OMAHA, Neb., Jan. 10, 2006 (PRIMEZONE) -- Pappas Telecasting Companies, the largest privately held, commercial television broadcast group in the United States, today announced the appointment of Desiree Hill to the newly created position of Vice President of News Development, effective immediately. Previously, Ms. Hill served as a consultant to television stations, including those operated by Pappas. In her position, she is responsible for guiding the expansion and development of Pappas' news offerings, company wide. Ms. Hill will report to Howard H. Shrier, Senior Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of Pappas Telecasting's TV Station Group.
In making the announcement, Mr. Shrier said, "Desiree has done a wonderful job working with our news stations for the past several years. With so many choices available to viewers, it is imperative that we differentiate our news products in order to stand out from the crowd. I believe that Desiree's decades of experience and her proven track record place her in an excellent position to craft and implement our strategy over the coming years. We're very happy to welcome her to the Pappas family."
Ms. Hill commented, "Pappas Telecasting is aggressively growing its news footprint in 2006. I'm excited to be involved in that expansion by helping our television stations improve their newscasts and other offerings to serve their communities with information that audiences want and need. Pappas' expansion isn't limited to traditional broadcast and cable models, but includes Webcasts, podcasts, textcasting and other new and innovative ways of delivering news and information. I'm looking forward to partnering with Pappas Telecasting news departments and working with them to develop new ways to better connect with local audiences and local communities. I'm also looking forward to the opportunity to work with local news managers to help to mentor young journalists."
Desiree Hill has spent the last two-and-a-half decades as a broadcaster, consultant, and teacher. Most recently, she has served as a media consultant, working with television stations and researchers across the country to improve news and marketing products. Additionally, she spent the past three years as an Adjunct Professor at the University of North Texas, teaching courses for Radio-TV-Film and journalism students on the techniques of writing for the visual media. From 1996-2001, she was Senior Account Executive, Consultant and Producing Specialist for Audience, Research and Development, where she worked with broadcast companies in creating strategies to increase ratings. Previously, she held various television news positions, including nearly a decade as Executive Producer at two Oklahoma City stations.
Ms. Hill and her staff received two prestigious awards for coverage of the 1996 Oklahoma City bombing: the Edward R. Murrow Award from the Radio and Television News Directors Association (RTNDA), and the George Foster Peabody Award. Additionally, she has received an Emmy award, a "Best Newscast" award from the Oklahoma Association of Broadcasters, and a "Best Newscast" award from Associated Press. Ms. Hill is also a two-time veteran of the Poynter Institute for Media Studies. During the 2004-2005 school year, she was a Mayborn Scholar at the University of North Texas. Ms. Hill received a Bachelor of Arts degree with a double-major in Radio-TV-Film and Political Science from the University of Oklahoma.
Company Profile
Pappas Telecasting Companies is the largest privately held, commercial television broadcast group in the United States in terms of U.S. Household coverage as defined by Nielsen Media Research. The company owns 25 market-leading Fox, WB, ABC, CBS, UPN and Azteca America affiliates, and operates three other stations pursuant to local marketing agreements, in all regions of the United States. Additionally, Pappas owns 15 on-air digital channels, operates three others under LMAs, and has an agreement to purchase one additional digital channel. The company holds construction permits to build 24 additional television stations, and has an option to purchase a construction permit for a full-power, five million watt station. Pappas also is moving KTRB-AM 860 from Modesto to the San Francisco-San Jose radio market, and is constructing KPMP-AM 840 in Modesto. According to statistics from Nielsen, Pappas Telecasting television stations serve more than 15% of all U.S. television households. In addition, the company owns or operates television stations in markets reaching 34% of U.S. Hispanic households and nearly 37% of all U.S. Hispanic persons age 2+. In total, Pappas owns, operates, or is constructing stations in 25 Designated Market Areas.