Adrienne Roark Named President, CBS Stations

Veteran local television and news executive Adrienne Roark today was appointed president, CBS Stations, effective Monday, Aug 2. The announcement was made today by Wendy McMahon, President and Co-Head of CBS News and Stations, to whom Roark will report.

In this newly defined role of CBS Stations president, Roark will have day-to-day responsibility for working directly with the local general managers and their teams at the ViacomCBS-owned CBS Television Network stations in major markets across the country, primarily in the eastern half of the country. CBS plans to name additional Stations presidents at a later date.

In April of this year, CBS announced plans to combine the journalistic and business resources of CBS News and CBS Television Stations to form a new division of ViacomCBS, jointly led by McMahon and her fellow president and co-head of CBS News and Stations, Neeraj Khemlani.

Roark, who will be based in New York City, will also focus on guiding the development of new workstreams between the CBS Stations and CBS News organizations, partnering with her colleagues to elevate local news products and experiences and creating new multi-platform audience and revenue growth opportunities across CBS local broadcast and streaming channels.

She will also play a leading role in supporting CBS Stations’ community service initiatives and promoting a positive workplace culture.

“As we reimagine our opportunities for success as a united CBS News and Stations team, we are excited to welcome Adrienne back to CBS in this key leadership role,” McMahon said. “Adrienne possesses an outstanding reputation for driving innovation and fostering collaboration to the mutual benefit of the communities where she has served, her business partners and, most importantly, her colleagues. We look forward to having her rejoin the CBS Stations family and provide thoughtful and creative leadership to our organization.”

“My previous experience with the CBS Stations in Miami and Dallas-Fort Worth represent memorable and very formative chapters in my career history,” Roark said. “The opportunity to return and work with Wendy and Neeraj is an enormous privilege. I am excited to be a part of a team that brings the best in journalism, storytelling and digital innovation to audiences all over the country. People need us now more than ever to be a trusted provider of news and information and to reflect their communities. I am honored to once again be a member of the CBS family.”

Roark will rejoin CBS after spending the past seven years in Portland, Ore., first as general manager of CBS affiliate KOIN, beginning in 2014, then as general manager of Fox affiliate KPTV and MyNetworkTV affil KPDX since 2016.

Prior to that, Roark served for four years as vice president and news director of KTVT-KTXA, the CBS duopoly in Dallas-Fort Worth. She joined CBS Stations in 2007 as assistant news director at WFOR and WBFS in Miami. Six months later, she was promoted to news director. While in Miami, she created an award-winning investigative unit, worked closely with CBS News’ 60 Minutes on a Medicare fraud story and was responsible for the first on-air news story shot entirely with an iPhone.

Roark’s news background also includes positions with WESH Orlando, Fla.; WTVJ Miami; WKYC Cleveland; and WCMH Columbus, Ohio. An Ohio native, she began her career at WBNS, the CBS affiliate in Columbus, after graduating from The Ohio State University with a bachelor’s degree in communications.

Roark is a Poynter Ethics Fellow and Carole Kneeland Fellowship alum. She is a three-time regional Emmy award winner and has received six regional Edward R. Murrow Awards.