Hearst Television has promoted veteran news executive Derek Schnell to the role of Vice President of News, expanding his role across the company’s local television news operations.
The appointment is effective immediately. Schnell will continue to report to Barbara Maushard, the Senior Vice President of News and Chief Content Officer at Hearst Television.
Since 2024, Schnell has served as Hearst Television’s Regional Director of News while continuing as News Director of KCRA (Channel 3) and KQCA (Channel 58), the company’s NBC and CW affiliates in Sacramento. He has led the news operation at both stations since 2018.
Hearst Television said a successor for Schnell as News Director of the Sacramento stations will be named later.
In his new role, Schnell will oversee a broader group of station newsrooms across Hearst Television’s 27-market footprint. He will also take on an expanded role in the company’s editorial strategy and broader news initiatives.
“As journalism continues to evolve, leaders who honor our values while embracing new ideas are more important than ever,” Maushard said. “Derek is one of those leaders. He is both a journalist’s journalist and journalism futurist.”
Maushard said Schnell’s “innovative mindset, exceptional news judgment and unwavering passion for supporting and inspiring journalists” have earned him the trust of colleagues across Hearst Television. She also described him as a mentor, problem solver and “a champion for journalism that makes a meaningful difference in the communities we serve.”
But his time at KCRA has not been without some blemishes: In 2023, the station drew criticism from industry insiders after his staffers cheered wildly at that year’s regional Emmy Awards after receiving an honor for its coverage of a deadly mass shooting. Three years earlier, the station was sued for copyright infringement after writing a feature story that included a photograph of a famished polar bear, which it did not license; that same year, Schnell fired a KCRA reporter who was working from home during the COVID-19 pandemic after she recorded a segment on do-it-yourself beauty tips that accidentally included a revealing clip filmed in her bathroom.
Despite those hiccups, Hearst placed enough trust in Schnell to expand his role to include oversight of additional stations in 2024.
