B+C Station Awards 2023: Adam Chase Has Hands-On Approach to Station Management

Adam Chase, VP and general manager of WTKR-WGNT Norfolk, Virginia, would rather be up on his feet than seated at his desk. “You can’t be an office dweller in this job,” Chase said. “You’re serving two communities, the internal one in your office and your community. So I like to be walking around, listening, talking to people, learning what’s happening inside. Too often in this role, you get bogged down with just the business of this station and you lose sight of the people.”

Taking over WTKR-WGNT in 2021, Chase was transparent in stationwide meetings as he led a business reorganization. B+C’s General Manager of the Year for markets 26-50 takes risks unheard of in local news, like cutting nearly nine hours a week of news programming to give journalists more time to dig in on quality stories. He is also focused on bringing a fresh approach to other platforms like Instagram. 

“I want to reach people in the ways that they want to be served on those platforms, even if it makes our jobs 10 times harder,” he said, adding that the goal is not immediate revenue but building a long-term relationship with the entire community. 

Unsurprisingly, when a high school was looking for help launching a journalism program, Chase responded immediately. “We brought all of our department heads and they talked to the students about their respective fields so it even goes beyond news to production, sales and engineering,” he said. 

His community involvement led to his nomination as an honorary commander for the Air Force Reserve 755th ISRG Wing at Langley Air Force Base. “I wanted to learn from them about leadership, but also to see how we’re impacting our military community, instead of just taking stories from them.”

News director Allison Herman said Chase maximizes those interactions because of his openness and curiosity. “My favorite thing about Adam is that he manages each person the way they need. Each has their own needs and communication style and he takes the time to find the best way to communicate with each member of the team,” she said. “And out in the community he meets with business, political and community leaders for conversations about what we could be doing differently. He’s genuinely trying to figure out how to keep local news alive and he listens to the criticisms.”

Herman said Chase can even sometimes be found in jeans, contributing to office construction projects. “I never had a general manager so hands-on in creating a place that’s more inviting.”