Shawn Oswald has been named president and general manager of KHBS-KHOG, Hearst’s ABC affiliates serving Fort Smith-Fayetteville, Ark.
Oswald comes from KWCH in Wichita, where he is the general sales manager. Previously, he has worked as national sales manager at Hearst’s WISN in Milwaukee and VP-GM of KSNW in Wichita.
“Shawn has distinguished himself as a multi-faceted broadcast executive throughout his career,” Hearst Television president Jordan Wertlieb said in a statement. “He is the right person to lead the KHBS/KHOG team and he brings great energy and enthusiasm for the opportunity to return to the community where he and his family have so many personal ties.”
Oswald replaces Brian Sather, who recently joined KCCI in Des Moines as general manager.
More in the release after the jump.
SHAWN OSWALD NAMED PRESIDENT & GENERAL MANAGER OF KHBS/KHOG, FT. SMITH/FAYETTEVILLE, AR
New York, NY, and Rogers, AR, January 10, 2014 – Shawn Oswald is returning to Hearst Television as president and general manager of KHBS-TV/KHOG-TV, the ABC affiliates serving the Fort Smith and Fayetteville, Arkansas, television market. The appointment, effective immediately, was announced today by Jordan Wertlieb, Hearst Television president.
Oswald, who from 1997 to 2000 served as national sales manager at WISN-TV, the Hearst-owned ABC affiliate in Milwaukee, succeeds Brian Sather, who recently was named president and general manager of Hearst’s KCCI-TV, Des Moines. The move marks a return not only to Hearst but to Arkansas for Oswald, who earned a broadcasting degree from John Brown University in Siloam Springs.
“Shawn has distinguished himself as a multi-faceted broadcast executive throughout his career,” Wertlieb said. “He is the right person to lead the KHBS/KHOG team and he brings great energy and enthusiasm for the opportunity to return to the community where he and his family have so many personal ties.”
Oswald re-joins Hearst from Wichita, Kansas, where he most recently was general sales manager for Sunflower Broadcasting; previously he was general sales manager for Cox Media in Wichita and vice president and general manager at Wichita NBC affiliate KSNW-TV. Earlier in his career he served with Pulitzer Broadcasting as an account executive at Omaha ABC affiliate KETV, which is now owned by Hearst Television.
“I am thrilled to be joining the team at KHBS/KHOG,” Oswald said. “This is a vibrant market and my family and I are excited to call it home.”
Hearst Television, a national multi-media company, owns and operates 29 local television stations and two local radio stations, serving 30 U.S. cities and reaching approximately 18% of U.S. television households. The TV stations broadcast 60 video channels, featuring local and national news, weather, information, sports and entertainment programming, and local community service-oriented programs. The stations also host and operate digital on-line and mobile platforms that extend the company’s brands and content to local, national and international audiences.