Young President McDermott Named CEO

New Young Broadcasting Holding Co. today announced Deborah McDermott was named chief executive officer effective Jan 1. She retains her position and title of president, which she has held since 2004.

Executive Board Chairman Thomas Sullivan said. “We are very pleased to name Deb as the new CEO of Young Broadcasting. She has successfully guided Young Broadcasting through a transition period and positioned it as one of the strongest and most financially secure multi-platform broadcast companies in the business. We look forward to Deb’s continued leadership of the business in her new role as we grow the Company’s revenue, profitability and footprint.”

McDermott served on the Young board of directors from April 2004 to August 2009, at which time the company was publicly traded. Prior to being named president in 2004, she was vice president of operations for Young.  Previously, she was vice president and general manager of Young’s WKRN Nashville. WKRN won the George Foster Peabody Award for excellence in investigative reporting during her tenure.

In addition to her responsibilities with Young, McDermott is an active past chair of the ABC Affiliate Board of Governors, serves as a director of the Nashville Bank and Trust Board, and is a member of the South Dakota State University Foundation Council of Trustees. Additionally, she has recently been elected to her second term as a director of the Country Music Association Board (CMA).

McDermott has also served on the National Association of Broadcasters Television Board and the TVB board. She is a past president of NATPE, and previously served as a board member of Maximum Service Television (MSTV). In addition, she served on the board of the Committee of 200, a national group of top women CEOs.