Sinclair, Inc. has named a new leader for its television stations in eastern Iowa, tapping a veteran local media sales executive to oversee operations in Cedar Rapids.
The company announced Tuesday that Kevin Beard has been appointed to the role of Vice President and General Manager at KGAN (Channel 2, CBS) and KFXA (Channel 28, Fox).
Beard joins Sinclair after serving in several leadership roles at Allen Media Group, where he most recently worked as station manager and general sales manager for WSIL (Channel 3, ABC) in Marion, Illinois. He also previously served as local sales manager for WRTV (Channel 6, ABC) in Indianapolis.
On Tuesday, Sinclair executives said Beard’s experience in station operations and advertising sales made him a strong fit for the role as the company continues to reshape its local TV business.
“We are pleased to welcome Kevin to Sinclair,” Rob Weisbord, Sinclair’s Chief Operating Officer and President of Local Media, said in a statement. “Kevin brings strong leadership experience and a deep understanding of local media and sales strategy, making him a strong addition to the team.”
Weisbord added that Sinclair expects Beard to help strengthen the stations’ local presence while supporting advertisers and business partners in the Cedar Rapids market.
Beard said he was drawn to Sinclair’s broader strategy of evolving beyond traditional broadcast television into a multi-platform media company.
“Every traditional broadcast company must transform and adapt to the ever-changing television industry, and I like how Sinclair is doing it,” Beard said on Tuesday. “As Sinclair continues its evolution from a traditional broadcast company to a multi-platform media organization, I’m looking forward to working with the team in Cedar Rapids to serve our viewers and to help businesses locally grow and thrive.”
Sinclair owns, operates or provides services to television stations across dozens of U.S. markets and has increasingly focused on digital content distribution, streaming platforms and non-broadcast revenue opportunities as the television industry faces pressure from declining linear viewership and shifting advertising trends.
