WTAE Promotes Jim Parsons To News Dir.

Jim Parsons today was named news director at Hearst Television’s ABC affiliate WTAE Pittsburgh (DMA 23) effective immediately. He succeeds Justin Antoniotti, who has been appointed president-GM of Hearst’s WPTZ-WNNE Plattsburgh, N.Y.-Burlington, Vt.

Parsons, WTAE’s former assistant news director, will oversee the station’s news operations, WTAE.com and WTAE mobile applications.

WTAE President-GM Charles W. Wolfertz III said: “Jim’s strong news instincts, passion for journalism, and knowledge of Pittsburgh make him uniquely prepared to take on this important position. I have no doubt Jim will build on WTAE Channel 4’s many accomplishments and lead the way in delivering quality news coverage to our viewers.”

Earlier this year, WTAE Channel 4 earned a George Foster Peabody Award from the University of Georgia’s Grady College of Journalism for its investigation of systemic problems within Pennsylvania’s volunteer fire departments leading to wide gaps in fire response times.

The station also has been awarded a regional Edward R. Murrow Award for Overall Excellence from the Radio-Television Digital News Association for three consecutive years.

In addition to his news management role at WTAE, Parsons served as an investigative reporter for 15 years. His investigations on the Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency (PHEAA), led to the resignation of its CEO and was later credited with helping to bring about the passage of Pennsylvania’s Right-to-Know law. The investigation earned WTAE the George Foster Peabody Award and an Investigative Reporters and Editors medal.