Nexstar Media Group Promotes Wendy Bello to Vice President and General Manager of Rochester, NY Television and Digital Operations
Proven Rochester Broadcasting Executive with Over 23 Years of Local Sales and Marketing Experience Promoted to Lead WROC-TV and Rochesterfirst.com
ROCHESTER, New York and IRVING, Texas – Nexstar Media Group, Inc. (Nasdaq: NXST) announced today that Wendy Bello has been promoted to Vice President and General Manager of WROC-TV (CBS) and associated digital services, including Rochesterfirst.com, serving Rochester, NY (DMA #76). Since 2011, she has served as WROC-TV Director of Sales where she was responsible for overseeing all aspects of the station’s sales department. Ms. Bello replaces Louis Gattozzi who announced his retirement after serving Nexstar for 19 years as Vice President and General Manager of its Rochester, NY operations (2007-2017) and Erie, PA operations (1998-2007). She will assume her new responsibilities immediately, reporting to Theresa Underwood, Senior Vice President of Nexstar Broadcasting, Inc.
An accomplished industry executive, Wendy Bello’s broadcast career spans over 20 years with expertise in local and national sales management, new business development and strategic planning in local broadcast television, radio and digital. During her tenure as WROC-TV Director of Sales, Ms. Bello developed and led highly effective teams and implemented sales, marketing and digital media initiatives that drove increased market share and profitability at the station. Before joining Nexstar, she served as General Sales Manager and Total Traffic Manager for Clear Channel Radio in Rochester where she consistently outperformed local market revenue share. Prior to her time in radio, she served as National Sales Manager for WUHF-TV (FOX).
Before that, she served as Regional Vice President and General Manager, East Region for iKnow.com where she directed the launch of the digital brand’s website, managing all aspects of local marketing, creative development, recruitment and sales training. Ms. Bello started her broadcasting career with KARE-TV in Minneapolis, MN (DMA #15) before moving to New York, NY (DMA #1) to serve as Account Manager and Regional Manager for NBC Television Station Sales where she developed successful revenue-generating strategies for NBC owned and operated stations across their national, political and digital advertising verticals.
Commenting on the appointment, Theresa Underwood stated, “Wendy’s sales management expertise, entrepreneurial approach and extensive experience developing high-performing sales executives is reflected in our Rochester operations’ continued growth in revenue share of market and the high level of success we are achieving with our linear and non-linear marketing solutions. Localism is a top priority at Nexstar and Wendy has consistently demonstrated her strong commitment to the local communities she has proudly served throughout her career, including 17 years serving local media operations in Western New York. A well-respected leader, she has built high-achieving, deeply engaged teams that provide unparalleled service and effective cross-platform marketing solutions to local and national advertisers, while also achieving station and digital revenue targets. Importantly, she has been a key contributor to new business development and overall excellence in cultivating long-term relationships with local and national clients. Wendy is taking the logical next step in her professional career at Nexstar and we have the highest degree of confidence in her ability to continue enhancing the effectiveness and value of our broadcast, digital and mobile services in the Rochester.”
Commenting on her new role, Wendy Bello said, “Nexstar’s long-term success is a result of its deep dedication to the local communities it serves across the United States. I’m grateful to expand my service to the outstanding community that my family calls home and where many close business contacts and personal friends reside. With this promotion, I will utilize the experience built over my career to generate results and further strengthen the position of our Rochester television and digital operations. I look forward to working alongside the exceptional local media teams at WROC-TV and Rochesterfirst.com as we continue build upon our commitment to deliver exceptional local news and programming services to our viewers and advertisers throughout Western New York.”
Ms. Bello earned her B.A. in Advertising and Public Relations from the University of Minnesota College of Journalism and Mass Communications. Ms. Bello and her husband Richard have three daughters. When she is not creating effective advertising campaigns on behalf WROC-TV’s local clients, she serves as “Coach Wendy” to her twin daughters and the Webster Xtreme fast pitch softball team. She also serves as a volunteer on behalf of several local non-profit and charitable organizations in Rochester.
About Nexstar Media Group, Inc.
Nexstar Media Group is a leading diversified media company that leverages localism to bring new services and value to consumers and advertisers through its traditional media, digital and mobile media platforms. Nexstar owns, operates, programs or provides sales and other services to 170 television stations and related digital multicast signals reaching 100 markets or nearly 39% of all U.S. television households. Nexstar’s portfolio includes primary affiliates of NBC, CBS, ABC, FOX, MyNetworkTV and The CW. Nexstar’s community portal websites offer additional hyper-local content and verticals for consumers and advertisers, allowing audiences to choose where, when and how they access content while creating new revenue opportunities. For more information please visit www.nexstar.tv.
Forward-Looking Statements
This communication includes forward-looking statements. We have based these forward-looking statements on our current expectations and projections about future events. Forward-looking statements include information preceded by, followed by, or that includes the words “guidance,” “believes,” “expects,” “anticipates,” “could,” or similar expressions. For these statements, Nexstar claims the protection of the safe harbor for forward-looking statements contained in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. The forward-looking statements contained in this communication, concerning, among other things, future financial performance, including changes in net revenue, cash flow and operating expenses, involve risks and uncertainties, and are subject to change based on various important factors, including the impact of changes in national and regional economies, the ability to service and refinance our outstanding debt, successful integration of acquired television stations and digital businesses (including achievement of synergies and cost reductions), pricing fluctuations in local and national advertising, future regulatory actions and conditions in the television stations’ operating areas, competition from others in the broadcast television markets, volatility in programming costs, the effects of governmental regulation of broadcasting, industry consolidation, technological developments and major world news events. Nexstar undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. In light of these risks, uncertainties and assumptions, the forward-looking events discussed in this communication might not occur. You should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this release. For more details on factors that could affect these expectations, please see Nexstar’s other filings with the SEC.
Contact:
Theresa Underwood
SVP/Regional Manager
Nexstar Media Group, Inc.
315/446-9999
or
Joseph Jaffoni, Jennifer Neuman
JCIR
212/835-8500 or nxst@jcir.com