Jake Manship Named Family’s TV Group CEO/President

One of Louisiana’s oldest media businesses is ushering in its next generation in announcing the appointment of a fourth-generation broadcaster to lead the family-owned WBRZ Baton Rouge and its array of companies.

Jake Manship was appointed chief executive officer and president of Manship Media, comprising WBRZ, KRGV Weslaco, Texas, and his family’s businesses headquartered in Old South Baton Rouge. He takes over the long-term management of the multi-television station firm from his uncle, Richard Manship, who remains chairman of the board overseeing the family’s outlets. Richard Manship has guided the Louisiana and Texas broadcasting channels for more than 40 years.

For the last 10 years, the pair have worked together at WBRZ. Previously, the younger Manship helped manage the family’s print portfolio before the publications were sold.

“My family has remained steadfast in its commitment to quality local journalism and this is yet another reminder to our viewers, digital users, and business partners that we are ready to tackle the future with — and for — them,” Richard Manship said about the operational change that supplants the family’s legacy in journalism.

“My siblings and I are watching the rapid change in our industry. These are exciting times to embrace what is to come, and appointing Jake to lead our efforts is important. With Jake, and our aggressive managers at the local level, we are focusing our business efforts to align with those we serve,” Richard Manship added.

WBRZ and KRGV and the stations’ family of channels are among the few remaining broadcast outlets under localized, family control. WBRZ is the only locally owned television news station in Baton Rouge and one of only two in Louisiana. Similarly, KRGV is among a handful of Texas’ stations not owned by a conglomerate.

In both states, the Manship family says its stations “program more news than competitors and focus on authentic, local broadcasting, including expanded local news offerings, local sports, and, in Texas, Spanish local news and entertainment.”

“My family’s commitment to telling stories of the people in our communities dates back a century. I am excited to lead our businesses into the next generation of broadcasting and streaming,” Jake Manship said.

In the years since Jake Manship joined the management team of his family’s television operation, both WBRZ and KRGV have added newscasts and staff and invested in next-generation broadcast equipment. KRGV produces the most amount of news in its viewing area, featuring local news in English and Spanish with two news teams, the company says.

It adds that in Baton Rouge, WBRZ and WBRZ Plus produce more local news and authentic television shows than any other news station in the area.