6:39 AM PDT 4/7/2021
by
Alex Weprin
Curtis LeGeyt, the COO of the broadcaster trade group, will take over as president and CEO in 2022.
National Association of Broadcasters president and CEO Gordon Smith will step aside from the role at the end of the year, he announced Wednesday. Curtis LeGeyt, currently COO of the broadcaster trade organization, will take over as president and CEO in Jan. 2022.
At that time, Smith — a former Republican U.S. Senator from Oregon who joined the NAB as its CEO in 2009 — will transition to an “advisory and advocate” role with the group.
NAB board of directors chairman Jordan Wertlieb (who is also president of Hearst Television) says that Smith will serve in his advisory role through 2024, and will also lobby on behalf of broadcasters.
“It has been my great honor to give the lion’s roar for broadcasters – those who run into the storm, those who stand firm in chaos to hear the voice of the people, those who hold to account the powerful – and to stand with those of the fourth estate who have the hearts of public servants,” Smith said in a video message to NAB members Wednesday.
“To represent the broadcast industry and the local stations that bind our communities together in a moment of such tremendous change across the media landscape is a privilege,” LeGeyt said in a video statement. “Our stations’ role in communities across this country has never been more important, and I look forward to working every day to ensure their ability to grow and thrive.”
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