Michael Neelly Named GM Of WAPT Jackson

Michael L. Neelly, a longtime Hearst Television news executive most recently serving as a news director in Cincinnati and Louisville, has been promoted to president and general manager of WAPT, Hearst’s ABC affiliate in Jackson, Miss. (DMA 95).

The appointment, effective Jan. 1, 2016, marks a return to Jackson for Neelly, an Ole Miss alumnus who was a photojournalist and producer in Jackson during the early 1990s. He succeeds Stuart Kellogg, who recently announced his year-end retirement after serving as WAPT’s president and general manager since 1991.

“For the last 15 years, Mike has successfully led two Hearst Television news operations to new heights, building award-winning newscasts, increasing audience, and launching new digital products,” said Jordan Wertlieb, Hearst Television’s president. “His accomplishments, coupled with his strong leadership style and deep Mississippi roots, make Mike an excellent successor to carry on the overall growth and commitment to the local community that has been a hallmark of the WAPT team during Stuart Kellogg’s tenure.”

Since 2012, Neelly has been news director at WLWT, the Hearst NBC affiliate in Cincinnati. Before WLWT, Neelly served for a dozen years as news director at WLKY, Hearst’s CBS affiliate in Louisville, Ky. He joined WLKY in 1997 as assistant news director.  

Prior to Hearst, Neelly was an executive producer at stations in Fort Myers, Fla., and in Portland, Maine. He began his television journalism career in 1989 as a freelance photographer for ESPN, CBS and WTBS Sports before moving to Jackson and becoming a producer.

He holds a Bachelor’s degree in English from the University of Mississippi at Oxford.