WNEM Saginaw GM Al Blinke To Retire

Al Blinke, vice president and general manager of WNEM Flint-Saginaw, Mich. (DMA 71) for the past 13 years, announced today that he will retire from the Meredith-owned CBS affiliate after a 40-year career in television and radio broadcasting.

“The last 13 years at WNEM TV 5 have been some of the most rewarding of my career. I’ve been blessed to oversee a great station through drastic changes in technology that reshaped the business I grew up in—all while being the market leader in ratings,” said Blinke. “Time has flown by, but that’s what happens when you have the opportunity to work with some of the best people in the business. WNEM is the No. 1 station for news and digital because of the amazing staff I’ve had the honor to work with over the years, and I will miss all of them.”

Blinke is the longest-serving general manager in WNEM’s history as a Meredith station. He is a member of the Michigan Association of Broadcasters board of directors.

“Al has been a tremendous leader in broadcasting and a huge asset to WNEM and the whole family of Meredith stations,” said Paul Karpowicz, president of Meredith’s Local Media Group. “Al will continue as vice president and general manager until a replacement is hired. We appreciate his years of service and contributions to Meredith, and are grateful for his support while we fill his role.”

Blinke started his career in radio as a reporter, writer and producer at WWJ Detroit. He moved into television as an assignment editor at WJBK, also in Detroit, then as an assistant news director and assignment manager at WTNH New Haven, Conn.

Blinke became news director at WPXI Pittsburgh, then took on the same role at WSB-TV in Atlanta. He was a domestic television consultant for Frank N. Magid Associates before returning to news directing at the KDKA-WNPA duopoly in Pittsburgh for three years.

Meredith is conducting a national search for Blinke’s successor.