Director's Cut Blog with Frank Macek

McLEAN, VA – TEGNA Inc. (NYSE: TGNA) (parent company of WKYC-TV) today announced that it has completed the previously announced spin-off of Cars.com, creating two publicly traded companies: TEGNA, an innovative media company with the largest broadcast group among major network affiliates in the top 25 markets; and Cars.com, a leading digital automotive marketplace. TEGNA will continue trading on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol TGNA. Effective today, Cars.com will begin “regular way” trading on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol CARS. New TEGNA president & CEO Dave Lougee Upon the completion of the spin-off, Dave Lougee, president of TEGNA Media, was named president and CEO and joined TEGNA’s Board. Gracia Martore, president and CEO of TEGNA, retired and stepped down from the Board of Directors. “I am incredibly honored and excited to become CEO of this great company,” said Lougee. “Gracia has meant so much to everyone at TEGNA. She has been a mentor a...

Dave Lougee Dave Lougee, president of Gannett Broadcasting (parent company of WKYC-TV) was honored today by the Radio Television Digital News Association (RTDNA) with a First Amendment Leadership Award. The award is given annually by the Radio Television Digital News Foundation to a leader who has made significant contributions to the protection of the First Amendment and freedom of the press. The award will be presented on Wednesday, March 12 in Washington, DC.  “From his experience leading a newsroom to his current role overseeing Gannett’s broadcast division, Dave has always been a strong leader and advocate for free speech. This award has been given to some of the most influential journalists of our time and shines a spotlight on the rights we hold dear. Dave, through his leadership, sets a terrific example for our broadcast journalists as they fight to protect First Amendment rights. I congratulate Dave on this important and well-deserved honor,” said Gracia Martore, G...

A Chat with Gannett's Dave Lougee - The new head of Gannett's 23-station TV group says big changes in the media marketplace are demanding big changes in the ways that stations do business. At Gannett, that means more AEs and news producers on the street, close cooperation with the newspapers on the Web, mobile broadcasting and an interactive relationship with viewers. In this interview with TVNEWSDAY Publisher Kathy Haley, Lougee talks about other parts of the Gannett strategy—stations and newspapers working together on the Web to exploit their combined 100-market footprint, a joint venture with Tribune that is creating new community sites, preserving extra digital spectrum for mobile broadcasting and developing a "true" interactive relationship with viewers. It's a fascinating insight into what the Director's Cut Blog has been telling you for the past year about how we see the future of TV. To read the interview: CLICK HERE Courtesy: TVNewsday.com