John O’Brien Named GM Of WAVE Louisville

Gray Television today named John O’Brien general manager of WAVE, its NBC affiliate in Louisville, Ky. (DMA 48). He begins at WAVE on April 25, succeeding Ronna Corrente, who was promoted to senior vice president-local media last month.

For the past 14 years, O’Brien has been GM of Gray’s WNDU, the NBC affiliate in South Bend, Ind. Before his move to South Bend, he was the general sales manager at Gray’s WILX Lansing, Mich. Over the years, he has held sales management positions at WNWO Toledo, Ohio, and WWMT Kalamazoo, Michigan.

During his tenure at WNDU, the station expanded local news into new dayparts, collectively adding five and one-half hours of additional local news weekly. On multiple occasions, the Indiana Broadcasters Association has selected WNDU as its “Station of the Year.” In 2020, the National Association of Broadcasters Leadership Foundation selected WNDU to receive its Service to Community Award for Medium Market Television for the station’s series “Never Again: Prevent Bus Stop Tragedies,” which culminated in a new state law designed to protect children at bus stops. The Foundation’s Service to America Awards recognize outstanding community service by local broadcasters and selects local radio and television stations for their exemplary service to their communities.