Gerry McGavick, the VP of Sales at privately held Hearst Television, will retire at year-end after four decades in advertising and broadcast television, most of it spent in his native New England.
For the last five years, McGavick has led revenue-generation efforts across the company’s television platforms and served as Hearst Television’s primary liaison with the agency community, national sales representation firms and other sales partners. Since 2017, he has supervised the company’s political advertising sales, applying expertise he developed over the course of nearly two decades in sales at WMUR-TV, Hearst’s ABC affiliate in Manchester, N.H., and integral candidate maker in the nation’s presidential primary process.
“Gerry holds a breadth of relationships and a depth of knowledge within the local television sales community which is unrivaled,” said Hearst Television President Michael J. Hayes. “His political advertising acumen coupled with his warmth and ability to connect with people has grown our relationships with advertisers and agencies. Gerry will be leaving an indelible mark on the business and on Hearst Television; we wish him well in retirement.”
McGavick added, “Working at Hearst Television has been the pinnacle of my career and I sincerely thank senior leadership for creating a culture and environment where I have been able to thrive. While I am excited about my future, I will miss regularly seeing the great friends I’ve made and being a part of this outstanding company.”
In addition to his revenue-generation oversight, McGavick has also overseen the company’s Sales Account Associate program, a year-long initiative during which trainees work with the local advertising sales teams in each of the company’s markets with the objective of advancing to become sales account executives. His leadership has helped cultivate the next generation of Hearst Television sellers.
Before assuming his corporate roles, McGavick served at WMUR as Director of Sales. He began his advertising career as an advertising agency media planner at Jordan McGrath Case & Taylor and transitioned to the New York-based ad-sales representation firm Harrington Righter & Parsons. He later became General Sales Manager of WLVI-56 in Boston, before continuing his career at WMUR.
McGavick is a second-generation sales executive; his father served as general sales manager and director of sales at WCVB-TV, now Hearst Television’s Boston station, from 1972 to 1984.
— Hearst Television/Campo Communications
McGavick has been active in industry advocacy. He serves on the board of the International Radio and Television Society (IRTS), and has served on the boards of the New Hampshire Association of Broadcasters – where he was chairman from 2015 to 2017 – and of the Nielsen Local Alliance. He also served on the board of Drug Free New Hampshire. He holds a bachelor’s degree in communications from Stonehill College, where he was underwriting director of the college radio station, WSHL-FM, and captain of the football team. He also is a graduate of the Hearst Management Institute, an executive leadership training program.
