One week ago, RBR+TVBR shared the news about the upcoming retirement of Timothy J. Morrissey, who six years ago gained leadership duties for WJCL-22 in Savannah.
We now know who will take his place at the helm of the ABC affiliate serving Southeastern Georgia and the Hilton Head Island region of South Carolina.
The new President/GM of WJCL is Ben Hart, the news director at ABC affiliated WISN-12 in Milwaukee. He’s been at the Hearst station since 2017, and is an 18-year company veteran.
“Ben is an accomplished executive, succeeding at every assignment over his long career with Hearst,” said Hearst Television President Jordan Wertlieb. “He has made every newsroom he has led better by bringing an enthusiasm and spirit grounded in his passion for the First Amendment and local television’s vital community role. We know he and the WJCL team will continue the momentum the station has experienced under Tim’s leadership and take the station to the next level.”
Hart joined Hearst Television in 2002 as a news producer at WAPT-16, its ABC Affiliate in Jackson, Miss. He advanced to producer positions at Hearst’s WDSU-6 in New Orleans and KCRA-3 and KQCA-TV in Sacramento. Hart returned to WAPT as assistant news director and, later, news director, before moving to Milwaukee to lead WISN’s news effort.
Prior to joining Hearst, Hart began his broadcast career in radio.
In fact, he served as Asst. PD at URBan Radio LLC in Starkville, Miss., and as a PD for a Cumulus Radio station in the late 1990s.
