A Hearst Television veteran has been promoted to Vice President of News, a role in which he’ll continue to report to Hearst Television Sr. VP of News and Chief Content Officer Barbara Maushard.
Since 2024, Derek Schnell has served as a regional director for news while continuing as News Director of KCRA-TV and KQCA-TV, the company’s NBC and CW affiliates in Sacramento. He has led the KCRA/KQCA news operation since 2018.
Schnell’s successor as the stations’ news director will be named at a later date. In his new role, his editorial responsibilities will expand to include oversight of a broader group of station newsrooms across the company’s 27-market footprint, along with increased involvement in Hearst Television’s companywide editorial strategy and initiatives.
In addition to leading the Sacramento news operations, Schnell provided management oversight and editorial support to Hearst Television duopolies in Monterey-Salinas and Albuquerque. He also spearheaded expanded news and investigative coverage of Northern California through a partnership with Hearst Newspapers’ San Francisco Chronicle.
“As journalism continues to evolve, leaders who honor our values while embracing new ideas are more important than ever,” Maushard said. “Derek is one of those leaders. He is both a journalist’s journalist and journalism futurist. His innovative mindset, exceptional news judgment and unwavering passion for supporting and inspiring journalists have earned him the trust and admiration of colleagues across the company. He is a thoughtful mentor, a creative problem solver and a champion for journalism that makes a meaningful difference in the communities we serve.”
Schnell has spent his entire professional career at Hearst Television, progressing from intern to ND and regional news executive. Following an investigative internship at KETV-7 in Omaha, he joined KOCO-5 in Oklahoma City as a producer and later became an executive producer.
He subsequently served as an executive producer at KMBC-TV and KCWE-TV, Hearst Television’s ABC and CW affiliates in Kansas City, before joining KCRA/KQCA in the same role. He later was promoted at KCRA/KQCA to assistant news director and, in 2018, news director.
Schnell began his journalism career at KOMU-TV, the university-owned NBC affiliate at the Missouri School of Journalism. In addition to his broadcast journalism degree from Mizzou, he is a graduate of the Hearst Management Institute, Hearst’s executive leadership development program.
