NEW YORK and MILWAUKEE, Feb. 12 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ — Jan Wade, a television broadcaster whose experience includes senior positions within leading TV stations in six different markets, is joining Hearst-Argyle Television as President and General Manager of WISN-TV, the ABC affiliate in Milwaukee. She has served since 1994 as President and General Manager of WATE- TV, the Young Broadcasting-owned ABC affiliate in Knoxville, Tennessee. Milwaukee is the nation’s 34th largest TV market; Knoxville is the 60th.
The appointment was announced today by David J. Barrett, president and chief executive officer of Hearst-Argyle Television, Inc.
Wade succeeds Frank Biancuzzo, who is returning to Hearst-Argyle’s New York headquarters as a Senior Vice President/Group Head. Wade will report to Philip Stolz, also a Hearst-Argyle Senior Vice President/Group Head, with whom Biancuzzo will share management oversight of substantially all of the company’s 29 television stations.
“Jan’s rich experience in general management as well as in programming, operations, marketing and promotions make her an excellent choice to succeed Frank and to help carry on the success WISN-TV has enjoyed as one of America’s top-rated ABC affiliate stations,” Barrett said. “She understands the vitally important role a leading local TV station plays, on-air and online, as a provider of local news and information, and as an active citizen in the community.”
Before joining WATE, Wade served with WKRN-TV, Young Broadcasting’s ABC affiliate in Nashville, first as Marketing & Programming Director. After serving for two years as Marketing Director for WFLA-TV, the Media General NBC affiliate in Tampa, she returned to WRKN as Operations Manager and Programming Director. Before WKRN, she served in senior marketing roles at WLNE-TV, the Freedom Communications CBS affiliate in Providence, Rhode Island; and at WCCO- TV, the CBS owned station in Minneapolis and one of the country’s most honored stations. She began her career as an assistant promotions manager at Louisville CBS affiliate WLKY-TV, at the time owned by Gannett Television and now a Hearst-Argyle station.
Wade holds a bachelor of science degree from Ball State University, where she graduated Magna Cum Laude as a Journalism and Broadcast double major. She serves on the boards of the Knoxville chapter of United Way, which she currently chairs, as well as the Historic Tennessee Theater, St. Mary’s Hospital Women’s Health Advisory, Second Harvest Food Bank, Legacy Parks Foundation, the Leadership Knoxville Board and the Executive Women’s Foundation, and she is a past chair of the Knoxville Opera Board.
Hearst-Argyle Television, Inc. owns 26 television stations, and manages an additional three television and two radio stations, in geographically diverse U.S. markets. The Company’s television stations reach approximately 18% of U.S. TV households, making it one of America’s largest television station groups. Hearst-Argyle owns 12 ABC-affiliated stations, and manages an additional ABC station owned by Hearst Corporation, and is the largest ABC affiliate group. The Company also owns 10 NBC affiliates, and is the second- largest NBC affiliate owner, and owns two CBS affiliates. Hearst-Argyle also is a leader in the convergence of local broadcast television and the Internet through its partnership with Internet Broadcasting (http://www.ibsys.com/), and in the application of digital broadcast spectrum for new local informational services through its Weather Plus partnership with NBC and various NBC affiliate groups. Hearst-Argyle Series A Common Stock trades on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol “HTV.” HTV debt is rated investment grade by Moody’s (Baa3), Standard & Poor’s (BBB-) and Fitch (BBB-), each with a stable outlook. The Company’s Web address is www.hearstargyle.com.
