Phil Lane has been named vice president and general manager of Graham Media Group’s Houston NBC affiliate KPRC.
This is a move from within GMG for Lane, who comes from the station group’s KSAT in San Antonio where he’s been the president and gm since July 2011.
“It is impossible to describe Phil Lane and his incredible leadership in just one sentence —to put it simply, he is a unicorn,” said Catherine Badalamente, president and chief executive officer of Graham Media Group. “While he has had a long and successful career running market-leading television stations, he is also a trailblazer and innovator whose skills are hard to match inside (and outside) of our industry.”
Lane replaces Jerry Martin, who announced his retirement after 11 years at the station.
Before working at KSAT, Lane was vp and gm of WSPA and WYCW in the Greenville-Spartanburg-Asheville-Anderson, N.C., market from 2004 to 2011. He also worked at WJBF in Augusta, Georgia from 2000 to 2004 and at WRBL in Columbus, Georgia from 1997 to 2000.
“I’m excited to join a wonderful local television station,” said Lane. “KPRC is enjoying ratings momentum, thanks to a talented team of local broadcasters who deliver important, engaging and enterprising content to their audiences. I’m eager to build on that success while exploring new, innovative ideas for Houston. Now is our opportunity to transform our business, so we can connect with and serve our community in exciting new ways. I can’t wait to see what we accomplish together!”