Chris Wayland Named Tribune VP, Group Operations

Related: ‘Stay at Home’ Station Exec Bids Bye to Boston

Sunbeam Television exec Chris Wayland has been named Tribune Broadcasting’s VP of group operations.

Starting Sept. 19, Wayland will work with Tribune’s C-suite on growing the station group’s sales and distribution.  He will work alongside Greg Easterly, Tribune’s senior VP of group operations and report to broadcast media president Larry Wert and COO Kathy Clements.

Wayland has been with Sunbeam since 2007, most recently as executive VP and general manager of WSVN Miami and Boston’s WHDH and WLVI. exit comes at the end of a long battle between WHDH and Comcast over the company pulling the station’s NBC affiliation. WHDH will become independent starting Jan. 1.

“Chris has acquired unique industry experience with Sunbeam developing and executing strategies to grow both advertising and distribution revenue,” Wert said in a statement. “He is a perfect solutions-oriented fit to join Tribune Broadcasting’s management team.”