Nexstar Media Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Nexstar Media Group, Inc. (Nasdaq: NXST), today announced that it has promoted Fran McRae to Vice President and General Manager of its broadcast and digital operations in Memphis, Tennessee (DMA #51), and Jackson, Tennessee (DMA #175), overseeing WREG-TV (CBS), WJKT-TV (FOX), wreg.com, and their related mobile and social media channels. She succeeds Ron Walter, who retired at the end of August. Ms. McRae will assume her new responsibilities immediately and report to Mike Vaughn, Senior Vice President and Regional Manager for Nexstar Media Inc.’s broadcasting division.
Ms. McRae brings nearly 20 years of broadcast management and sales experience to her new role at Nexstar, where she has served since 2017 as Vice President and General Manager of KLFY-TV and klfy.com, the company’s broadcast and digital operations in Lafayette, Louisiana (DMA #122). Over the course of her career, Ms. McRae has consistently demonstrated the ability to significantly grow revenue and profitability by increasing existing advertising market share, identifying non-traditional accretive revenue streams, and developing a variety of innovative cross-platform marketing strategies and sponsorship opportunities.
During her tenure, Ms. McRae and her team at KLFY-TV drove significant growth in news ratings, with KLFY-TV’s local news broadcasts ranking #1 in mornings, at Noon, 5 p.m. and 10 p.m., enabling the station to realize consistent gains in broadcasting and digital revenue. She was instrumental in the launch of several revenue-generating digital initiatives, including “Acadiana Eats,” a mobile application devoted to local restaurants, chefs and their recipes, and regional food, and “10 Talks Acadiana,” a podcast focused on a single news event or local issue. Ms. McRae spearheaded the development of unique local sponsorship opportunities for advertisers, including “Athlete of the Week,” which is sponsored by Wendy’s and highlights the academic and athletic accomplishments of area high school students on various KLFY-TV newscasts. Ms. McRae also oversaw the development and launch of new local programming at KLFY-TV, including the market’s #1 local sports show, “Inside Cajun Nation,” focused on University of Louisiana/Lafayette athletics and the Rajn’ Cajuns.
Prior to leading KLFY-TV, Ms. McRae served as the General Sales Manager at KSLA-TV in Shreveport, Louisiana, from 2015 to 2017, where she was responsible for overseeing all aspects of the station’s sales operations. Before joining KSLA-TV, Ms. McRae held a variety of sales and marketing leadership roles of increasing responsibility at television stations in Baton Rouge, LA, Billings, MT, and Winston-Salem/Greensboro, NC.
“Fran is the ideal person to step into the Vice President and General Manager’s role overseeing Nexstar’s broadcast and digital operations in Memphis and Jackson, Tennessee,” said Mr. Vaughn. “She is an innovative, thoughtful, and experienced leader who understands how to build successful news, sales and marketing teams, develop new unique programming and deepen relationships within the community. Her success at KLFY-TV over the past four years is testimony to her ability and determination to meet the needs of viewers and advertisers alike. WREG-TV, WJKT-TV, and wreg.com are in good hands with Fran and we look forward to working with her in this new role at the company.”
Commenting on her promotion, Ms. McRae said, “WREG-TV, WJKT-TV, and wreg.com have an incredible legacy of service to the greater Memphis and Jackson areas, and I am extremely proud to have the chance to work with the talented and experienced staffs of these operations. For many years now, viewers have come to rely on WREG-TV and WJKT-TV for news they can trust, where the stories are told with compassion and context. I look forward to continuing this tradition of service, and to working with the area’s advertisers and marketers to deliver a variety of cross-platform solutions that meet their needs and exceed their expectations. I can’t wait to get started.”
Ms. McRae has been very involved in the communities in which she has lived and worked, serving on the Executive Board of the Boys & Girls Club of Acadiana, Chair of the marketing committee of BGCA, and the Upper Lafayette Economic Board. She has also been involved in a variety of media industry groups, including Louisiana Association of Broadcasting, and Women in Media. Ms. McRae has three grown children, Natalyn, Gavin, and Evan. She will be immediately relocating to the Memphis area.
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