Gray Names More General Managers as It Prepares for Meredith Acquisition

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Cleveland, Knoxville, Omaha among markets with new leaders

Gray Television
Matt Moran and Peter Russell will be running new stations after Gray completes its acquistion of Meredith Local Media. (Image credit: Gray Television)

Gray Television continued to prepare for its acquisition of Meredith Corp.’s local media unit by naming new general managers at some of its stations.

The move follows Gray naming six of its current executives to be general managers of Meredith stations when the deal closes, which is expected to happen in December. Some of the new GMs replace executives moving to Meredith markets.

The markets affected by Tuesday’s announcement are Cleveland; Knoxville, Tennessee; Omaha, Nebraska; Charleston-Huntington, West Virginia; Peoria, Illinois; and Charlottesville, Virginia.

Laura Serbon WVIR Gray

Laura Serbon (Image credit: Gray Television)

The new general managers are: 

Matt Moran will run Gray’s Cleveland stations, WOIO and WUAB. Moran had been GM of WSAZ and WQCW in Charleston-Huntington. He replaces Erik Schrader, named GM in Atlanta by Gray on Monday.

Peter Veto was named general manager of WVPT and WBNX in Knoxville. He had been GM of WJRT in Flint, Michigan. Veto replaces Jasmine Hatcher Hardin, who will run WSMV Nashville.

Jim McKernan will become general manager of WOWT Omaha. He moves from WEEK in Peoria, Illinois. He’ll succeed Andrew Stewart.

David Hughes was named GM of WSAZ and WQCW in Charleston-Huntington. He has been GM of WVIR, Charlottesville, Virginia, since 2019. He replaces Moran.

Peter Russell is being promoted to replace McKernan as general manager of WEEK in Peoria. Russell is station manager at the station currently and success McKernan.

Laura Serbon will become general manager of WVIR in Charlottesville. Serbon is now the station’s general sales manager and will replace Hughes. ■

Jon Lafayette
Jon Lafayette

Jon has been business editor of Broadcasting+Cable since 2010. He focuses on revenue-generating activities, including advertising and distribution, as well as executive intrigue and merger and acquisition activity. Just about any story is fair game, if a dollar sign can make its way into the article. Before B+C, Jon covered the industry for TVWeek, Cable World, Electronic Media, Advertising Age and The New York Post. A native New Yorker, Jon is hiding in plain sight in the suburbs of Chicago.