Greg Bilte To Retire As KIRO Seattle VP-GM

Today, Cox Media Group announced that Greg Bilte, vice president and general manager of CBS affiliate KIRO Seattle (DMA 13), will retire from the company, effective June 30. Bilte’s replacement at KIRO has not yet been named.

Bilte’s retirement concludes a 41-year career in television broadcasting that began in 1979 as an account executive for KXLY in Spokane, and culminated in leading KIRO in Seattle to achieve record ratings. In between these two roles, Greg worked for the national rep firm Telerep and also served as national sales manager for KTTV Los Angeles.

Bilte’s 25-year run with CMG began at KTVU San Francisco in 1995, where he was national and local sales manager before being promoted to general sales manager of sister station KICU, and eventually to the same role at KTVU.

In 2013, he was promoted to VP-GM of the CMG KOKI-KMYT duopoly in Tulsa, Okla., where he took the station from fourth place to first place in the market. During his time in Tulsa, Bilte and his team won multiple regional Edward R. Murrow awards, as well as a national Murrow award for Best Newscast.

In 2016, Bilte assumed his current role as KIRO VP-GM. According to CMG, “Under his leadership, the station has achieved record news ratings and revenue while serving the Seattle community at every turn, especially helping keep the station’s viewers informed, safe and calm during the COVID-19 pandemic.”

CMG’s EVP of Television Paul Curran said: “The common themes that have been plainly evident throughout Greg’s career are his dedication to the communities he has served and the meaningful relationships he has developed with his employees and customers. Most recently, Greg’s dedication to the Seattle community was especially evident as he led his team to inform and guide KIRO’s audience through the onslaught of the coronavirus outbreak, which hit Seattle especially hard.

“Countless CMG leaders began their careers working with Greg — his passion for TV and for developing his people are unmatched. We will miss him but are incredibly happy that Greg will now have ample time to dedicate to his family in this next chapter of his life.”

“I sincerely appreciate the support, mentorship and many opportunities provided to me at this tremendous company,” Bilte said. “We have a special ‘secret sauce’ at CMG that makes it a great place to work and I could not be prouder of what we have built and accomplished together. While I do look forward to retirement, I will miss my team and colleagues at CMG and am extremely grateful for the rich friendships I have built during my career here.”