R. Brent Hensley, the longtime President and General Manager of Hearst Television’s station in Oklahoma City, will retire at the end of 2026, concluding a broadcasting career spanning more than four decades.
Hensley has led KOCO (Channel 5, ABC) since 1999, making him the company’s longest-serving General Manager and one of the longest-tenured television station executives in the Oklahoma City market.
Hearst Television said a successor will be announced at a later date.
Hensley began his career at KOCO in 1983 as an Account Executive before moving to KSLA (Channel 12, CBS) in Shreveport, Louisiana, as National Sales Manager the following year.
He returned to KOCO in 1985, advancing through several sales management positions before becoming Vice President and General Sales Manager.
In 1997, Hensley was appointed President and General Manager of KHBS (Channel 40, ABC) and KHOG (Channel 29, ABC), serving the Fort Smith-Fayetteville television market in Arkansas. He returned to Oklahoma City in 1999 to lead KOCO.
During his tenure, the station expanded its severe weather reporting capabilities, including the introduction of a mobile weather alert service in 1999 and a statewide weather reporting initiative involving local radio stations and the Oklahoma News Network in 2002.
KOCO also provided 27 consecutive hours of coverage following destructive tornadoes in 1999 and subsequently organized relief efforts for affected residents. The station has received more than 110 major journalism and community service awards under Hensley’s leadership, including regional Emmy Awards, Edward R. Murrow Awards and National Headliner Awards.
KOCO also received the Oklahoma Association of Broadcasters’ Best of Show honor earlier this year, its third such recognition in five years. Since 2020, the station has helped raise $25 million for the Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma.
“Brent has devoted his career to local television and to the people of Oklahoma,” Michael J. Hayes, the President of Hearst Television, said in a statement on Thursday. “For more than two decades, he has guided KOCO 5 through some of the most consequential moments in the state’s history.”
An Oklahoma native, Hensley graduated from Oklahoma State University in 1980 with a degree in Journalism.
He has also served in leadership positions with the Oklahoma Association of Broadcasters, Oklahoma City Public Schools Foundation, United Way of Central Oklahoma and several other civic organizations.
Hensley said he plans to remain involved in community service while spending more time with his family and traveling after retirement.
“I feel fortunate to have had the opportunity to lead a team in service to the viewers of Oklahoma,” Hensley said.
