Tegna names three group general managers in leadership restructuring

Tegna has appointed Joan Barrett, Kate Morris and Brad Ramsey as group general managers, completing a new regional leadership structure under CEO Patrick Paolini.

The appointments, effective immediately, place each executive in charge of overseeing local station general managers across two of Tegna’s six operating regions.

The new positions establish an additional level of management between Tegna’s corporate leadership and its local stations. The group general managers will be responsible for establishing regional strategies, supporting station leadership and overseeing business performance, audience development and operations.

“Viewers’ habits and advertisers’ needs are constantly shifting, and we have to innovate quickly to serve both,” Paolini said. “Engaging content and strong sales go hand in hand, and our local GMs are best positioned to connect them in their markets.”

Paolini said the appointments are intended to provide local managers with additional resources and support as the company works to expand its television and digital businesses.

Joan Barrett to oversee Northeast and Southeast

Barrett, who has served as president and general manager of WCNC in Charlotte, North Carolina, since 2020, will oversee Tegna’s Northeast and Southeast regions.

She expanded her responsibilities in 2024 to include oversight of WFMY in Greensboro, North Carolina.

Before joining Tegna, Barrett served as president and general manager of KDVR and KWGN in Denver, Colorado. She previously spent more than a decade overseeing television operations for Schurz Communications in Wichita, Kansas.

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Barrett has also been involved in industry leadership training and professional development. She is a co-founder and longtime trainer with the Carole Kneeland Project for Responsible Journalism, a nonprofit organization that provides training for newsroom leaders.

Kate Morris to lead Midwest and West regions

Morris will oversee Tegna’s Midwest and West regions after serving as president and general manager of KPNX in Phoenix, Arizona, since 2020.

Her existing responsibilities also include oversight of KMSB and KTTU in Tucson, Arizona.

Morris has more than 25 years of experience in local television news and station management. Before moving to Phoenix, she held leadership positions at KTVB in Boise, Idaho, advancing from executive news director to president and general manager in 2018.

During her tenure at KTVB, the station expanded its local news programming and received seven National Edward R. Murrow Awards.

Morris began her television career as a news producer in Phoenix. At KPNX, she has overseen changes to the station’s branding, programming strategy and audience development efforts.

She also serves on the boards of the Arizona Media Association and the Arizona State University Cronkite Endowment Board of Trustees.

Brad Ramsey to oversee Texas and Mid-South

Ramsey will take responsibility for Tegna’s Texas and Mid-South regions, bringing experience in station management, corporate operations and revenue strategy.

He most recently served as Tegna’s senior vice president of revenue, where he also directed the company’s sports rights strategy.

In that position, Ramsey helped expand Tegna’s involvement in local professional sports broadcasting, securing full-season team rights across the NBA, WNBA, NHL and Major League Baseball.

The sports agreements have been part of Tegna’s effort to develop additional programming and advertising opportunities through local broadcast rights.

Ramsey previously served as Tegna’s senior vice president of media operations and spent seven years as president and general manager of WFAA in Dallas, Texas.

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During his tenure at WFAA, the station received 17 major national journalism honors, including a National Edward R. Murrow Award for Overall Excellence and the National Association of Broadcasters’ Service to America Award.

Ramsey also serves on the executive committee of the ABC Television Affiliate Board of Governors.

The three appointments assign Barrett, Morris and Ramsey responsibility for Tegna’s six designated regions, with each executive overseeing two regions and the local general managers operating within them.