WSLS Roanoke GM Wilcher Departing

Leesa Wilcher, VP and general manager at WSLS Roanoke (Va.), is departing the Media General owned station after May 23. She’s been the GM at the NBC affiliate since 2011.

The Roanoke Times previously reported her pending departure.

Wilcher told the newspaper her departure is related to “personal reasons” and that she is moving to the Tri-Cities market of Johnson City-Kingsport (Tenn.) and Bristol (Va.). She had previously worked in the Tri-Cities for Media General.

She cited the noon show Daytime Blue Ridge, its new set, and the return of anchor John Carlin among her highlights in Roanoke.

No successor has been named in DMA No. 66.

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.