Michael Silecchia Named GM Of Nexstar In Rockford, Ill.

Nexstar Media today appointed Michael Silecchia vice president and general manager of its broadcast and digital operations in Rockford, Ill. (DMA 139), overseeing WQRF (Fox), mystateline.com and their related mobile and social media channels. He will also oversee the company’s operational agreements with Mission Broadcasting, providing services to WTVO (ABC) Rockford. He will assume his new responsibilities immediately and report to Traci Wilkinson, senior vice president and regional manager of Nexstar Media Inc.’s broadcasting division.

Silecchia is a veteran broadcast executive with nearly 20 years of sales leadership experience and a long track record of improving revenue growth and profitability throughout his career. He most recently was director of sales for KOKH and KOCB in Oklahoma City, where he transformed the sales team and grew the advertising market share of both stations.

Silecchia is familiar with Nexstar, having previously served as director of sales for the company’s broadcast and digital operations in Fresno, Calif., from 2013 to 2016, at KSEE (NBC), KGPE (CBS), and yourcentralvalley.com.

“We’re extremely pleased to welcome Michael back to Nexstar’s family of local stations,” Wilkinson said. “He’s innovative, thoughtful, and dedicated, and he has demonstrated the ability to build high- performing successful sales teams that can create and develop a variety of customized advertising and marketing solutions for clients. Most important, Michael is committed to serving the local community with high-quality local news and programming. He will be a great leader for our broadcast and digital operations in Rockford and I am looking forward to working with him.”

Silecchia earned his bachelor’s degree in communications at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and extended his education as a graduate of the Broadcast Sales Academy in Dallas.