As the President/General Manager of the two TV stations in California’s state capital owned by Hearst Television sees it, the properties’ strength “is its people,” described by Ariel Roblin as “a deeply mission-driven team committed to serving this community with journalism that matters.”
That’s why the woman named News Director for KCRA-3 & KQCA-58 in the Sacramento-Stockton-Modesto DMA is the “right leader” to succeed Derek Schnell, who recently rose to VP/News at Hearst TV.
Earning the position is Kristin Kay, who is relocating to Northern California from Pennsylvania, where she’s been News Director of sibling WGAL-8 in Harrisburg since March 2023.
For Roblin, Kay’s shift to Sacramento comes at “at a pivotal time” for the KCRA newsroom, the Capital Region and for California. “We’re always evolving and advancing our storytelling to meet the needs of our community; Kristin shares that sense of purpose and understands the commitment this work demands,” Roblin said.
Roblin also pointed to Kay’s California roots, as she is a graduate of California State University-Northridge and enjoyed her first professional experience in broadcast TV at KERO-TV in Bakersfield, owned by The E.W. Scripps Co. She would then move on to roles at KGTV-TV in San Diego and at KING-TV in Seattle, where she became a news producer. From there, Kay worked at KARE-TV in Minneapolis, serving as a morning news executive producer.
Kay’s entry into Hearst Television came at WLWT-5 in Cincinnati, where she served as Asst. ND before relocating to Pennsylvania.
