NBCUniversal Local taps Boston station chief Chris Wayland to succeed Valari Staab

NBCUniversal News Group Chairman Cesar Conde announced that Chris Wayland has been named president of NBCUniversal Local. Wayland succeeds Valari Staab, chairman of NBCUniversal Local, who previously announced plans to retire at year’s end.

Wayland has been president and general manager of NBC 10 Boston (WBTS), Telemundo Boston (WNEU) and NBC Sports Boston since 2020. Staab and Wayland will work together over the coming weeks, and the leadership transition will take place before the end of the year.

NBCUniversal Local, part of NBCUniversal News Group, consists of 50 local, regional and national media properties. They include 11 NBC-owned stations, 31 Telemundo-owned stations, four regional sports networks, three national multicast networks and 17 free ad-supported streaming TV channels, as well as LXTV Productions and Skycastle.

“Chris understands the power and importance of local media, and I know he will be an outstanding leader for NBCUniversal Local,” wrote Cesar Conde, chairman at NBCUniversal News Group, in a note to staff (full note below).

“Chris is not only a strong and accomplished leader, but also a thoughtful and genuine colleague who cares deeply about people and the mission of local media,” said Valari Staab, chairman at NBCUniversal Local. “He has dedicated his career to strengthening local journalism and understands the powerful connection our stations have with the audiences and communities we serve.”

Wayland joined what is now NBCUniversal Local in 2019 as senior vice president and station manager for NBC10 Boston and Telemundo Boston. He was named senior vice president and general manager of NBC Sports Boston the same year and was promoted to president and general manager of WBTS and WNEU in 2020.

In Boston, Wayland oversees news, sales, marketing, community, finance, programming and digital media for the NBC and Telemundo stations and the regional sports network. He previously oversaw NECN, a 24-hour cable news network that was recently sold to Charter Communications.

In his note, Conde wrote that Wayland built “an integrated, multiplatform operation” in Boston and was “a key leader in the development and launch of the NBCUniversal Boston Media Center,” the facility that houses the company’s Boston operations.

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Before joining NBCUniversal, Wayland spent nearly three years with Tribune Media. He was first vice president of group operations, then senior vice president and general manager of WPIX in New York, at the time the group’s flagship station.

He previously spent nearly a decade with Sunbeam Television beginning in 2007. He served as general sales manager for WHDH in Boston and later as executive vice president and general manager, overseeing WHDH, then an NBC affiliate, WLVI in Boston and Fox affiliate WSVN in Miami.

Wayland has more than 30 years of experience in local media. He holds a bachelor’s degree in business marketing from Elmira College, where he played defense on the Soaring Eagles hockey team.

“I am truly pleased to be succeeded by someone I respect and admire, and I know he will continue to build on everything our teams have achieved together,” Staab added. “I look forward to partnering with him during the transition and cheering on the organization’s continued success in the years ahead.”

Staab’s tenure

Staab joined NBCUniversal in 2011 as president of NBC Owned Television Stations. She added oversight of the Telemundo Station Group in 2013, and the NBC Sports Regional Networks joined the division in 2021. She was named chairman in 2022.

“Under her leadership, what began as 10 NBC-owned stations grew into NBCUniversal Local’s nationwide, multiplatform portfolio of 50 media properties,” wrote Conde.

According to the company, the NBC- and Telemundo-owned stations produce nearly 1,000 hours of English- and Spanish-language local programming each week across 30 U.S. markets and Puerto Rico. 

During Staab’s tenure, the company established bilingual newsrooms in top 10 markets, expanded its investigative and consumer units and built what it describes as one of the nation’s largest weather radar networks.

The NBC Sports Regional Networks produce more than 700 NBA, NHL and MLB games each year and reach more than 16 million homes in markets including the San Francisco Bay Area, New England and Philadelphia, according to data from NBCUniversal Local.

Before NBCUniversal, Staab held leadership roles with ABC Owned Television Stations, most recently as president and general manager of KGO in San Francisco. She previously led WTVD in Raleigh, North Carolina, and KFSN in Fresno, California. Earlier, she spent a decade at WPVI in Philadelphia as director of creative services and director of marketing and research. She also worked in marketing and research at KPRC in Houston and KLTV in Tyler, Texas, where she began her broadcast career as a student.

Staab was inducted into the Broadcasting & Cable Hall of Fame in 2024 and was named a Giant of Broadcasting & Electronic Arts by the Library of American Broadcasting Foundation in 2023. She received a Gracies Leadership Award in 2025 and the National Association of Television Programming Executives’ Iris Award in 2022.

“After more than 46 years in local television, including more than 15 extraordinary years with NBCUniversal, I have made the deeply personal decision to retire at the end of the year,” said Staab. “While I know this is the right time for me and my family, it has not been an easy decision. The hardest part is stepping away from the stations, colleagues, and friends who have been such an important part of my life and career.”

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“I feel incredibly fortunate to have spent my entire professional journey in local television, working alongside talented, passionate people who are committed to serving their communities and making a difference every day,” Staab added.

Staab said she plans to spend more time traveling with her husband and pursuing her interest in the outdoors and wildlife.

Cesar Conde’s note to staff:

I’m pleased to share that Chris Wayland has been named President of NBCUniversal Local, succeeding Valari Staab, who earlier this year disclosed her plans to retire. Chris and Val will work closely together over the coming weeks, with the transition taking place before the end of the year.

Chris is an accomplished and highly respected leader with more than 30 years of experience in local media. Since joining NBCUniversal in 2019, he has led NBC10 Boston, Telemundo Boston and NBC Sports Boston, building an integrated, multiplatform operation, a high-performing team and a strong culture closely connected to the audiences and communities they serve. He has been instrumental in the growth of NBC10 and was a key leader in the development and launch of the NBCUniversal Boston Media Center. Chris understands the power and importance of local media, and I know he will be an outstanding leader for NBCUniversal Local.

As Chris prepares to take on this role, I also want to recognize Val and the extraordinary legacy she leaves behind. Over a remarkable 46-year career in local television and journalism — including more than 15 years at NBCUniversal — Val has been a tireless champion of local journalism and the communities we serve. Under her leadership, what began as 10 NBC-owned stations grew into NBCUniversal Local’s nationwide, multiplatform portfolio of 50 media properties.

On a personal note, I have been incredibly fortunate to work alongside Val. She is a leader of enormous integrity and conviction, a trusted colleague and friend, and a mentor to countless people across our company and our industry. Her impact can be seen not only in the organization she helped build, but in the generations of broadcasters and leaders she has supported and developed along the way.

I know you’ll join me in congratulating Chris on his new role — and in thanking Val for everything she has done for NBCUniversal and wishing her all the very best in this next chapter.

Take Care,
Cesar

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