ARCATA, CALIF. — In July 2010, the ABC affiliates collectively serving the far-northern portion of California — KAEF-23 in Eureka-Arcata and KRCR-7 in Redding — announced the arrival of its new VP/GM.
The job at the Bonten Media Group stations was given to Andrew Stewart, who previously served as VP/Director of Sales for marketing consultancy Madden Media.
In April 2017, the future of these stations changed, as Bonten took advantage of the restoration of the FCC’s “UHF discount” by selling all 14 of its stations to Sinclair Broadcast Group and its shared services/JSA partners for $240 million.
That cemented Sinclair as the operator of not only KAEF and KRCR, but also Eureka-Arcata’s FOX affiliated KBVU-28, The CW affiliated KECA-LD 29, and Univision affiliate KEUV-LP 31; and Chico-Redding-based FOX affiliate KCVU-20, MyNetwork TV affiliate KRVU-LD /KZVU-LD, and Univision affiliate KUCO-LP 27.
Stewart won’t be overseeing those stations. He’s moved to Nebraska, and has accepted a job at a broadcast TV station owner also welcoming a new GM in the Lone Star State.
Stewart is heading to Omaha, where he will serve as VP/GM of Gray Television‘s NBC affiliate, WOWT-6.
The move to Nebraska puts Stewart back in a Top 100 DMA: Omaha is ranked No. 74.
Before joining Madden Media, Stewart was active in Market No. 65, as VP/GM of KGUN-9 in Tucson, which Emmis Communications sold to Journal Communications in December 2005, and The CW-affiliated KWBA-58 in Tucson, then-owned by Cascade Broadcasting.
Stewart ascended to the top role at KGUN in April 2006, and had been in sales since 1999. He exited KGUN in March 2007 to help the station through its ownership change, and did it again with KWBA, which was acquired by Journal in July 2008.
Stewart has also been Director of Broadcast Sales for Lee Enterprises, owner of Tucson daily newspaper The Arizona Daily Star.
Stewart will officially become KOWT VP/GM in early June.
The appointment comes as Gray also names a GM for its KOSA-7 in Odessa-Midland, Tex.
Named to the role is Don Davis, previously a Sr. Market Manager for Gabriel Media, a company working with television stations across the country to develop new revenue.
Before that, he was Director of Sales at KBMT-TV in Beaumont, Tex.
