David Hart Named VP-GM Of WSAV Savannah

Nexstar Media today promoted David Hart to vice president and general manager of its broadcasting and digital operations in Savannah, Georgia (DMA 91): WSAV (NBC and CW), wsav.com and their related digital and social media channels. He begins his duties immediately and reports to Ron Romines, senior vice president and regional manager for Nexstar Media’s broadcasting division.

According to the company, throughout his 30-year career, Hart has “consistently demonstrated the ability to grow broadcast and digital audiences, revenue, and profitability, and has developed broad experience across all facets of television news gathering, production, sales and management.”

Hart is very familiar with Nexstar and its station group, having served since 2012 as the VP-GM of its WRBL Columbus, Ga. (CBS). During his tenure at WRBL, Hart and his team expanded the station’s newscasts, identified and developed new streams of revenue and sponsorship opportunities, and deepened the station’s relationship with the community. Under his leadership, in October 2021, WRBL launched two, new, one-hour weekend newscasts at 8 a.m. ET.

He also spearheaded the overall digital modernization of WRBL, transforming it into a digital-first content operation, with dedicated staffing to support audience growth and digital revenue development. Those changes led to significant digital growth, with wrbl.com recently averaging more than 750,000 unique visitors and one-million pageviews monthly.

In addition, earlier this year, wrbl.com launched a series of digital podcasts, featuring the station’s news, weather and sports talent, with a focus on in-depth reporting, newsmaker interviews, community service and local, faith-based initiatives.

Hart and his team played a substantial role in several community campaigns benefitting non-profit agencies and organizations, including the annual WRBL “Kids Summer Cupboard” food drives and the station’s “Teachers On Your Side” school supplies drive. WRBL also has grown several key community partnerships, including one with Columbus State University designed to grow the university’s communications program. In 2018, WRBL opened a news bureau at the university and has utilized it along with other opportunities to offer internships and employment to current CSU students and graduates.

Prior to leading WRBL, Hart was director of content for several media businesses in the Florence and Myrtle Beach, S.C., area, including WBTW (CBS), The (Florence) Morning News, The Hartsville Messenger, The Lake City News and Post, The Marion Star & Mullins Enterprise and The (Hemingway) Weekly Observer newspapers, along with the regional web portal SCNOW.com.

“David is a great choice to lead Nexstar’s broadcasting and digital operations in Savannah, and he is very deserving of this promotion,” Romines said. “He’s been extremely successful in generating audience and revenue growth at WRBL-TV and wrbl.com, and has demonstrated the ability to build strong relationships within the communities in which he has worked. He is an innovative and creative leader, and I am looking forward to working with him as he begins his new duties overseeing WSAV-TV and wsav.com.”

Hart has been deeply involved in the communities in which he has worked and lived throughout his career, serving most recently as chairman of the board of the Georgia Association of Broadcasters.

Hart graduated from Auburn University with a bachelor’s degree in radio, television, and film.