Melissa “Missy” Crawford has been promoted to president and general manager of NBC owned San Diego stations Telemundo 20 (KUAN) and KNSD.
Crawford has been the vp of Creative and Marketing at WNBC in New York for the last ten years.
“Missy is an inspiring leader. She is very innovative and one of the top broadcast brand directors in the country,” said Valari Staab, chairman of NBCUniversal Local. “With San Diego being home to two successful stations that operate like one team to meet the needs of the market’s ever changing communities, Missy is the perfect leader to help both businesses build upon their accomplishments—and plan out the next phase in their evolution as our industry continues to change.”
She will oversee all station operations including the news, digital, sales, marketing/promotions, community affairs and technology/operations departments. Crawford will report to Staab and will work closely with Manuel Martinez, President, Telemundo Station Group.
“Missy has been a great partner to our Telemundo 47 team. I’m excited to see what she and our San Diego team will do together to build on the great work they’re already doing,” said Martinez.
At WNBC, she charted innovative marketing campaigns including WNBC’s first-ever bilingual campaign that took flight during the Beijing Olympics and featured bilingual spots. The campaign highlighted the partnership between NBCUniversal’s New York stations and their power in working as una sola familia /one family. Crawford’s digital and social promotions have delivered a 2,000% increase in the social audience—and her most recent work to promote NBC 4 New York’s new OTT and streaming products have brought significant increases in video views.
Before this, she worked at NBC Bay Area for a year as Brand Director and oversaw the launch of the station’s brand strategy—while fostering a team environment that encouraged creativity and innovation. Before this, she worked at KGO in the Bay Area for fifteen years. At KGO she launched her career in broadcast as an intern and held Creative Services roles with increasing responsibility.
A native Californian who grew up in the Bay Area, Crawford earned a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Marketing from Santa Clara University. She will be relocating to San Diego.