Wendy Granato has been named president and general manager of ABC7/KABC-TV Los Angeles — the No.1 station in Southern California — it was announced today by ABC Owned Television Stations President Chad Matthews.
UPDATE SEPTEMBER 3, 2024
Mike Carr named ABC13 Houston KTRK president and general manager
Granato arrives in Los Angeles from Houston, where she is currently the president and general manager of ABC13/KTRK-TV, also No. 1 in the market on both broadcast and digital platforms. In her new role at KABC, she will be responsible for leading and building on the momentum of this iconic station in the nation’s second largest market and the entertainment capital of the world, shaping its editorial vision and managing the strategies and teams that drive audience and growth across platforms. She assumes the position left vacant by the retirement of Cheryl Fair in March.
“Wendy is a true innovator, long championing modernization in the newsroom with a laser focus on how best to optimize programming across platforms,” said Matthews. “She is also keenly aware of what is important to viewers and is resolute in her commitment to impactful, high-quality journalism. I know she will put her trademark tenacity, passion for problem-solving and creative thinking to work to ensure that KABC continues to be the market leader in Los Angeles.”
“I’ve had ample opportunities over the years to collaborate with the KABC team. They are among the most pioneering and innovative storytellers in the business, and I’m very much looking forward to leading this remarkable team,” said Granato. “I’m particularly impressed with their forward-thinking approach to breaking news and how best to elevate it across myriad platforms. I look forward to working closely with community leaders across the city to amplify stories and organizations that make a difference in the lives of Los Angeles viewers. And I cannot wait to immerse myself in all things SoCal!”
Granato added: “On a personal note, it’s such an honor to step into the shoes of the great Cheryl Fair, who is such an inspiration to so many of us in the industry. I’m incredibly fortunate to have worked alongside her during her tenure and to continue to call her my friend.”
Matthews will oversee management at KTRK until a new general manager is named, with Granato continuing to provide support during this transitional period.
As general manager of KTRK, Granato spearheaded the launch of the station’s 24/7 news stream, delivering the most live, local coverage in the Houston market and cementing the station’s status as Houston’s leading source for local news and information across broadcast, digital and social platforms.
She has led the station through numerous weather emergencies, including Hurricane Beryl, which hit Houston earlier this week resulting in multiple fatalities, extreme flooding and power outages. In addition to hurricanes, tornadoes and freezes, the station has chronicled additional big, breaking news events of national significance like the border crisis, the Santa Fe and Uvalde school shootings, and the Astro World concert tragedy.
Under her leadership, ABC13 produces 13 hours of live news daily, including “ABC13 Weather Now,” a first-of-its-kind weather show. In addition to newscasts, the station produces 175-plus hours of premium content each year, including community specials, station drives and live events. Granato also led the station’s introduction of two advocacy journalism documentary series, “Unsolved” and “Texas True Crime,” that are so popular they’re now available on Hulu.
Prior to becoming general manager at ABC13, Granato served as the vice president of News for ABC13 for five years. In charge of all editorial decisions and operations, she was responsible for the successful merger of broadcast and digital departments, and helped the station become the No. 1 local news station in the market. Before that, she was executive producer of special projects and executive producer of the daily talk show, “Debra Duncan.”
As a leader who is passionate about innovation and investing in skills of the future, Granato is a founding director of OTV University, an educational program for all eight ABC Owned Television Stations.
During her tenure, the station has won 99 Emmys® and 13 Edward R. Murrow Awards. Most notably, as VP of News, she was instrumental in leading the station’s Emmy Award-winning coverage of Hurricane Harvey in 2017, during which time KTRK was on the air nonstop for eight consecutive days. Most recently, the station won both a regional and national Edward R. Murrow Award in Excellence in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion for its piece “Taking Back Gulfton.” She has been named to Radio+Television Business Report’s Top Local Leaders list twice, was named among the Top 30 Influential Women of Houston in 2022, and most recently named 2024’s TV Market Manager of the Year by Media Alliance of Houston.
Granato is also passionate about the station’s community outreach efforts, working closely with partners such as Black Heritage Society, Crimestoppers, Goodwill Houston, the Houston Marathon Foundation, the Houston Texans, Latino Learning Center, League of United Latin American Citizens and VOICE of Asia News. Notably, the station supports Share Your Holidays, an annual food drive benefiting the Houston Food Bank; and hosts an E-cycle Drive, a collection/recycling effort for outdated electronic equipment in conjunction with Earth Day. The station also broadcasts the city’s major events, including The Chevron Marathon, the annual July 4th Freedom Over Texas celebration, and numerous parades such as Art Car, Cinco de Mayo, Dia de los Muertos, Galveston Mardi Gras, MLK, Pride and more.
Before joining ABC13, Granato was the news director for KNWS Houston. Earlier in her career, she was a news reporter and morning news anchor for KATC in Lafayette, Louisiana.
She studied at the Manship School of Mass Communication, where she received a degree in broadcast journalism from Louisiana State University.
(This post taken from a press release)
