Key Points
- CBS expanded Scott Warren’s role to oversee Sacramento stations KOVR and KMAX in addition to San Francisco outlets KPIX and KPYX.
- Warren will continue leading innovation efforts, including AR and VR studios, across Northern California CBS stations.
- The move follows the departure of longtime Sacramento GM Deborah Collura and consolidates regional leadership.
After four years of leading two CBS-owned television stations in San Francisco, Scott Warren is adding two more Northern California stations to his oversight.
On Thursday, CBS parent company Paramount announced Warren will become the Vice President and General Manager of KOVR (Channel 13, CBS) and KMAX (Channel 31) in Sacramento while continuing to serve in the same role for San Francisco-area stations KPIX (Channel 5, CBS) and KPYX (Channel 44).
Warren reports to Jennifer Mitchell, the President of CBS News and Stations, the local broadcast arm of Paramount.
Warren helped lead an ambitious endeavor across Paramount by developing the company’s first augmented and virtual reality (AR/VR) studio for a local TV broadcast. The set was first used for weather forecasts before replacing KPIX’s news set in its entirety, Warren told The Desk during an interview at the TV of Tomorrow Show last year. Similar AR/VR sets have since deployed to other CBS-owned stations in Chciago, Dallas-Fort Worth and Los Angeles, and Warren said there were plans to expand the concept to Sacramento.
“Since joining CBS Bay Area in 2022, Scott has implemented and led groundbreaking AR/VR technology initiatives across all CBS stations,” Mitchell said in a statement on Thursday. “He is a forward-thinking innovator and a transformational leader. He is well positioned to guide our Northern California stations into the future while building upon the strong legacy that Deborah established.”
“I can’t wait to lean into the talented team at CBS Sacramento and help lead our Northern California stations as we continue to build on our community-focused journalism,” Warren noted. “I look forward to seeing what we can all create together across Northern California, while building on the innovative ideas and storytelling strategies we already have in place.”
Deborah Collura, the current VP and General Manager of KOVR and KMAX, is leaving the company, Paramount said.
Paramount acquired KMAX in 1997, making it an owned-and-operated station of UPN, which became part of the CW Network in 2005. CBS acquired KOVR in 2004, creating a market duopoly with KMAX. The two stations share a broadcast facility in West Sacramento.
KMAX typically ranks as the number one local news station in the mornings, on account of the long-running, successful breakfast program “Good Day Sacramento.” KOVR, which was fourth in the ratings out of the market’s four English-producing news stations, saw its viewership improve under CBS ownership, with both stations effectuating synergy from Good Day Sacramento and CBS committing strong financial resources to transform KOVR into a local news powerhouse.
In the mid-evening and prime-time news ratings, KOVR generally ranks second, just behind long-time news leader KCRA (Channel 3). KOVR airs its prime-time programming an hour early compared to other CBS stations and affiliates on the West Coast, allowing them to air a news broadcast at 10 p.m.; in that time slot, KOVR is number one in local news.
The local station division, led by Mitchell, is co-owned with CBS News, but operated separate from the national news division, insulating it from criticism lobbed at “CBS Evening News” and “60 Minutes” over the past few weeks.
