Hearst Television has announced the creation of a new fellowship program honoring longtime executive Suzanne Grethen, who retired in December 2024 after more than a decade leading the company’s marketing and promotion strategy.
The Suzanne Grethen Creative Services Associate Producer Fellowship is aimed at developing early-career talent in local TV marketing and will be overseen by Grethen’s successor, Russ Nelligan, now vice president of marketing.
“No one in our organization has ever been more invested in the growth and development of our creative professionals than Suzanne,” said Michael J. Hayes, the President of Hearst Television. “This fellowship underscores the importance of her decades-long commitment to our people, our product, and our mission in local broadcasting.”
The newly formalized fellowship builds on the Creative Services Associate Producer Development Program launched by Grethen in 2022. That initiative recorded a 93 percent completion rate in its first year, with 80 percent of participants converting to full-time roles across Hearst’s station group. To date, the program has placed 15 fellows, including alumni from other Hearst-supported initiatives like the Emma Bowen Foundation and the NAB’s Emerson Coleman Fellowship.
“Developing early-career talent is a continuous process,” said Katherine Barnett, Hearst Television’s senior vice president of human resources. “Building on Suzanne’s initial work in this area, we’re highly encouraged about the prospects for success with this new fellowship.”
“Having worked closely with Suzanne for years, I witnessed her deep commitment to mentoring,” added Nelligan. “This fellowship is not only a meaningful tribute to her legacy, but also essential to developing the next generation of local television marketers.”
Grethen’s career spanned three decades at Hearst Television, including leadership roles at WISN (Channel 12, ABC) in Milwakee and WESH (Channel 2, NBC) in Orlando before taking on corporate responsibilities. Her work helped shape the brand identity of Hearst stations and earned multiple awards and designations.
The fellowship joins a portfolio of talent development efforts at Hearst Television, including the Fred Young Producing Fellowship and the Marty Faubell Broadcast Technology Fellowship, further cementing the company’s commitment to nurturing the future of broadcast media.
