Barrett, Wertlieb Upped At Hearst TV

Hearst Corp. on Thursday announced that David J. Barrett has been named chairman and CEO of Hearst Television and Jordan Wertlieb has been named president. The announcements were made by Hearst Corp. CEO Frank A. Bennack, Jr. Both promotions are effective immediately.

“David has been an important leader at Hearst for nearly 30 years and remains a force in the broadcast industry, championing the digital and mobile future of television news and information,” Bennack said. “I congratulate him on his new role as chairman and look forward to his continued stewardship of the expansion and success of Hearst Television.”

“For almost 20 years, Jordan Wertlieb has been an outstanding Hearst Television executive—something I know will continue in his new role as president,” Barrett said. “During the last few years, we’ve been working together to increase the service we provide to viewers around the country — on-air, online and via mobile — and the value we bring to local businesses. This was a tremendous year of growth in terms of revenue and I look forward to working with Jordan to keep that momentum going.”

Barrett was named president and CEO of Hearst-Argyle Television in 2001. Hearst-Argyle was publicly traded on the NYSE from 1998 until 2009, when it was taken private by Hearst Corp. and re-named Hearst Television. He had a six-year tenure as deputy general manager of Hearst Broadcasting and four years as executive vice president and chief operating officer of Hearst-Argyle Television. Barrett joined Hearst in 1984 as general manager of the company’s Baltimore radio stations, later assuming general manager responsibility for the Hearst Radio Group and then for WBAL-TV Baltimore. He is a director of Hearst Corp., a trustee of the trust established under the will of William Randolph Hearst and a director of the Hearst Foundations.

Wertlieb was named executive vice president of Hearst Television in January 2011. In that role, he had management oversight responsibility for a portion of the 29 Hearst TV stations around the country and assisted Barrett on various corporate matters. Prior to that, Wertlieb was president and general manager of WBAL-TV from 2005 to 2011. He joined WBAL in 1999 as general sales manager after joining Hearst in 1993 as national sales manager of WCVB Boston.

Wertlieb began his television career in 1986 as a research analyst at Katz Communications. He became a television sales account executive at Katz in 1989, representing Hearst Broadcasting, as well as other leading station groups.