Gray Promotes Three Individuals to New Leadership Positions
Gray Television announced the promotion of three key executives effective July 1, 2024. Mike Braun advances to Senior Managing Vice President, overseeing the company's digital media expansion and local market operations. Claire Magee Ferguson steps up as Vice President, Assistant General Counsel, and Senior Technology Counsel, focusing on legal and policy aspects of Generative AI and NextGenTV. Lee Zurik becomes Senior Vice President, News Strategy and Innovation, tasked with expanding Gray's content strategies across various platforms. These promotions aim to capitalize on digital technology opportunities and enhance Gray's media operations.
- Promotion of key executives to leverage new digital technologies such as NextGenTV and Generative AI.
- Expansion of Gray Digital Media under Mike Braun's leadership, including local media operations and streaming platforms.
- Introduction of Guidelines for Use of Generative AI, ensuring journalist-created news content.
- Lee Zurik’s new role focusing on content strategy and innovation across multiple media platforms.
- None.
ATLANTA, June 20, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Gray Television, Inc. (“Gray”) (NYSE: GTN) today announced that it will promote three individuals to new leadership positions effective July 1, 2024, to facilitate the Company’s expanding opportunities with new digital technologies including NextGenTV and Generative Artificial Intelligence.
Mike Braun, our Chief Digital Officer, will be promoted from Senior Vice President to Senior Managing Vice President. Over the past few years, Mike has led the tremendous expansion of Gray Digital Media to encompass the local media operations acquired from Raycom Media, Quincy Media, Meredith Local Media, among others, as well as the rapid deployment of Gray local news, sports, and weather content and related sales products across hundreds of owned and non-owned streaming and ConnectedTV (CTV) platforms. In addition to leading the Company’s digital initiatives, Mike has served as the senior executive overseeing Rockford and Peoria markets and as a member of the boards of directors of Syncbak and Optic Gaming.
Claire Magee Ferguson will become Vice President, Assistant General Counsel and Senior Technology Counsel. Throughout her career, Claire has provided critical legal counsel to the managers of television stations owned by Allbritton Communications, Raycom Media, and, for the past five years, Gray. More recently, Claire has taken the lead on the Company’s privacy initiatives and its AI Policy Committee. Her leadership positioned Gray to be the first broadcaster to publish Guidelines for Use of Generative AI, which ensure that Gray-originated news content is created by our journalists rather than AI. In her new role, Claire will oversee legal and policy matters related to various technology initiatives across the Company, primarily associated with Generative AI and NextGenTV.
Lee Zurik will become Senior Vice President, News Strategy and Innovation. For the past several years, Lee has become one of the nation’s most well-known and awarded investigative journalists through his roles as the Company’s Vice President of Investigations and as the co-host of Gray’s weekday magazine program InvestigateTV+. In this newly created role, Lee will report to Chief Operating Officer Sandy Breland and lead the development and implementation of strategies to expand and leverage Gray-produced content across all linear, digital, CTV, and NextGenTV platforms and manage the responsible use of Generative AI in Gray-produced content. Along with these expanded duties, Lee will continue to oversee Gray’s National Investigative Unit and serve as an anchor and Chief Investigative Reporter at WVUE in New Orleans.
About Gray:
Gray Television, Inc. is a multimedia company headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. Gray is the nation’s largest owner of top-rated local television stations and digital assets. Its television stations serve 114 television markets that collectively reach approximately 36 percent of US television households. This portfolio includes 79 markets with the top-rated television station and 102 markets with the first and/or second highest rated television station. Gray also owns video program companies Raycom Sports, Tupelo Media Group, and PowerNation Studios, as well as the studio production facilities Assembly Atlanta and Third Rail Studios. Gray owns a majority interest in Swirl Films. For more information, please visit www.gray.tv.
Gray Television Contacts:
Kevin Latek, Executive Vice President, Chief Legal and Development Officer, 404-266-8333
Sandy Breland, Chief Operating Officer, 404-266-8333
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