Gray Media has appointed Jennifer Rieffer to lead its CBS affiliate in Charlotte, North Carolina as the station’s new General Manager, the company announced early Monday morning.
Rieffer will assume her new position at WBTV (Channel 3) on November 16, moving to Charlotte from Cincinnati, where she has served as Vice President and General Manager of Gray-owned Fox affiliate WXIX (Channel 19) since December 2021.
Her appointment places her in charge of WBTV’s operations in Charlotte, the nation’s 21st-largest designated market area, according to Nielsen.
Rieffer has spent much of her career working in local television, with experience overseeing broadcast station operations, advertising sales and partnerships involving professional sports franchises. During her tenure at WXIX, the Cincinnati station secured agreements to become the flagship television partner of the Cincinnati Bengals and an over-the-air broadcast partner of the Cincinnati Reds. Those arrangements expanded the station’s relationship with two of the region’s major professional sports franchises, providing additional local programming opportunities beyond its regular Fox network schedule.
Before joining Gray Media in Cincinnati, Rieffer held several leadership positions with Sinclair Broadcast Group, including roles in Lexington, Kentucky: She served as General Manager for Sinclair in Lexington from March 2018 until December 2021. She also held the position of Local Sales Manager at Fox affiliate WDKY (Channel 56), a role she assumed in February 2013.
Her broader career in the Lexington television market spans approximately 24 years, during which she developed experience in local advertising sales and station management. Rieffer also worked in Flint, Michigan, where she oversaw a group of television stations affiliated with Fox, NBC and The CW. She is a graduate of Morehead State University, where she earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Retail Merchandising and Design.
Her appointment continues Gray Media’s practice of promoting experienced executives within its station portfolio, bringing leadership experience from one of its Fox affiliates to a CBS station in a larger television market.
Rieffer’s experience developing sports partnerships in Cincinnati could also be relevant as local broadcasters seek additional programming opportunities involving professional and regional sports organizations.
