WBAY GM Don Carmichael To Retire

Don Carmichael, who for the past 21 years has been vice president and general manager of Media General’s ABC affiliate WBAY Green Bay, Wis. (DMA 68), will retire at the end of this year. Media General said it will announce his successor in the near future.

“Don has enjoyed a distinguished career as a local broadcast executive,” said Deborah A. McDermott, Media General SVP-broadcast markets. “We have been very fortunate to have him at the helm of WBAY for so many years. Don exemplifies what our company is all about, which is relevant local journalism, deep community engagement and multimedia content. We wish Don and his wife, Bev, all the best as Don moves back to his home state of Florida. We thank him for his outstanding service and dedication to the Green Bay community, the station, its employees and customers. We will miss him dearly,”

Carmichael said in a letter to employees: “My 21 years as WBAY’s General Manager have been a lot of fun, never boring and we have done a lot of excellent work together. My goal was always to run a great station in a middle-sized market where I could make a difference. I found that although weather might sometimes be cold, the people are warm and caring. It didn’t hurt that the city had an elite NFL team and good hunting and fishing too. WBAY is blessed with talented, loyal employees who really care about producing an excellent product. Early next year, I will join my wife, Bev, in Saint Augustine, Fla., where she is continuing her career as vice president of advancement at her alma mater, Flagler College. I’ll really miss the privilege of interacting with you every day.”

Carmichael’s local television broadcasting career spans the past 35 years. He graduated from The University of Florida with a BS in advertising and started his media career at The Miami Herald in 1967. He later spent five years in radio broadcasting in Miami.

Before moving to Green Bay in his present position, he worked at WJXT Jacksonville, Fla., and WATE Knoxville, Tenn. For a five-year period during his current tenure, he also was VP-GM of WLNS Lansing, Mich., running two stations.