Chris Wayland will succeed veteran Valari Staab as president of NBCUniversal‘s local-media operations, elevating the head of the company’s Boston portfolio to oversee a broader array of assets, Staab is slated to retire at the end of the year after more than 15 years with the company and 46 yearss working in local TV. NBCU Local, part of NBCU News Group, consists of 50 local, regional and national media properties, including 11 NBC- and 31 Telemundo-owned stations, four regional sports networks, three national multicast networks, and 17 streaming channels, as well as LXTV Productions and Skycastle. Since joining NBCUniversal in 2019, he has led NBC10 Boston, Telemundo Boston and NBC Sports Boston, building an integrated, multiplatform operation, a high-performing team and a strong culture closely connected to the audiences and communities they serve.
He has been instrumental in the growth of NBC10 and was a key leader in the development and launch of the NBCUniversal Boston Media Center,” said Cesar Conde, chairman of NBCU News Group, in a statement. Under her aegis, a division comprised of 10 NBC-owned stations grew into a broader portfolio of 50 media properties that include physical stations and digital assets, among others. Wayland has more than 30 years of local media experience across major markets, including as an executive with TV station groups.
Prior to NBCU Local, Wayland spent nearly three years with Tribune Media, first as vice president of group operations and later as senior vice president and general manager for New York’s WPIX, the group’s then flagship TV station. Wayland previously spent nearly a decade with Sunbeam Television beginning in 2007. He eventually served as Sunbeam Television’s executive vice president and general manager, overseeing Boston’s WHDH, then an NBC affiliate, and WLVI, and Miami’s FOX affiliate, WSVN.
Earlier in his tenure, he was general sales manager for WHDH. Prior to joining NBCUniversal, Staab held leadership roles with ABC Owned Television Stations, most recently as president and general manager of KGO-TV in San Francisco. She also led ABC stations WTVD in Raleigh, N.C., and KFSN in Fresno, Calif., as president and general manager after a decade at WPVI in Philadelphia, where she was director of creative services and director of marketing and research.
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