Robert Bee has been named vice president and general manager of WBRE in Wilkes-Barre-Scranton. In addition to overseeing the Nexstar Broadcasting-owned NBC-affiliate, Bee will be in charge of WYOU, the market’s CBS-affiliate, based on a joint operating agreement between Nexstar and Mission Broadcasting, which owns WYOU.
Bee has spent the last 18 years working in Pennsylvania broadcasting. Most recently, he served as director of sales at WTAE in Pittsburgh. He is replacing Louis Abitabilo, who is retiring.
“Bob has a long-term record of generating exceptional results through his experience and leadership,” Nexstar executive vice president Tim Busch said, in announcing the move. “He brings to his new position an impressive background in all aspects of our business, having led teams that delivered compelling and effective marketing solutions for local and national advertisers.”
Bee’s first day on the job will be January 20th.
“Nexstar’s commitment to serving local communities has remained a core strategy across the organization,” Bee said. “Together with the teams at WBRE-TV, WYOU-TV and Pahomepage.com, we will continue to build on that commitment by delivering unique and compelling programming and outstanding marketing solutions across multiple platforms, while developing strong relationships with local businesses and community organizations. I look forward to immediately immersing myself into the community at large as my wife Betsy and I will immediately relocate to Northeast Pennsylvania.”