ATLANTA, Nov. 9, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Gray Television, Inc. ("Gray" or "we" or "our") (NYSE: GTN and GTN.A) announced today that it has hired Karen Youger and Jim Curtin to assist Gray's local news, sales, and management teams in their continual efforts to enhance Gray's programming and sales offerings. In addition, Ms. Youger and Mr. Curtin will provide significant support to Gray's new in-house national sales initiative that launches in January 2016.
"Gray's stations have an enviable record of success, with increasing ratings, increasing local programming, and increasing core and non-core revenue over the past year and over the past several years," said Kevin Latek, Gray's Senior Vice President of Business Affairs. "Rather than stopping to enjoy these accomplishments, however, we believe continued investments in key people and new strategies will continue to differentiate Gray's stations positively in the marketplace for viewers and clients."
In September 2015, Karen Youger joined Gray as its Director of Sales Operations. In this role, Karen is responsible for maximizing the use of sales and traffic systems at the station level, identifying and implementing best practices across stations, and monitoring key pricing and inventory management parameters. Karen has 25 years of experience in television operations including analysis, strategic plan creation and implementation. Youger's career began at WCPO, the ABC affiliate, in Cincinnati, where she held various positions in sales, marketing and research. In 2004, she relocated to Georgia as Director of Hub Operations with Raycom Media. Karen joined Local TV, LLC as Vice President of Operations in 2008, and she continued in that role when Tribune Media acquired LocalTV early in 2014. Karen holds a B.S. in Radio/TV/Film and an M.B.A in Marketing and Entrepreneurship from Northern Kentucky University.
This month, Jim Curtin will join Gray as its Research Director. In this role, Jim will bring his many years of experience in television programming and research to support sales and news efforts at the station level. Jim joins Gray after serving the past several years as Research Director for Tribune Media's WJW (Fox 8 Cleveland), a powerhouse market leader and among the leading local news producers in the country. Previously, he worked as a Senior Programming Director for the rep firm Katz in New York and as Vice President, Director of Programming for the rep firm HRP (now a CoxRep division) consulting with a large list of clients on their programming acquisitions and scheduling. Jim began his career in the mailroom and later Midwest Sales Manager for the syndication firm D. L. Taffner Ltd. He received his B.A. in Communications from Fordham University, where he studied journalism and was a writer and editor of the college newspaper.
About Gray Television:
Gray Television, Inc. (NYSE: GTN and GTN.A) is a television broadcast company headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, that owns and operates television stations and leading digital assets in markets throughout the United States. Upon the consummation of all announced transactions (including announced divestitures), we will own and/or operate television stations in 50 television markets that broadcast over 175 program streams including 35 channels affiliated with the CBS Network, 26 channels affiliated with the NBC Network, 19 channels affiliated with the ABC Network and 14 channels affiliated with the FOX Network. We will then own the number-one ranked television station in 40 of those 50 markets and the number-one or number-two ranked television station operations in 49 of those 50 markets. At that time, our stations will reach approximately 9.4 percent of total United States television households.
www.gray.tv
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SOURCE Gray Television, Inc.