Hearst Television said Joseph Heston, who has been president and general manager of KSBW-TV, Monterey-Salinas, Calif., plans to retire later this year.
A successor will be named at a later date, the company said.
Heston's career began in the 1970s. Thirty-five of Heston’s 45 years in television broadcasting have been spent at Hearst. He worked at Hearst stations in Boston, Pittsburgh and Baltimore before landing on the central coast of California.
“The broadcast industry and Hearst Television have been well served by Joe’s passionate dedication to the mandate of local broadcasters,” said Hearst Television president, Jordan Wertlieb. “Whether Boston, Baltimore, Pittsburgh, or the Central Coast, in every assignment, Joe has focused and successfully established a strong relationship between our stations and the communities they serve. He and his team have built a vital local presence on the Central Coast, making KSBW and CCABC true representatives of the impact a great local television station can have.”
In 2011 KSBW used some of its digital spectrum to launch an ABC affiliate, CCABC. In 2016 it launched Estrella Coast Central to provide additional programming for Hispanic viewers in the region.
Before Hearst, Heston worked at Westinghouse Broadcasting–now part of CBS–serving in various production and management roles within in Boston, Pittsburgh, and Baltimore
“How fortunate I am to have had more than three decades with Hearst,” Heston said. “I have been blessed to work with so many creative and talented people throughout the years, at great local stations and at the corporate level.”
