Sinclair, Inc. has hired a former talent manager at Newsmax to serve as its new Director of Content for the broadcaster’s coast-to-coast news initiative, The National News Desk.
As Director of Content, Valeria Riccioli will oversee all content production and audience engagement strategies for the national news brand, which produces morning and afternoon news programs that air on many of Sinclair’s local TV stations across the country as well as online through its YouTube channels and local TV station web streams.
“Valeria is a dynamic leader with a proven track record of driving audience growth and engagement across multiple platforms,” Scott Livingston, the Senior Vice President of News at Sinclair, said in a statement on Friday. “Her deep experience in newsroom strategy, content development, and high-profile event coverage makes her the ideal choice to lead The National News Desk into its next phase of growth.”
“I am thrilled to join the Sinclair team and work at a media company fueled by innovation,” Riccioli said. “I’m looking forward to bringing my national news experience to Sinclair’s vast, multi-platform audience at such a critical inflection point in news media consumption.”
Riccioli joined Newsmax as its Vice President of Talent in October 2021, serving in the role until two months ago. Before that, she worked at Fox News Media, where she served in a number of producer roles at Fox News Channel shows during her 15 years there, eventually being promoted to work as the full-time executive producer on “America’s Newsroom” with Bill Hemmer and Dana Perino and on “Bill Hemmer Reports,” a weekday afternoon news show.
First launched as a morning show in 2021, Sinclair has made a number of changes and invested more time and effort into The National News Desk (which rebranded from “The National Desk” last year). In November, The National News Desk offered an Election Night special with reports from nearly all of Sinclair’s 66 local newsrooms. The special streamed via YouTube and aired on 66 Fox- and CW Network-affiliated local TV stations.
