The individual who since 2006 has served as the Creative Services Director at Hearst Television‘s flagship station in Boston has been promoted to the executive position of VP/Marketing for the New York-headquartered broadcast TV entity.
He succeeds Suzanne Grethen, who recently retired as SVP of Promotion and Marketing.
Earning the promotion is Russ Nelligan, who has spent 19 years at WCVB-5, the ABC affiliate serving Boston.
Nelligan is relocating to New York, where he’ll work from Hearst Television’s Midtown Manhattan headquarters. He’lll continue to report to Kyle Grimes, who oversees a portion of the company’s portfolio of properties as Hearst Television’s New England VP and as WCVB President/GM.
Commenting on Nelligan’s new role is Hearst Television President Michael J. Hayes.
“WCVB is among the nation’s most honored and respected commercial television stations and that impeccable reputation has only been burnished during Russ’s time there; his creativity, energy, enthusiasm, managerial talents and strategic execution have made him an instrumental player in the station’s continued market leadership and ratings success,” said Hayes. “Additionally, he is recognized as a leading marketing voice in the industry, advancing the efforts to evolve the local-TV marketing model. Russ is the ideal person to succeed Suzanne, with whom he’s collaborated closely, and to continue and build upon her great work.”
Nelligan began his television career as a photographer at WICZ-TV in Binghamton, N.Y., where he was an intern while an undergraduate student at SUNY Binghamton.
He later worked at WPTZ-5 in the Burlington, Vt.-Plattsburgh, N.Y., market — today owned by Hearst Television. Following that role, Nelligan would move to Baltimore, where he served as Asst. Creative Services Director for WBAL-11 in Baltimore.
Nelligan has also served as Chair of the ABC Television Marketing Advisory Board, concluding his service as ex-officio in 2024. He currently serves as first vice president of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, Boston/New England Chapter.
