Hearst-Argyle Television, one of the country's largest station ownership groups, is saying goodbye to its longtime vice president of news, Fred Young, who is retiring at year's end. His successor, Brian Bracco, was the news director who turned around Hearst's ABC affiliate in Kansas City, taking it from worst to first in the 1980s. He moved up in the company, becoming a sort of in-house news doctor for Hearst. But the Chicago native chose to stay here in KC. Now he's been named Young's successor ... and he's still staying here.
I've chronicled the story of KMBC's turnaround and its decade of market dominance under Bracco. He's a sharp, interesting, demanding and yet genuinely nice guy. Now, he steps into one of the most prestigious managerial positions in all of television news. Good for him and good for Hearst.
FRED YOUNG, HEARST-ARGYLE SENIOR VP, NEWS, TO RETIRE AT YEAR END
NEW YORK, NY, October 13, 2008 - Fred I. Young, Senior Vice President, News, for Hearst-Argyle Television, Inc. will retire from the company at year-end, concluding a distinguished 46-year career. Young will continue to serve in an advisory and consulting role with the company and its television stations.
Brian Bracco (seen here at the DNC), who is currently a corporate Vice President, News, for Hearst-Argyle Television, Inc. will succeed Young in oversight of the Company's corporate news efforts.
"Fred has had a remarkable career with our company, first as an executive in Pittsburgh with Hearst Broadcasting, and in recent years leading the local news work of the Hearst-Argyle stations," said David J. Barrett, Hearst-Argyle Television president and chief executive officer. "His imprint on our company is indelible thanks to the high standards he has set for our local journalism, his passionate commitment to integrity and quality, and his mentoring of some of the very best news people in television - both within our company and throughout the industry. He is unquestionably the most well respected executive in local television news, and his contributions over the years have helped to define success for our company. Thankfully, he'll be close at hand for us, and will continue to provide us with his wisdom and experience as a trusted advisor."
In his current post, Young oversees news operations at Hearst-Argyle TV stations in 26 markets throughout 22 states, as well as the Hearst-Argyle Washington, D.C., News Bureau, which services the Company's television news departments. He had served as vice president, news, upon Hearst-Argyle's formation in August 1997, through the combination of Hearst Broadcasting and Argyle Television, Inc.
The Hearst-Argyle station group has earned an unrivalled four consecutive Walter Cronkite Awards for excellence in television political journalism, in recognition of election-coverage initiatives championed by Young beginning in 2000. The Cronkite Awards, given since 2001 by the University of Southern California's Annenberg School, are the premier honor for television coverage of politics. The Hearst-Argyle stations also have been the recipients of many of television's other highest awards for excellence in journalism, programming and community service, including the Peabody, the du Pont- Columbia Journalism Award, the Sigma Delta Chi Award, the Gabriel, the Ad Council Silver Bell, the National Headliner Award, the Edward R. Murrow Award, the Emmy and the National Association of Broadcasters Service to America Award. Hearst-Argyle's journalism in recent years has spurred community and regulatory action in support of environmentalism and children's safety, among other causes.
In March 2002, Young received a First Amendment Service Award from the Radio-Television News Directors Foundation.
Young joined Hearst Broadcasting in October 1962, serving for 25 years at WTAE-TV, Pittsburgh, as vice president and general manager, news director, and in other news management positions. During his years there, WTAE-TV received numerous local and national awards for quality programming and community service. He was also instrumental in the original campaign to admit television cameras into Pennsylvania courtrooms.
Young is a past president of the Pennsylvania Association of Broadcasters, from whom he received a Broadcaster of the Year Award. He is also past chairman of the Telecommunications Advisory Committee of Pennsylvania State University, and is a member of the Radio-Television News Directors' Association. A graduate of Duquesne University, he is also a past president of the Congregation Brothers of Israel in Trenton, New Jersey.
Bracco, who has served as VP, News and, previously, a group news executive for Hearst-Argyle since 1997, will remain at his current office located at Hearst-Argyle's KMBC-TV, the ABC affiliate in Kansas City. He joined Hearst Broadcasting in 1987 as KMBC's news director, guiding the station from the number three position to first in the market's news ratings, a position the station continues to enjoy. KMBC is the recipient of numerous Emmy, SPJ and national Murrow awards, including Best Newscast and Continuing Coverage. Before joining KMBC-TV, Bracco held positions as news director, assistant news director, managing editor, producer, anchor and reporter. He has worked in the Wichita, Kansas, Columbus, Ohio and the Birmingham, Alabama markets.
Bracco is a past chairman of the ABC news advisory board. He is a member of the Radio Television News Directors' Association. He is on the advisory board of the University of Kansas - Edwards Campus. Bracco received a B.A. in Journalism from the University of Kansas.
Joining the group news team will be Barbara Maushard, currently news director at Hearst-Argyle's WESH-TV, the NBC affiliate in Orlando. Maushard's career with Hearst-Argyle has taken her through four of the company's stations; prior to WESH, she was at WISN-TV, the Hearst-Argyle Milwaukee ABC affiliate which, during her term there as news director, earned a national Peabody Award for investigative journalism. She will relocate to Hearst-Argyle's New York City headquarters and, as VP, News, will work with Bracco and Candy Altman, also a VP, News. Altman, an award-winning former news director at Hearst-Argyle's WCVB-TV, the ABC affiliate in Boston, is a seven-year member of the news management team who has been instrumental in the company's award-winning political journalism; her office will remain at WCVB.
Comments