Fields Named Sales Head for NBC Outlets in Chicago

Jill Fields has been named senior vice president of ad sales for NBC Sports Chicago, NBC station WMAQ-TV and Telemundo station WSNS-TV, effective immediately.

Fields, who had been vice president and general sales manager at NBC Sports Chicago since 2017, will oversee multi-platform ad sales for all three outlets. She will report to Kevin Cross, senior vice president and general manager of NBC Sports Chicago, and to David Doebler, president of WMAQ and WSNS.

“Jill is a proven ad sales executive and well-respected leader, with valuable relationships in the Chicago marketplace,” said Bill Bridgen, president, group leader, NBC Sports Regional Networks. “Her expanded role will be an asset to realize greater potential for NBC Sports Chicago, all of NBCUniversal’s local Chicago businesses overall, as well as our clients.”

The move follows the departure of Brandin Stewart, who had been vice president of sales for WMAQ and WSNS. Stewart was named president and general manager of CBS’s KYW-TV and WPSG-TV, Philadelphia.

“With Jill at the helm of our stations and RSN sales operations, our clients will experience the unfettered synergies that our local businesses can provide them through our unequaled consumer reach that includes bilingual consumers,” said Doebler. “I am excited for Jill to help us strengthen our already strong sales operations in her new role.”

Fields joined NBC Sports Chicago in 2012. Previously she was with Home Team Sports in New York and Los Angeles.

“I’m grateful for the opportunity to be able to work with the talented sales teams at NBC 5, Telemundo Chicago, and NBC Sports Chicago,” said Fields. “Together, we will be a stronger, more comprehensive multi-platform local destination for our clients and for our business, and I can’t wait to get started.” 

Jon Lafayette

Jon has been business editor of Broadcasting+Cable since 2010. He focuses on revenue-generating activities, including advertising and distribution, as well as executive intrigue and merger and acquisition activity. Just about any story is fair game, if a dollar sign can make its way into the article. Before B+C, Jon covered the industry for TVWeek, Cable World, Electronic Media, Advertising Age and The New York Post. A native New Yorker, Jon is hiding in plain sight in the suburbs of Chicago.