Branden Frantz, currently general sales manager at Hearst-owned WESH in Orlando, will be moving to Cincinnati, where he will head the company’s WLWT as its president and general manager.
Frantz will take the NBC affiliate’s top job on Jan. 1. He succeeds Richard Dyer, who has run the station since 2002. Dyer is becoming president and general manager of WUSA, Tegna’s CBS affiliate in Washington, which is Dryer’s hometown.
“Branden is a next-generation executive who has delivered record levels of performance during his tenure at WESH, leading our sales team to new heights in both television and digital revenue," said Hearst president Jordan Wertlieb. “His proven record of success, coupled with his homegrown passion for Cincinnati and Ohio, makes Branden the ideal successor to Richard, who has led and helped grow WLWT over the last 14 years.”
Frantz, an Ohio native, spent most of his career in the state, starting as an account executive with WUPW, the Fox affiliate in Toledo. Before joining WESH in 2013, he spent five years as general sales manager for Raycom’s Fox affiliate WXIX Cincinnati.
