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Runaway Radio

Wednesday, November 04, 2026

Tom Cury Takes Over Leadership of KVUE Austin While Continuing to Lead KENS San Antonio

TEGNA is expanding Tom Cury's leadership responsibilities by naming him president and general manager of KVUE Austin, while he continues in the same role at KENS 5 San Antonio.

Announced November 4, 2026, the appointment puts Cury in charge of two of TEGNA's Texas television stations. He will oversee news, content, sales, marketing, digital operations and community engagement at both the Austin ABC affiliate and the San Antonio CBS affiliate.

Cury succeeds Byron Wilkinson at KVUE, who was recently promoted to vice president of ad sales for TEGNA's Texas and Mid-South regions.

According to TEGNA, the expanded leadership structure is intended to bring the Austin and San Antonio stations closer together, creating more opportunities for collaboration while maintaining each station's individual connection to its community.

“Tom will bring our Austin and San Antonio teams closer together, creating more opportunities to collaborate while ensuring each station continues to reflect and serve its unique community,” said Brad Ramsey, senior vice president and group general manager at TEGNA. “Building on the strengths of both stations, Tom will help us accelerate momentum, deepen audience connection, and create even greater value for our customers and partners.”

Cury has served as president and general manager of KENS since joining the San Antonio station in 2015. During his tenure, the station developed innovative streaming content and statewide programming initiatives, including Border Cowboys, a multipart streaming documentary following a high school soccer team, and TEGNA's statewide streaming program Texas High School Football Now.

KENS also received the 2026 Texas Governor's Award for community service, recognizing the station's decade-long commitment to volunteering in local schools.

“At KENS, I've worked closely with our team to turn good ideas into solutions that drive results for our advertisers and into programming that our audiences seek out and enjoy,” Cury said. “KVUE shares that innovative spirit and I'm ready to work with the team there to continue to create content and coverage that serves Austin.”

Before moving to San Antonio, Cury served as director of sales at TEGNA's WFAA in Dallas. His media career also includes sales leadership positions in Baltimore, Miami, Los Angeles and New York. He began in New York City as an account executive with Petry Television before working with Westinghouse Broadcasting and CBS.

A New York City native, Cury earned a bachelor's degree in communications from American University in Washington, D.C.


Byron Wilkinson promoted to TEGNA vice president of ad sales


Cury's appointment at KVUE follows the promotion of Byron Wilkinson, who was named vice president of ad sales for TEGNA's Texas and Mid-South regions in October 2026.

Wilkinson's promotion was part of a broader series of sales leadership changes announced October 15 under Mark Cornetta, TEGNA's senior vice president of sales.

A native Texan with more than 26 years of broadcast and digital media experience, Wilkinson was named KVUE's president and general manager in December 2023 after previously serving as the station's director of sales for seven years.

Before becoming general manager, Wilkinson had served as interim general manager at KVUE and also held the interim general manager position at TEGNA's KBMT/KJAC in Beaumont.

His television management career includes serving as director of sales at KTHV in Little Rock, Arkansas, and local sales manager at KHOU 11 in Houston. Throughout his career, Wilkinson has developed multimedia sales teams and strategies spanning traditional television, streaming and digital advertising platforms.

Wilkinson graduated from Stephen F. Austin State University, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree.

In his new position, he will oversee advertising sales for TEGNA stations across the Texas and Mid-South regions.


Kristie Gonzales named regional vice president of ad sales


Another executive with a significant connection to KVUE Austin is Kristie Gonzales, who was named vice president of ad sales for TEGNA's Northeast and Southeast regions.

Gonzales previously served as president and general manager of KVUE from 2016 until October 2023, when she left Austin to take the same leadership position at TEGNA's 11Alive WXIA and WATL in Atlanta.

She also serves as TEGNA's vice president of revenue and has served as president and general manager at WXIA.

In addition to her Austin responsibilities, Gonzales was named a TEGNA vice president of media operations in 2021. In that position, she oversaw several Texas stations, including KBMT/KJAC in Beaumont, KYTX in Tyler, KCEN/KAGS in Waco and Bryan-College Station, KWES in Midland-Odessa and KXVA/KIDY in Abilene and San Angelo.

Before joining KVUE, Gonzales held television management positions across the country, specializing in news branding, multicultural marketing, and digital and social media strategy. She previously served as promotion and digital brand manager at WABC in New York City.

A graduate summa cum laude with double honors from the University of New Mexico, Gonzales has been active in numerous community organizations. She has served on the boards of SAFE Alliance, Equidad ATX and United Way for Greater Austin, as well as the Greater Austin Chamber of Commerce and Make-A-Wish Central & South Texas.

She is a member of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists and the Austin Area Research Organization. Gonzales also mentors women and people of color.


Other TEGNA sales leadership promotions


TEGNA's October 15 announcement also included two additional appointments under Cornetta as the company reshapes its national and regional advertising leadership.

Jay Donovan was promoted to vice president of digital sales, where he will lead digital growth strategy across TEGNA's more than 60 media brands. Donovan brings more than 15 years of experience in digital media and advertising technology, helping businesses and marketers use data and precision targeting to generate measurable results.

Kari Jacobs was named vice president of ad sales for TEGNA's Midwest and West regions. Jacobs began her career in journalism before transitioning to the revenue side of media. Her experience spans broadcast television, radio, digital and cable, and she has spent more than 20 years with TEGNA in general management and revenue leadership positions.

“Jay, Kristie, Kari and Byron have proven they know how to bring technology, sales expertise and creativity together to serve our clients,” Cornetta said. “In an increasingly competitive environment, we need experienced leaders willing to rewrite the playbook for our local sales teams, and they're the right people to do it.”


TEGNA establishes new regional management structure


The sales leadership changes followed another major management restructuring announced October 12, 2026, when TEGNA CEO Patrick Paolini named Joan Barrett, Kate Morris and Brad Ramsey as group general managers.

The three executives will oversee local general managers across TEGNA's six regions, with each responsible for two regions. Their responsibilities include establishing strategy and expectations for local station leaders, improving business performance, growing audiences and driving operational excellence.

- Joan Barrett will oversee TEGNA's Northeast and Southeast regions. She has been president and general manager of WCNC Charlotte since 2020 and also assumed oversight of WFMY Greensboro in 2024. Her previous experience includes leading KDVR/KWGN in Denver and television operations for Schurz Communications in Wichita. She is also a co-founder and longtime trainer with the Carole Kneeland Project for Responsible Journalism.


- Kate Morris will oversee the Midwest and West regions. Morris has led KPNX 12News in Phoenix since 2020 and also oversees KMSB and KTTU in Tucson. Previously, she was president and general manager of KTVB in Boise, where the station expanded its local news operation and earned seven National Edward R. Murrow Awards.


- Brad Ramsey will oversee the Texas and Mid-South regions. Ramsey previously served as TEGNA's senior vice president of revenue and led the company's sports rights strategy. He also spent seven years as president and general manager of WFAA in Dallas-Fort Worth, during which the station earned 17 major national journalism honors, including the National Edward R. Murrow Award for Overall Excellence and the NAB Service to America Award.

Ramsey's regional oversight includes the Texas and Mid-South stations, the same broader region in which Wilkinson will now lead advertising sales.


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