WMAQ general manager David Doebler will retire from the Chicago NBC-owned station in June, he announced.
Doebler sent an email to employees saying he’s stepping down to spend time with his wife, writes Chicago media reporter Robert Feder.
“I’m lucky to say that I’ve had a blast for nearly four decades doing what I love,” Doebler wrote in the email to staff. “But there are many things me and my wife Susan have on our bucket list so I will be retiring after the close of the May book. It’s the right time for us and we could not be more excited.”
Doebler was named gm of WMAQ in 2013 and president and general manager of Telemundo Chicago in 2016.
According to Feder, NBC 5 increased its news audience share and drew even with WLS multiple times in key adult demographics at 10 p.m.
Before coming to WMAQ, Doebler worked for eight years at WVIT in Hartford, Conn. He’s also held management positions at NBC stations in Raleigh, N.C., and Birmingham, Ala.