Head of National Sales for ABC Owned Stations to Retire

By Kevin Eck 

John Watkins, president of ABC Owned Television Stations National Television Sales has announced he’s retiring at the end of January 2014.

“John has built our National TV Sales Group into one that is recognized as the best in the business,” Rebecca Campbell, president of the ABC Owned Television Stations said in a statement. “And although we are all sorry to see him go, we have been so fortunate to have John in this role for the past 27 years and with our company for more than four decades.”

Watkins has been president of National TV Sales since 1986. He started with ABC in 1972. Before being named to his current position, Watkins was the GSM for WABC in New York.

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He has also worked as an account executive and local sales manager for WLS in Chicago, an account executive for ABC Spot Sales in Los Angeles and New York, director of research for Spot Sales in Chicago and research analyst for ABC Spot Sales in New York.

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