NPG Ups Kueneke To Broadcast President

John Kueneke, EVP and COO of News-Press & Gazette’s broadcasting division, is getting bumped up to president of the division, a post that will allow him to focus more on strategic planning and acquisitions and prepare a successor, parent News-Press & Gazette Co. announced late Tuesday.

At the same time, the company said, Mike Meara, director of sales for the division, will become COO and take over day-to-day operations of the division, which includes eight full-power TV stations, including ABC affiliate KMIZ Columbia-Jefferson City, Mo., which it just bought for $16 million.

The moves are effective Jan. 1, 2013.

“Recently, John Kueneke approached us with a plan to transition the leadership of the Broadcast Division with the goal of both positioning the company for the future and, on a personal level, allowing John to step back a bit from his current day-to-day duties,” said NPG Chairman David Bradley in a statement.

” We approved John’s thoughtful plan and appreciate his dedication in helping us transition the company for the future,” he said.

In his new role, Kueneke will continue to oversee strategic planning, new station acquisitions, network relations, retransmission consent negotiations and other “long-term initiatives.”