Hearst TV Station in California Hires Native as News Director

By Paul Greeley

Kristin Kay has been named news director for KCRA-TV, Channel 3, and KQCA-TV, Channel 58, Hearst Television’s NBC and CW affiliates serving the Sacramento-Stockton-Modesto TV market and the California Capital Region’s leading TV news provider.

Kay, a California native, moves to KCRA 3/My58 from WGAL-TV, Hearst’s market-leading NBC affiliate serving the Pennsylvania Capital Region of Lancaster-Harrisburg. She succeeds Derek Schnell, who recently was promoted to vice president, news, for Hearst Television.

“KCRA’s strength is its people — a deeply mission-driven team committed to serving this community with journalism that matters,” said KCRA 3/My58 President and General Manager Ariel Roblin. “Kristin is the right leader for KCRA and KQCA at a pivotal time for our newsroom, our community and for California. We’re always evolving and advancing our storytelling to meet the needs of our community; Kristin shares that sense of purpose and understands the commitment this work demands. Her California roots, leadership experience and strong news judgment make her exceptionally prepared to lead this outstanding team.”

KCRA recently dominated the 55th Annual Northern California Area Emmy® Awards, with wins and honors in 22 categories, including Overall Excellence and Daytime and Evening News. It also received its third National Gracie Award, for a documentary, and regional Emmys for Overall Excellence and Digital Excellence.

Kay joined WGAL as news director in March 2023, and has led that station’s highly honored news department, with oversight of editorial content across the station’s platforms.

Under her leadership the station recently launched a multiplatform half-hour 7:00 p.m. newscast and has received several accolades including a national Telly Award for a documentary; just this year it earned regional Emmy awards for best morning and daytime newscasts, and received the Pennsylvania Association of Broadcasters “Excellence in Broadcasting Award” for Outstanding Investigative Story/Report/Series.

Before joining WGAL, Kay served as the assistant news director for WLWT, the Hearst station in Cincinnati, where she helped lead the news team during unprecedented coverage during the COVID-19 pandemic and led coverage of several severe weather events in the region, including tornadoes and devastating floods, as well as the Bengals’ road to the 2022 Super Bowl in Los Angeles.

She spearheaded multiple community efforts including a Day of Giving for Cincinnati schools and a coat drive for St. Vincent de Paul. She also worked closely with WLWT’s Investigative Team, which earned regional Murrow and Emmy awards, and with the WLWT News 5 team to organize and execute extensive voters guides and debates during the 2022 election.

Prior to WLWT, Kay was a morning news executive producer at KARE-TV, Minneapolis.

Before that, she was a news producer at KING-TV in Seattle and, previously, at KGTV, San Diego and KERO-TV, Bakersfield. She graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Broadcast Journalism from California State University, Northridge.

Paul Greeley is the manager and a writer for News Blues.

He can be reached at Paul@NewsBlues.com or 817-578-6324.