The previous CEO of local TV station group Tegna, Mike Steib, stepped down in March when Nexstar announced it had closed its deal for the smaller rival.
But with the Nexstar-Tegna merger currently tied up in an antitrust challenge from state attorneys general and DirecTV, Tegna is appointing a new CEO to run things for the time being: Patrick Paolini, who will take over as Tegna’s chief executive officer effective June 1. He will be responsible for Tegna’s daily operations, revenue-generating business strategies, local journalism and production, and growth initiatives.
Tegna describes itself as “a wholly owned subsidiary of Nexstar Media Group that is currently operating independently of Nexstar due to the “hold separate order” issued by the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California on April 17. The court
Paolini most recently worked at Fox Television Stations, where he has served as EVP of advertising sales since 2023. He previously was SVP and general manager of WTTG FOX 5 and WDCA FOX 5 Plus, Fox’s owned-and-operated duopoly in Washington, D.C., beginning in 2013. Earlier in his career, he served as VP and GM for WTXF FOX 29 in Philadelphia and was VP and director of sales at WNYW FOX 5 and WWOR My9, the Fox’s stations in New York.
