Brian McHale New Journal Broadcast CTO

Journal Broadcast Group on Monday named Brian McHale the company’s new vice president and chief technology officer.

In this role, McHale will oversee the leadership, management, implementation and long-term planning of the company’s technical and physical infrastructure across its 13 television stations and 35 radio stations in 11 states. He will also ensure the efficient and on-schedule delivery of media content, identify emerging technologies and how to profitably deploy them, and work closely with Journal’s leadership team to develop the company’s operational and strategic direction.

McHale will report jointly to Debbie Turner, EVP – television, and Steve Wexler, EVP – radio.

McHale joins Journal from Fisher Communications, where he was VP of technology for three years. Prior to his position at Fisher, he was chief technologist at Mobile500 Alliance. He also held a variety of senior technology roles at the companies of Liberty Media Corp., including SVP-CTO at DirecTV Sports Networks, VP of information technology at Starz Entertainment, and VP of international information technology at Discovery Communications. He also currently serves as a board member and adviser to Wearable X Labs.

McHale will begin in his new role on April 7 and will work with Andy Laird, former CTO of Journal Broadcast Group, to transition Laird’s responsibilities throughout 2014. Laird announced in October 2013 his intention to retire later this year. “I’m happy that Brian will be working side-by-side with Andy Laird so we’ll enjoy the benefits of their combined knowledge and a seamless transition,” Wexler said.

“I’m looking forward to partnering with Brian as, together, we chart our technology strategy for the future,” said Andre Fernandez, president-COO of Journal Communications, the parent company of Journal Broadcast Group. Fernandez added: “My thanks again to Andy Laird, our outgoing VP and CTO, for his years of service to the company and for helping build the solid technology platform we enjoy today.”