Hearst Television announced this week that its general sales manager Blake Bridges will be elevated to the role of president and general manager of its television station in the Carolinas.
Bridges will succeed John L. Humphries, the long-time Hearst veteran who is leaving WYFF (Channel 4, NBC) for retirement later this year.
Bridges started his broadcast TV career in the late 1990s, working for WASV (Channel 62, now WYCW) in Asheville, North Carolina before moving to WSPA (Channel 7, CBS) in the same market one year later. In the early 2000s, he joined TEGNA-owned WXIA (Channel 11, NBC) in an account executive role before moving back to Asheville to join WYFF. The station also serves Greenville, South Carolina.
“Blake has distinguished himself as one of our best and brightest leaders in our sales organization for more than a decade,” Michael J. Hayes, the President of Hearst Television, said in a statement on Friday. “Blake has distinguished himself as one of our best and brightest leaders in our sales organization for more than a decade.”
In addition to his work in television, Bridges has served on the board of Ukraine-based ministry Music Mission Kiev, whose recent efforts have gone to assist widows and orphans impacted by the ongoing conflict there. Two years ago, he received a Jefferson Award from South Carolina-based Multiplying Good, a not-for-profit organization that indicted him into the Upstate Change Makers Class.
A precise date for Humphries’ retirement has not been announced. When he leaves the station, he will conclude a broadcast career that began in the late 1970s in one North Carolina TV market and ended in another.
“Over the past 45 years it has been my privilege to serve alongside scores of passionate local broadcasters, all of whom were dedicated to making a difference in their communities,” Humphries said. “I am beyond blessed to have had the unique opportunity to conclude my career in leadership roles at two extraordinary Hearst Television properties.”
