B&C's 2012 Local TV Executives of the Year

B&C salutes the finest leaders in local television with the GM, News Director and Multiplatform Broadcaster of the Year awards

By B&C Staff -- Broadcasting & Cable, 12/24/2012 12:01:00 AM

Just about everyone in the local TV world had a fabulous 2012, thanks to those free-spending politicians. But the savvy local broadcasters spent the year thinking about 2013 and beyond -- investing in news, technology, community outreach and whatever the heck else it takes these days to stay above the media clutter in their markets.

Station leaders talk a lot about "staying relevant," but merely staying relevant doesn't cut it anymore. Creating truly compelling content -- entertaining, law-changing, perhaps life-saving stuff that no one else is providing -- and disseminating it to users on platforms old and new, all the while turning the whole shebang into substantially more revenue than the station across the street, is what it takes to make successful local TV in the modern age.

Culling through nominations from readers and conducting our own research, B&C has assembled its local TV Best in Class for 2012. These leaders oversaw investigative reporting units that changed the face of their communities. They kept their stations focused when the walls were seemingly caving in all around them. They enlightened voters in vital battleground markets. They covered crises with aplomb and professionalism. They used their multiple platforms in novel ways to connect users with crucial content.

It may have been the most tumultuous year in local TV history, featuring power struggles with the networks and distributors, the increasingly perplexing social media landscape, the dramatic consolidation of station groups, and a litany of fatal hurricanes, rampaging wildfires and heart-breaking mass shootings-all requiring spot-on coverage to inform anxious communities.

And none navigated these dicey waters better than our 2012 winners.

	GM of the Year, Markets 1-25 Ray Heacox: 'King' for a Year Seattle's best is also USA's best -- 2012 was unforgettable for Ray Heacox.
	GM of the Year, Markets 26-50 Debbie Turner: Tennessee's Titan Debbie Turner keeps WTVF ahead in Nashville using strategic "special sauce" and plenty of pizza
	GM of the Year, Markets 51+ Dale Woods: Managing the Underdog That's Barking at the Door WHO Des Moines GM Dale Woods uses unrivaled commitment to weather, politics to chip away at longtime market leader
	News Director of the Year Patti Dennis: News Vet Continues a 'Culture of Excellence' Tragedy, wildfires and Olympics Gold put Denver leader KUSA to the test
	Multiplatform Broadcaster of the Year Univision Steps Up Its Streams Into TV Everywhere Multiplatform efforts produce new channels, distribution