Gray Announces General Manager Retirements and Promotions in Greenville and Charlottesville
October 28 2019 - 1:00PM
Gray Television, Inc. (“Gray”) (NYSE: GTN)
announced today the retirement of two veteran broadcasters. In
Greenville-New Bern, North Carolina, Mark Gentner will retire as
the General Manager of WITN (NBC) effective November 1, 2019. In
Charlottesville, Virginia, Harold Wright will retire as General
Manager of WVIR (NBC) effective January 31, 2020. Gray also
announced that Ron Henslee will become General Manager of WITN
following Mark’s retirement, and David Hughes will become General
Manager of WVIR upon Harold’s retirement.
WITN General Manager Mark Gentner joined the station as its
General Sales Manager in 2007 after nearly two decades in
television, advertising, and marketing. In 2012, Mark assumed his
current role and oversaw the final stages of building WITN’s new
studio building and the transition of operations to the new
facility.
WITN’s incoming General Manager, Ron Henslee, has served as the
station’s General Sales Manager for the past seven years. Ron
joined Gray Television after serving as Local Sales Manager at WGXA
in Macon, Georgia, for nine years. He has worked in broadcast sales
and management for 24 years, getting his start in radio before
moving into television sales.
Gray proudly recognizes the distinguished 58-year broadcasting
career of Harold Wright. After beginning in radio as a college
student at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, Harold
founded WVIR/NBC29 in 1973 and has served as the station’s General
Manager for the ensuing 46 years. WVIR is consistently one of the
highest rated NBC affiliates in the country. Over the years, Harold
has received countless awards for his leadership and community
involvement, including the Virginia Association of Broadcasters’
C.T. Lucy Distinguished Service Award this past summer, the
Associated Press’ Robert Gallimore Distinguished Service Award in
2018, and the Charlottesville-Albemarle Chamber of Commerce’s Paul
Goodloe McIntyre Award for Community Service in 2007. Most
recently, he has shepherded the sale and transition of WVIR to Gray
Television.
Upon Harold’s retirement early next year, David Hughes will
become WVIR’s second ever General Manager. David joins WVIR today
as its Station Manager and will work closely with Harold over the
next few months. For the past three years, David has been the News
Director for Gray’s WDBJ (CBS) in Roanoke, Virginia, during which
time the station has doubled the amount of local news it produces
and broadcasts. His broadcast career includes stints in Tampa,
Florida; Raleigh, North Carolina; and Macon, Georgia.
About Gray:
Gray currently owns and/or operates television stations and
leading digital properties in 93 television markets, including the
number-one rated television station in 68 markets and the first or
second highest rated television station in 87 markets. Gray’s
television stations cover approximately 24 percent of US television
households and broadcast over 400 separate programming streams,
including approximately 150 affiliates of the CBS/NBC/ABC/FOX
networks. Gray also owns video program production, marketing, and
digital businesses including Raycom Sports, Tupelo-Raycom, and RTM
Studios, the producer of PowerNation programs and content. For
further information, please visit www.gray.tv.
- Ron Henslee
- Harold Wright
- David Hughes
Gray Contacts:
Website: www.gray.tv
Kevin P. Latek, Executive Vice President, Chief Legal and Development Officer, 404-266-8333
Gray Television (NYSE:GTN)
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