TEGNA has named four executives to new and expanded advertising sales leadership positions, assigning them responsibility for digital revenue growth and regional advertising operations across the company’s television stations and other media properties.
The appointments announced Thursday include the promotion of Jay Donovan to the role of Vice President of Digital Sales and the naming of Kristie Gonzales, Kari Jacobs and Byron Wilkinson as Vice Presidents of Ad Sales overseeing different geographic regions.
Donovan will oversee digital advertising growth across TEGNA’s portfolio of more than 60 media brands, with responsibility for developing strategies that help advertisers use audience data and targeted advertising products. He has more than 15 years of experience in digital media and advertising technology, including work with businesses and marketers seeking to measure the effectiveness of their advertising campaigns.
Gonzales will oversee advertising sales teams across TEGNA’s Northeast and Southeast regions. She has more than 20 years of experience in media and marketing and currently serves as Vice President of Revenue at TEGNA. Gonzales also holds the position of President and General Manager at WXIA (Channel 11, NBC) in Atlanta, where she oversees the station’s operations.
Jacobs has been assigned responsibility for advertising sales across TEGNA’s Midwest and West regions. A company veteran with more than two decades of experience at TEGNA, Jacobs has served in station management and revenue leadership positions across several television markets. She began her career in journalism before moving into advertising and sales, with experience spanning broadcast television, radio, cable and digital media.
Wilkinson will oversee the company’s advertising operations in Texas and the Mid-South. He currently serves as President and General Manager of KVUE (Channel 24, ABC) in Austin and has worked in broadcast and digital media for more than 26 years. His experience includes managing local and national advertising sales across traditional television, streaming and digital platforms.
All four executives will work alongside Mark Cornetta, the Senior Vice President of Sales at TEGNA.
“Jay, Kristie, Kari and Byron have proven they know how to bring technology, sales expertise and creativity together to serve our clients,” Cornetta said in a statement on Thursday. “In an increasingly competitive environment, we need experienced leaders willing to rewrite the playbook for our local sales teams, and they’re the right people to do it.”
The appointments establish regional sales oversight for TEGNA’s advertising operations while placing digital sales strategy under a dedicated executive. The structure gives the company separate leadership for digital advertising growth and regional sales teams, which work with local and national advertisers across its television and digital properties.
TEGNA did not specify whether Gonzales and Wilkinson would relinquish their station management responsibilities as part of the appointments or provide an effective date for the leadership changes.
The appointments are the latest in a string of announcement from TEGNA, which is operating separate from its parent company Nexstar Media Group while a federal antitrust lawsuit plays out.
On Monday, TEGNA said it was appointing three new Group General Managers — Joan Barrett, Kate Morris and Brad Ramsey — who will oversee operations across the company’s six distinct geographic regions.
