As of August 1, there will be a new leader for Bonneville International Corporation, the radio station licensee and owner of KSL-5 in Salt Lake City. The change is being precipitated by the retirement of its President, Darrell Brown.
With the culmination of a well-respected career spanning decades of leadership in the broadcast industry, Tanya Vea is being appointed as his successor, becoming President and Chief Operating Officer.
Brown began his tenure as president of Bonneville in December 2013. He led the company through multiple deals and acquisitions, including four stations in Denver, four in Sacramento, four in San Francisco, and the “KSL Sports Zone” in Salt Lake City.
In an announcement released at 2pm local time Thursday, Salt Lake City-based Bonneville said, “Under his direction, Bonneville has maintained the stability of its core broadcast operations while investing in and expanding upon its digital content and advertising capabilities.”
The company added that Brown “also demonstrated a willingness to invest significantly in employees, including when he committed publicly to take steps to avoid layoffs during the COVID-19 pandemic.”
Before joining Bonneville, Brown was president of McGraw-Hill Broadcasting Company and spent 28 years at the company, where he served in various sales and management roles for ABC and Azteca America-affiliated television stations, including serving as VP/GM of its properties in San Diego and Denver. During that time Brown also served on the ABC Affiliate Board, including a term as Board Chairman.
Brown currently serves as board chair for the NAB Leadership Foundation, having previously served on the NAB Board of Directors. In addition to his business leadership, Brown has consistently provided support to community organizations, including the boards of Primary Children’s Hospital and the Utah Anti-Bullying Coalition. Brown plans to remain in Utah, where he resides with his wife, Lise.
Brown commented, “I’ve loved my time at Bonneville, and it’s not easy to leave, but it’s the right time for me and my family. I’m grateful for the opportunity that I’ve had to associate with so many wonderful employees as we’ve worked together to further Bonneville’s mission to be a positive influence on the communities we serve. We’ve grown as a company in our reach and impact, and I know that Tanya [Vea] will take Bonneville to the next level. I’m thrilled for the future of the company under her leadership.”
Vea began with Bonneville in 2010 as Vice President of Program Development. She was later promoted to SVP/General Manager overseeing the Salt Lake City market, which includes KSL-TV, radio properties and digital platforms.
Bonneville commented, “Vea has shown great skill in embracing emerging technologies and developing new distribution opportunities, including an industry-leading OTT streaming app for KSL-TV, a company-wide expansion of digital sports offerings, and the KSL Podcast division, which has over 85 million downloads and led to an exclusive podcast distribution deal with Amazon Music. Additionally, she has spearheaded several key deals, including a first of its kind exclusive streaming agreement with MLS team Real Salt Lake.”
Vea rises from Executive Vice President of Content and Media Operations, a role in which see has overseen content strategy for all Bonneville markets while continuing to oversee all operations for Salt Lake City. Vea currently serves on the NBC Affiliate Board and on the executive committee. Additionally, her past volunteer work has included positions with the United Way of Salt Lake City and the Utah Governor’s Taskforce on Suicide Prevention. Prior to her time with Bonneville, Vea worked in advertising and public relations and in various news management positions, including news director for KUTV-2 in Salt Lake City, which was a CBS-owned and operated station at the time as is today a Sinclair Broadcast Group-owned station.
“Darrell [Brown] has been an incredible mentor, and I’m so grateful for all that he’s done for Bonneville,” Vea said. “He has led by example as a steward of the company and its resources. I will miss working with him, and I feel incredibly fortunate to take on this role knowing that he has put the company in a position of strength. Bonneville is a special company. I’m committed to building on the foundation of those who have come before me and am focused on fulfilling our mission to be trusted voices in our communities. Our greatest strength is our team of talented people, and I am honored to be able to work with them to grow Bonneville for the future.”
Bonneville’s Salt Lake City holdings include KSL-5 and KSL NewsRadio, FM 100.3, 103.5 The Arrow and KSL Sports Zone 97.5. In Seattle, the stations Bonneville owns are KIRO News Radio 97.3 FM and 770 KTTH. The San Francisco-Oakland-San Jose stations are comprised of KOIT-FM, KMVQ “99.7 NOW,” KBLX-FM and KFOX-FM 98.5.
The company’s Sacramento holdings are MIX 96, NOW 100.5, New Country 105.1 KNCI, and Sports 1140 KHTK, formerly CBS Radio stations. In Denver, the company’s properties are comprised of Sports Radio 104.3 The Fan, ESPN Denver 1600 stations, KOSI 101.1 and 98.5 KYGO.
Lastly, Bonneville/Phoenix is comprised of KTAR-FM and Arizona Sports 98.7.
