Les Vann Named GM Of WISH-WNDY

LIN Media on Monday named Les Vann president and general manager of WISH (CBS) and WNDY (MNT) Indianapolis, Ind. (DMA 26). He succeeds Jeff White who left the station in June.

Vann is a veteran broadcast executive with more than 20 years of television station management experience. He steps in to his new role at LIN Media after serving as president-GM of WJCL Savannah, Ga., since January 2013.

He will be succeeded at WJCL by Steve Doerr. Doerr has been VP/group manager – Northeast region for Smith Media LLC, where he managed five network affiliated stations and digital platforms in Central New York and New England through the transitional period as the businesses were marketed and sold.

Prior to joining LIN Media, Vann was VP-GM of WKRC Cincinnati, Ohio. He has also managed television stations in Illinois, Iowa, North Carolina, South Carolina and New York.

Vann will continue reporting to Jay Howell, LIN Media’s VP television. In announcing the appointment, Howell said: “Les has done a terrific job in Savannah, rebuilding and launching a new brand, transforming its news department and strengthening the station’s commitment to localism. He brings a unique skill set to WISH-TV and WNDY-TV that will be very important to these stations’ growth and development.”

Vann received his Bachelor of Science in mass communication from Illinois State University and also attended the Broadcasters Executive Training program at the Kellogg School of Business at Northwestern University.