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mmrf
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Posted: Tue Oct 20th, 2009 01:00 am |
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By JUSTIN WILLETT
Monday, October 19, 2009
ADVERTISEMENT
Columbia ABC affiliate KMIZ-TV has a new general manager.
Boston-based Alta Communications, KMIZ’s parent company, said today that Gene Steinberg is the new head of the station group that includes KMIZ-TV, FOX affiliate KQFX-TV, My Network TV affiliate KZOU-TV, and ABC 17 STORMTRACK 24/7.
Steinberg, 53, had been serving as interim general manager for the past two months. He formerly was station manager at Alta station WZMY-TV in Boston.
Alta launched a nationwide search for a new general manager after Randy Wright left in August after six years at the helm.
Steinberg said he was serving as interim general manager here and had been traveling back and forth from Boston when he realized he was interested in staying in Columbia on a permanent basis.
“There is such a spirit of cohesiveness and teamwork and just a desire to do a great job here,” he said. “It doesn’t matter whether it’s a television station or the neighborhood five-and-dime. A business is all about the people you have.”
Steinberg has more than 20 years of television management experience at stations in Phoenix, Minneapolis, Miami and Boston.
His background includes sales, programming, marketing and news. He had been at WZMY since 2004.
In a news release announcing the move, Alta Communications said Steinberg’s “hiring was the result of a nationwide search … to find a leader to take its Mid-Missouri properties to the next level.”
Steinberg said the station is not broken and the employees have a great attitude, so his job is to build community connections to better serve advertisers, viewers and the community.
“I don’t think it’s a revolution,” he said. “I think it’s an evolution. … I think our goal is to be the best local television group we can. The folks that are here have done a miraculous job. We need to look at how to improve that year after year. … The good news is we’re not really lacking for anything. We have the tools we need to do the job.”
Wayne Mack of Alta Communications said in a news release: “We’ve worked with Gene at WZMY-TV for several years now and feel really privileged to bring him into the picture in Mid-Missouri. During our comprehensive nationwide search, we found no one more qualified than Gene to lead this station group. We expect great things.”
Steinberg was born in New York and grew up in Alexandria, Va. The self-described “television gypsy” has worked all over the country, but this is his first time working in Missouri. He said the cultural difference is refreshing.
“This is a great town with a great spirit,” he said, noting how friendly people have been. “It is a world of difference.”
He said the station group also is fortunate to have people who are familiar with and care about the Mid-Missouri area. That’s not always the case in the larger markets.
“They are willing to help the station in whatever ways they can,” he said of the employees.
Reach Justin Willett at 573-815-1715 or e-mail jwillett@columbiatribune.com.
This article was published on page B6 of the Monday, October 19, 2009 edition of The Columbia Daily
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gomizzoutigers
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Posted: Tue Oct 20th, 2009 01:33 am |
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This is the first time the Alta Communication name has shown up publically - the legal ownership is shown as JW Broadcasting, and that is what they've always identified publically as the owner.
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