Dean Ditmer Named KATU-KUNP Portland General Manager

Dean Ditmer
Dean Ditmer (Image credit: Sinclair)

Dean Ditmer has been named VP and general manager of KATU-KUNP Portland. He had been the president and general manager of KPNX-KMSB-KTTU Tucson, Arizona. 

Sinclair owns the Portland, Oregon, duopoly. Cortlandt Cuffee is retiring as the VP/general manager. 

Ditmer’s earlier leadership positions include director of sales at KUSA Denver, general manager of Sinclair’s WKEF-WRGT Dayton and director of sales at WCCO Minneapolis.

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“We are thrilled to welcome Dean back to Sinclair. Dean’s extensive experience and proven leadership make him the perfect fit to lead KATU and KUNP,” Rob Weisbord, Sinclair chief operating officer, and president of Local Media, said. “We are confident that under his guidance, these stations will continue to thrive and serve the Portland community with excellence.” 

Ditmer has recently served on several public and non-profit boards, including the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communications at Arizona State University, the Arizona Broadcasters Association and the Arizona Interscholastic Association Advisory Board.

“It is an honor and pleasure to rejoin Sinclair where, as a leader, I enjoyed the most rewarding and fulfilling work of my professional career,” Ditmer said. “Rob is leading transformative change within our industry and I am eager to get started to help support that transformation at the terrific operation in Portland.”

Michael Malone

Michael Malone is content director at B+C and Multichannel News. He joined B+C in 2005 and has covered network programming, including entertainment, news and sports on broadcast, cable and streaming; and local broadcast television, including writing the "Local News Close-Up" market profiles. He also hosted the podcasts "Busted Pilot" and "Series Business." His journalism has also appeared in The New York Times, The L.A. Times, The Boston Globe and New York magazine.