Station Stars of 2017

It’s been a challenging year, to say the least, for local television. There were devastating hurricanes in some parts of the country, wildfires in others. There were mass shootings. There’s an unabashed president in the White House, and his thoughts on topics ranging from health care to taxes have loads of local implications.

To be sure, local broadcast has had its own challenges, as the big groups gobble up the smaller ones.

Thankfully, there remain savvy stations in your market to assess the issues facing the community. As B&C salutes the top general managers, news director and multiplatform broadcaster, and premier station group, best practices emerge. Local TV leaders who find business opportunities that others overlooked. Those who expertly managed their staffs when crisis struck, making sure the story was thoroughly covered, and the staffers came through OK. Those who made the most of going independent, those who never lamented their group’s lack of scale.

These local broadcast leaders simply rose to the challenge throughout the year.

Station Group of the Year
A Broadcast Giant in Any Language

GM of the Year: Markets 1-25
WDIV GM Drutz is All 4 Detroit

GM of the Year: Markets 26-50
What Happens in Vegas Plays Beyond It, Due to KVVU GM

GM of the Year: Markets 51+
Savvy Delmarva GM Jahelka Tips the Scales

Multiplatform Broadcaster of the Year
Tegna’s Digital-First Approach Rethinks Station’s Role

News Director of the Year
Honing the Local Edge at ‘Chicago’s Very Own’

Michael Malone

Michael Malone, senior content producer at B+C/Multichannel News, covers network programming, including entertainment, news and sports on broadcast, cable and streaming; and local broadcast television. He hosts the podcasts Busted Pilot, about what’s new in television, and Series Business, a chat with the creator of a new program, and writes the column “The Watchman.” He joined B+C in 2005. His journalism has also appeared in The New York Times, The Philadelphia Inquirer, Playboy and New York magazine.