Gray Media (GTN) Stock News, May-Jul 2025

Gray Media (NYSE:GTN) has announced the appointment of Stephanie Plant as the new General Manager of WTAP, the NBC affiliate in Parkersburg, West Virginia. Plant, who will assume her role on July 2, 2025, will also oversee FOX affiliate WOVA-LD and CBS affiliate WIYE-LD.

A Parkersburg native with nearly 20 years of sales experience, Plant has served as WTAP's Local Sales Manager for the past 8 years after joining as an Account Manager in 2016. She succeeds Ken Long, who is retiring after 44 years in the media industry.

Plant brings significant community involvement experience, serving on the Board of Directors for Camden Clark Memorial Hospital Foundation and as Race Director for Thriving Beyond Breast Cancer.

Gray Media (NYSE:GTN) has announced the appointment of Jessica Laszewski as General Manager of WSAW, their CBS affiliate in Wausau, Wisconsin, effective July 21, 2025. Laszewski joins WSAW from her current position as News Director at Gray Television's WMTV in Madison, where she has served since October 2017.

Under Laszewski's leadership at WMTV, the station achieved significant milestones, including becoming #1 in news viewership and winning multiple prestigious awards, notably the RTDNA Regional Edward R. Murrow Award for "Overall Excellence" in 2025, 2024, and 2022. Her experience includes previous roles as News Director at WSAW and WNDU, along with various producing positions at several stations.

Gray Media operates as the nation's largest owner of top-rated local television stations, serving 113 television markets reaching approximately 37% of US television households. The company maintains the top-rated television station in 78 markets and first and/or second highest-rated stations in 99 markets during 2024.

Gray Media's stations and InvestigateTV received prestigious IRE Awards for exceptional investigative journalism. WANF Atlanta and InvestigateTV won Video Division II for 'In Plane Sight: The Fix,' which led to the DOJ ordering DEA to stop searching innocent passengers at airports. WSMV Nashville secured Video Division III for 'Predator: System Failure,' exposing mishandling of sexual assault cases. KMOV St. Louis was a finalist for 'Secrets of a School Shooting Revealed,' uncovering hidden records about a tragic school shooting. Gray Media (NYSE: GTN) operates the nation's largest network of top-rated local TV stations, reaching 37% of US households across 113 markets, with 78 top-rated stations and 99 markets with first/second highest-rated stations in 2024.

Gray Media has appointed David Hughes as the new General Manager of WFSB, its CBS affiliate in Hartford, Connecticut, effective July 9, 2025. Hughes, who currently serves as GM of Gray's Cleveland stations WOIO and WUAB, brings significant experience in media management and sports partnerships. During his tenure in Cleveland, he established the Rock Entertainment Sports Network and secured broadcast rights for major Ohio sports teams. His career includes leadership roles at various Gray stations and news departments across multiple markets. Gray Media (NYSE: GTN) is the largest owner of top-rated local TV stations in the US, reaching 37% of US television households across 113 markets, with dominant positions in 78 markets and strong presence in Hispanic media through 44 Telemundo affiliates.

Gray Media (NYSE: GTN) has appointed Shalayna Valencia as the new General Manager and Director of Sales for KOSA, their CBS affiliate station in Odessa, Texas. Valencia brings over 20 years of media industry experience, having previously served as Market President at Townsquare Media and Digital Sales Director at Hearst. She started her career as an Account Executive at KWES in Midland/Odessa. Gray Media is a leading multimedia company, owning the largest portfolio of top-rated local television stations and digital assets across 113 markets, reaching approximately 37% of US television households. The company maintains the top-rated station in 78 markets and first/second-highest rated stations in 99 markets as of 2024. Gray's portfolio includes the largest Telemundo Affiliate group spanning 44 markets, along with various media properties including Raycom Sports, Tupelo Media Group, PowerNation Studios, and production facilities.

Gray Media has extended its broadcast partnership with the New Orleans Saints through the 2029 NFL season. The agreement includes broadcasting rights for all three 2025 preseason games across Gray's 15-station Saints Pre-Season Network and Gulf Coast Sports and Entertainment Network (GCSEN). The partnership expands content offerings with new Saints-related programming, including live shows, documentaries, and podcasts. WVUE will produce five weekly Saints-related programs, while Gray Media will premiere an NFL Films documentary about new Head Coach Kellen Moore. The deal reinforces Gray Media's position as a major regional sports broadcaster, reaching approximately 37% of US television households across 113 markets.

Gray Media's WANF television station in Atlanta will end its 31-year CBS Network affiliation on August 15, 2025, to become an independent station. The transition aims to give WANF complete control over its programming schedule and expand its local news coverage. Since acquiring WANF in December 2021, Gray has invested significantly in the station, increasing weekly local newscast hours by 50% to 60 hours, creating the Southeast's largest weather team, and adding over 50 new jobs. The station has earned numerous prestigious awards and launched new initiatives including Peachtree Sports Network and Telemundo Atlanta. Gray expects this transition to help reduce leverage, improve its balance sheet, and enhance financial flexibility while following the successful model of other independent stations in markets like Phoenix, Jacksonville, and Boston.

CBS and Gray Media have announced the renewal of CBS network affiliations for 52 of Gray's existing 53 markets. The agreement ensures that the renewing CBS affiliates will maintain their availability to local subscribers on Paramount+ and across traditional and virtual MVPD platforms. However, Gray's Atlanta station WANF will end its CBS Network affiliation on August 16, 2025, transitioning to become an independent television station focused specifically on the Atlanta market. This strategic move represents a significant shift in Gray's broadcast portfolio while maintaining strong ties with CBS across the majority of its markets.

Gray Media (NYSE: GTN) has been awarded 81 regional Edward R. Murrow Awards for journalistic excellence across 38 of its local television stations. Notable achievements include four Overall Excellence awards to stations in Anchorage, Knoxville, Fort Wayne, and Madison. WMTV in Madison led with 9 awards, followed by WVUE in New Orleans with 8 awards. The recognition spans multiple categories including News Series (9 awards), Best Newscast (7 awards), Investigative Reporting (6 awards), Excellence in Innovation (6 awards), and several others. The regional winners will advance to the national competition, with results expected in August. Gray Media reaches approximately 37% of US television households across 113 markets, with leadership positions in 78 markets and strong presence in 99 markets.