WAPT Jackson GM Stuart Kellogg To Retire

Stuart Kellogg, president and general manager since 1991 of WAPT, the Hearst Television ABC affiliate in Jackson, Miss. (DMA 95), will retire at the end of the year, the station announced Tuesday.

The move caps nearly a quarter-century at the helm of WAPT and four decades in television that began as a weathercaster in his alma mater’s town of Syracuse, N.Y.

Kellogg’s successor will be announced at a future date.

Among a number of station milestones under Kellogg’s leadership, WAPT in 2005 went 162 hours with wall-to-wall coverage of Hurricane Katrina — during the aftermath of which it assisted fellow Hearst station WDSU in New Orleans with studio facilities and other resources, and provided stories to stations throughout the Hearst group.

For its extensive coverage, WAPT earned a regional Emmy — one of four the station received during Kellogg’s tenure, and the most in that time of any commercial TV station in the state.

The station also has received numerous regional Edward R. Murrow Awards and in 2013 earned an Associated Press regional broadcast TV awards for Best Newscast for the third consecutive year. 

“During Stuart’s tenure, WAPT has achieved record ratings and revenue,” said Jordan Wertlieb, Hearst Television’s president. “He has exemplified the qualities that enable a manager to make a television station a market leader: an appreciation for outstanding journalism, a commitment to the public service obligations of local broadcasters, a can-do spirit and strong leadership.”

“Working for Hearst Television and with the professionals at WAPT are the highlights of my 40 years in TV,” Kellogg said. “I will dearly miss the men and women who work so hard to serve our viewers. I’m excited, however, to start a new chapter. I’ll be working with various ministries, writing and collaborating on projects with my wife Beth, who has been my rock.”

Kellogg ascended the local television industry ranks through the news side of the business. He joined WAPT after serving as news director at KXAS Dallas, and, before that, at KFOR Oklahoma City.

His move to WAPT marked a return to the South for Kellogg, who had earlier in his career served in news management positions at top stations in New Orleans and Mobile, Ala. His career-entry weathercasting job was at WNYS while he was a student at nearby Syracuse University, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in broadcast journalism. He also holds a master’s in Christian studies from Wesley Biblical Seminary.