CoxReps, Graham Media, Hearst Television, and Cox Enterprises as we come together to develop this leading-edge solution that will support local, network, and more, around the globe. It will allow our industry to collectively sell more efficiently while also increasing the revenue to empower each media company to better create, inspire, inform, and entertain.”

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Nick Radziul, senior vice president of distribution and government affairs for Hearst Television, has been named to the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) Television Board of Directors by Television Board Chair Perry Sook.

Radziul assumes the Board seat of Patrick McCreery. McCreery was president of Meredith Corporation’s Local Media Group, which was recently acquired by Gray Television.

Radziul joined Hearst Television in 2016 and is responsible for the broadcaster’s distribution rights agreements with all programming and distribution partners, including national program networks, multichannel video programming distributors, and television and digital syndication partners. He also serves on the Board of Governors of the ABC Television Affiliates Association.

Before joining Hearst, Radziul was vice president, Strategic Transactions for CBS Corporation and served previously as senior counsel, Programming at Cablevision. He has also served as an associate at Davis & Gilbert LLP, focusing on media, advertising, corporate and entertainment clients, as well as an associate at Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP.

Radziul holds a Bachelor of Arts in Environmental Studies & Political Science from the State University of New York at Binghamton. He then served as an intelligence officer in the United States Air Force before earning his J.D. from the Georgetown University Law Center, where he was an editor of the Georgetown Law Journal.

NEW YORK—The Gray Television-backed free ad-supported streaming service VUit has announced major agreements with eight station groups and independent stations that will dramatically expand its hyperlocal offerings. 

The deals with such station groups as Hearst Television, Citadel Communications, Morris Network, and News Press & Gazette add 71 stations to the VUit platform from some of the nation’s largest markets including Boston, Baltimore, Orlando, Sacramento, and Pittsburgh. With the new stations, VUits local news coverage now includes 174 out of the 210 local markets nationwide. 

The service’s expansion is part of its plans to become the “Netflix of Live, Local, and Free,” the streamer said. The expansion also comes at a time when VUit is seeing deep engagement on the platform with the average viewer watching more than eight hours of hyperlocal content per month. 

“VUit has enabled our local stations to reach viewers with not only live news and programming relevant to them, but locally-produced on-demand content that viewers from across the country tune into,” said Pat LaPlatney, co-CEO & president at Gray Television, a major investor in Syncbak, VUit’s parent company. “We want every local station to be streaming on VUit. Viewers download the app to watch their local channel, and stick around to watch programming from local stations all across the country.”

Jack Perry, CEO of Syncbak, VUit’s parent company, added that “we’re looking forward to working with these high caliber partners who create the kinds of content that in many cases appeals to viewers well beyond the local market. They are not only adding volume, but also quality that will enable VUit to continue to affirm its position as a top destination for hyperlocal programming.”

Beyond enabling VUit to expand its selection of hyperlocal programming, the deals also help station groups and independent stations, increase audience and grow advertising revenue opportunities well beyond their local markets, the company said. 

The deals include: 

• National media company Morris Network now streams all six of its stations on VUit that come from six markets including Lexington and Chattanooga. 
• National broadcast group Hearst Television is now streaming Very Local-branded channels from 27 markets on VUit including Boston, Baltimore, and Pittsburgh.  WCVB in Boston is VUit’s first station in the market.
• WSNN, Citadel Communications’ Suncoast News Network, has a 24-hour news channel airing over 40 hours of live news each week in the Tampa market that will now be available on VUit. 
• Cox Media Group now has ten stations from ten markets including Atlanta, Seattle-Tacoma, and Charlotte on VUit.
• News Press & Gazette has signed on to stream all 20 of its stations on VUit, including KRDO in Colorado Springs, the group’s largest market.  KVIA in El Paso is also joining the platform, which will be a brand new market for VUit.  
• Family-owned Bahakel Communications just signed on to deliver six stations from five markets to VUit, including its flagship station, WCCB in Charlotte.  Other top markets include Columbia, SC and Myrtle Beach.
• Syncbak investor Gray Television has added another eight stations in eight markets through its purchase of Quincy, including Ft. Wayne, Peoria-Bloomington and Duluth-Superior. 
• Marks Radio Group has signed on to stream two of its stations on VUit, including its flagship station WBKB from Alpena, Michigan, which serves the northeastern Lower Peninsula of Michigan. 
• WFMJ Television in Youngstown is the only locally owned and operated station in the market, and one of the few still locally owned and operated stations in the country.  The station broadcasts over 23 hours of live news each week and will soon begin streaming on VUit.

 NEW YORK—Hearst Television has launched OTT and connected TV (CTV) streaming service "Very Local," that offers local news and information on popular streaming platforms like Roku and Amazon Fire TV.

The Very Local offering features locally focused, free ad-supported streaming (FAST) channels for viewers in Hearst Television's footprint in 26 US media markets spanning 39 states. 

"Very Local is an opportunity for Hearst Television to bring even more award-winning journalism to streaming audiences in our local communities," said Hearst Television president Jordan Wertlieb. "As consumers include streaming as a way of connecting with local content, we want to bring them the best local news and information. Very Local gives us a new, flexible platform and resource to bring our content to more people and to develop fresh, original digital-first programming that will resonate. Very Local, in combination with our fast-growing Hearst Anyscreen ad marketplace, advances Hearst Television's digital footprint substantially for audiences and advertisers." 

The app is available in the channel stores of Fire TV, Roku, Apple TV and Android TV. 

The FAST channels are available in the Very Local streaming app as well as from Tubi and Syncbak's free direct-to-consumer OTT app, VUIt. The FAST channels will also be available in the near future on the Amazon news app on Fire TV, NewsON, and elsewhere. 

Viewers in any of Hearst Television's markets will see a feed of local news, additional programming from their local news station, and new, original content produced from communities around the United States, the company said. 

"For a streaming-first audience, Very Local is the best way to connect with award-winning local journalism and other local content," said Andrew Fitzgerald, Hearst Television's senior vice president, streaming video services. "Consumers are diversifying the channels through which they consume media. We want to meet them where they are. If you missed today's newscast or in-depth weather report, or if you just want to enjoy great local story-telling that celebrates your community, it will be on Very Local." 

The offerings will features local, regional and national news; consumer news and investigative reporting; and popular Hearst Television regional and national content brands such as its long-running "Chronicle" newsmagazine series and its issues program "Matter of Fact with Soledad O'Brien." 

Very Local will also draw on content from Hearst Television's partnership with Hearst Magazines and its brands including Esquire, Delish, Runner's World and others, as well as Hearst Television's own Stitch brand, the company said.  

NEW YORK—Hearst Television has launched the Hearst Media Production Group to expand its original program production and distribution capabilities.

The new business unit will develop and produce original programming within Hearst Television's existing studio resources and in partnership with outside production entities for distribution to television stations, broadcast and cable networks and streaming services.

It will also incorporate Hearst Television's existing national program resources, including Litton Entertainment, a leading producer and global distributor of TV programming. Litton is a provider of children's educational and informational content and "Matter of Fact with Soledad O'Brien", the top-rated syndicated political magazine program now entering its seventh season. 

Frank Biancuzzo, a longtime Hearst Television and media executive with a diverse business, content and marketing background and broad industry relationships will serving as president of Hearst Media Production Group. 

"Hearst Media Production Group is a logical progression in our longstanding strategy of producing and owning more content which can be leveraged across linear and digital platforms," said Hearst Television president Jordan Wertlieb. "Frank is among the broadcast television industry's most versatile, creative, and highly regarded executives, and he will have the resources to expand our programming relationships and original content portfolio."

"This is a pivotal time in our industry with a strong demand for original programming across all platforms," Biancuzzo said. "We look forward to building on our past successes, while developing new and distinctive programming from a creative, strategic and business partnership standpoint."

In his recent role as a Hearst Television executive vice president and group head, Biancuzzo shared oversight of all of the company's television and radio stations. 

Biancuzzo currently serves as vice chair of the CBS Affiliate Board and heads the board's news committee, and he was previously an advisor on the ABC Affiliate Board promotion committee.

A successor to Biancuzzo in his most recent role of executive vice president and group head will be announced at a later date.

NEW YORK—Hearst, working with the Emma Bowen Foundation, has announced the creation of an endowment that will provide need-based scholarships and internships to minority students seeking careers in the media industry. The endowment is being created in honor of the late Jeana Stanley, who was Hearst’s vice president of Finance.

Stanley joined Hearst in 2004 at WBAL-TV and WBAL-AM/FM in Baltimore as a controller. She would move up and spend eight years as the vice president of finance for Hearst Television, before joining Hearst’s corporate finance team in 2018. In addition to her finance role, Stanley also was a scout for HearstLab, a group of women executives that contribute their expertise and mentor HearstLab portfolio companies.

Stanley passed away in June 2020.

The endowment is designed to assist finance students from diverse backgrounds seeking internships and career opportunities in media. In addition to needs-based scholarships, students will receive industry-specific education, training and internship opportunities at Hearst and other media-related companies.

“This endowment allows us to create an even broader pipeline of talent, armed with the necessary skills to be competitive, to be shared within the media and technology industry,” said Nikki Bethel, Emma Bowen Foundation president and CEO. “These young faces will reflect Jeana’s legacy. We know she would be most proud.”

“This scholarship combines many of the things that were close to Jeana’s heart,” said Randal Stanley, Jeana’s husband. “Jeana was passionate about helping professionals advance in the industry. Now, her legacy lives on.”

For more information, visit www.hearst.com.  

NEW YORK—Hearst Television’s Alvin R. Lustgarten has been promoted to senior vice president, technology and information services after serving as vice president since 2001. He also provides strategic leadership for the company’s new-technology initiatives, including artificial intelligence, machine learning and analytics efforts, and has played a critical role in overseeing Hearst Television’s cloud transformation.

 In a statement, Hearst Television President Jordan Wertlieb said, “Al has been a longtime stalwart, not just for Hearst Television but for the broadcast television industry in its ongoing efforts to evolve its operations and improve the customer experience.”

 “A transformational leader, Al has advanced Hearst Television’s back-office ad operations, data management and information technology capabilities from legacy practices to contemporary, innovative services,” added John Drain, Hearst Television chief financial officer.

 Before Hearst Television, Lustgarten served in finance, accounting and technology positions within parent company Hearst and Hearst Magazines, which he joined in 1981.

 Lustgarten serves on numerous industry and Hearst corporate advisory committees and boards, representing the interests of Hearst Television’s technology, security and ad operations. He has also been an active champion within the TV Interface Practices (TIP) Initiative, a working consortium formed by local television broadcasters dedicated to promoting open interfaces to streamline advertising transactions for broadcasters and their media agency partners.

NEW YORK—A passing of the torch is taking place at Hearst Television, as the broadcaster announced that Stefan Hadl has been promoted to vice president of engineering, taking over the role from Martin Faubell, who plans to retire in 2020. Faubell will remain on staff with the position of senior director of engineering.

Hadl began with Hearst Television as a broadcast engineer with KCRA-TV in 1995. He held a number of roles at stations across the country before becoming the director of engineering, eastern region, for Hearst in 2017, where he oversaw the engineering operations of 14 TV stations and the company’s Baltimore radio stations.

Faubell served as the vice president of engineering for Hearst since 1997 and supervised the stations’ transfer from analog to digital television broadcasting, as well as arranging dedicated satellite access for newsgathering and content-sharing between all Hearst stations.

“Marty Faubell has led our company and the entire industry in the evolution of television in the digital age, laying the foundation for the next generation of leadership,” said Jordan Wertlieb, Hearst Television president.

He continued: “We are truly fortunate to be able to seamlessly transition our best-in-class engineering leadership over the next 18 months.”

NEW YORK—A new survey finds that local television is the most trusted source of news and information among consumer, and that three-quarters of adults trust at least one local news brand in their market.

The survey, conducted by SmithGeiger for Hearst Television, found that local TV far surpasses any other news source—on air or on a digital platform—as a trusted news source.

"At a time when journalism is under unprecedented scrutiny, with consumers juggling an overwhelming number of providers and platforms from which to get information, quality and relevance matter more than ever," said Hearst Television SVP, News Barbara Maushard. "Local news teams are best positioned, as members of the communities they serve, to cover what matters to people within each and every community – and to get it right."

When it comes to trust, 73 percent of news consumers –69 percent of those 18 to 24 years of age and 74 percent of 25- to 49-year olds—trust at least one local TV news brand. Trust in local TV news also compares quite favorably to that in social media. While 74 percent of respondents use social media daily for news, social media sites are trusted by only 17 percent of consumers, the survey found.

The survey also asked respondents about how often they consume local TV news. A total of 81 percent of 18- to 49-year-old consumers view local TV news at least once a week on at least one platform. Sixty-three percent get their local TV news on a television at least once a week. Forty-nine percent watch TV news daily.

Even younger adults watch local TV news, with 51 percent of those 18 to 24 years old and 59 percent of 25- to 34-year olds saying they get local TV news on a television at least once a week.

For the survey, SmithGeiger conducted 2,069 online interviews with media consumers in eight Hearst television markets. 

NEW YORK— Nearly 320 TV local TV stations within the past 30 days have signed on with PremiumMedia360 to adopt its Guidance Intelligent Assistant (GIA) Cloud platform to advance the goal of accelerating automated advertising transactions, the company announced this week.

The announcement is seen as a milestone in an ongoing industrywide effort to address fragmentation of transactional data across local TV markets based on the TV Interface Practices (TIP) initiative. Backed by Hearst Television, Nexstar Media Group, Raycom Media, Sinclair Broadcast Group, TEGNA, and Tribune Media, the TIP Initiative is focused on automating ad transactions for local broadcasters and media agencies.

By deploying the PremiumMedia360’s GIA Cloud platform, the stations now are employing the TIP standard to streamline ad transactions and respond to the rapid evolution of linear TV ads.

“The TV industry and their agency counterparts will all benefit from achieving seamless, real-time, two-way and error-free data connectivity,” said John Bowser, CEO, PremiumMedia360. “We believe this is just the first step towards realizing the still untapped potential in broadcast television, a critical ad channel, and we’re hearing from players across the TIP Initiative, that this is exactly the kind of momentum they wanted to see.”

The PremiumMedia360 GIA Cloud platform as an intelligent, open-source transactional data management platform designed specifically for linear TV advertising. Powered by AI, the Software as a Service (SaaS) solution acts as universal translator that integrates with existing software platforms. The platform reformats, automates and synchronizes the data flow between TV stations and ad agencies.

More information is available on the PremiumMedia360 website.

CINCINNATI—GatesAir last week announced shipment of its 100th TV transmitter as part of the FCC-mandated repack of television spectrum to Hearst Television’s WMOR-TV in Tampa, Fla.

The station, which is taking delivery of a high-power Maxiva ULXTE liquid-cooled transmitter, is one of 13 Hearst Television stations GatesAir is supplying under an exclusive agreement announced in December 2017.

WMOR, destined for UHF channel 18, is installing a ULXTE-100 transmitter capable of 62.9kW. Initially, the station’s transmitter will operate at 58.9kW TPO, allowing headroom for future digital services. The station operates from Riverview Antenna Farm, which is owned by America Tower.

The FCC has assigned the station to Phase 5 of the repack, and Hearst VP of Engineering Martin Faubell has worked closely with GatesAir to make sure the new transmitter is delivered and installed to meet the phase deadline. According to Faubell, the performance of GatesAir during the initial repack phases has been critical to the station group meeting its assigned deadlines.

“We started working with GatesAir very early in the planning process with the knowledge that repack was going to be a serious challenge for Hearst Television, as well as the broadcast industry at large,” said Faubell.

So far, Hearst has taken delivery of five transmitters for stations being repacked. WTAE in Pittsburgh was the latest Hearst station to go on air with a new Maxiva transmitter. That station is not transmitting on channel 27.

The solid-state GatesAir Maxiva transmitters offer several benefits, said Faubell. “Solid-state technology has improved to the point where excellent efficiency is possible with high-power UHF transmitters,” he said. “With GatesAir’s Maxiva transmitters, the reliability will be higher, and the maintenance and power consumption in our facilities will be lower.”

For more information on the repack, visit TV Technology's repack silo.

REDWOOD CITY, CALIF.—Haystck TV, a personalized video news platform, has announced a new partnership with Hearst Television to distribute Hearst-owned stations via the Haystack TV platform. Hearst joins Gray Television and Meredith Corporation as partners with Haystack TV.

In the deal with Hearst, Haystack TV users will now have access to local news and weather produced by Hearst stations in 30 markets. This brings Haystack TV’s total stable of local news and weather content to more than 70 markets.

In addition, Haystack TV has also announced a partnership with weather provider Praedictix, which offers users access to weather video forecasts for their region.

Haystack TV is accessible through free apps on Android TV, Chromecast, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, Android, iPhone, iPad and the web. The apps automatically recognize users’ locations and serve local news that is relevant to their geographic area, or users can set locations manually.

NEW YORK—Hearst Television’s 30 stations and majority of digital sub-channels will continue to get its numbers from Nielsen, as the two companies have announced a new multiyear deal.

Nielsen will continue to supply Hearst with local market ratings data from sources and methodologies that include local people meter, viewer assignment, code reader and diary markets, and a suite of analytical services. The deal will also include new services, like Nielsen’s total audience measurement.

Hearst TV features stations across 26 U.S. TV markets.