As president of Katz Television Group, Leo MacCourtney oversees sales growth for more than 800 stations in nearly 200 markets. About 80 broadcast groups are served by Katz and MacCourtney. 

MacCourtney joined Katz, the largest media representation company for TV and radio in the country, in 2007 and was appointed to his current position five years later. 

In his role, the longtime sales executive works with local television stations as the conduit between advertisers and ad agencies on the national representative side.

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Those connections with clients are “tremendous,” his boss, Katz Media Group CEO Mark Gray, said. “He is extremely well-known and well-liked. He has the highest amount of integrity.”

Brian Lawlor, president of local media at E.W. Scripps, has known MacCourtney for more than two decades.

“He’s somebody that on a regular basis, more than annually, we’re talking about strategy [and] competitive positioning,” Lawlor said.  

MacCourtney previously was in charge of Eagle Television Sales and Blair Television. 

Using technology, Katz can access data and strategic insights for product research for their clients. They oversee all retail ad campaigns and book political spots across the country on behalf of those stations.

After more than 40 years, MacCourtney, 66, has honed his craft in TV sales and humbly considers himself an expert in the field.

A senior leadership team of 10 reports directly to MacCourtney.  

With 10 offices across the country, he will often leave his Manhattan headquarters to meet employees or his dozens of clients. 

“He attracts great talent and people are very loyal to him,” Gray said.

However, MacCourtney said: “It’s not about me. It’s about giving people great opportunities to knock it out of the park.”

Experience was only part of MacCourtney’s skill set. He got a front-row seat to broadcasting, thanks to his father, Leo MacCourtney Sr., who owned TV stations.

Although the junior MacCourtney didn’t have the same drive, he was introduced to the national scene when his father connected him to Blair TV head Harry Smart in the 1970s.

He started in Cleveland for Blair and within two years was transferred to New York, where he’s been based ever since.

Growing up in Pennsylvania, MacCourtney was already thinking about his future. 

“When I spent the summers at home, I liked hanging out with the sales guys at [dad’s] TV station,” he recalled.  

Getting a glimpse into his career, MacCourtney was hooked when he attended the University of Notre Dame in 1973. He earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration but didn’t rely on his degree for work. 

“The job was to get a job,” he said. 

After a slew of interviews, MacCourtney landed a sales job at Johnson & Johnson.  However, his path would be altered forever upon listening to the radio one day. A commercial came on the air seeking sales personnel at radio station WERE Cleveland.

With a love of sales and the culture at Katz, MacCourtney keeps the passion alive.  “There’s never been a day that I’ve gone to work that I didn’t like,” he said. “I’ve always thought broadcasting is the most fun job because it’s all people. It’s very outward.” 

MacCourtney, a strong advocate for local TV, regularly gives back to the industry that has meant so much to him. 

Giving Back to Broadcasting

His involvement in the Broadcasters Foundation of America, as VP and treasurer, makes sure that those in need are not forgotten. Katz Media has gone to bat for that worthy cause, raising more than $400,000 from employee and seller donations. 

“He devotes a lot of time and energy in doing that,” Gray said. 

The veteran exec also is on the board of the Washington Media Scholars Foundation, which “gives young people the opportunity to learn what’s going on in the business,” MacCourtney said. 

MacCourtney is also chairman of the International Radio and Television Society and previously held that title for the Television Bureau of Advertising.

“I do believe there is a huge mission here for people like myself to give back to the industry and I work very hard to make sure that I’m helping,” he said.

MacCourtney’s passion for his job is as strong as ever. “My motto in the business is, ‘There is no finish line,’ ” he said. ■

Katz Television Group said it named Joni Sinelli executive VP, director of sales over seeing the Midwest region, a new post.

Sinelli, who had been senior VP, director of sales, will be based in Detroit and oversee the Katz offices in Chicago, Minneapolis and Detroit.

She will report to Craig Broitman, COO of Katz Television Group.

“We’re thrilled to have someone with Joni’s extensive industry background leading our Midwest teams. Her media and agency experience, as well as knowledge in the auto sector will drive strategies that lead to growth for our station partners and their advertisers,” said Leo MacCourtney, president of Katz Television Group.

Sinelli has been with Katz for 23 years, starting as an account executive. Before that she was with Adam Outdoor Advertising and J. Walter Thompson.

“With Katz, marketers can seamlessly achieve local impact on a national scale. I’m excited to expand my role at this powerhouse organization, and lead the Midwest teams in engaging brands and advocating on behalf of our station partners,” said Sinelli.

Christmas is less than a week away, but television viewers have been celebrating the holiday season since Halloween, watching holiday-themed programming that has delivered a ratings gift to networks.

Holiday movies and specials from cable networks like Hallmark Channel, UP TV and Freeform have benefited from viewers’ seeming desire to see uplifting, comfort programming after a difficult 2016 marked by an unnerving presidential campaign and troubling economic conditions in the country.

“This year the environment overall admittedly has helped us,” Crown Media Family Networks president and CEO Bill Abbott said. “People are looking for that safe destination that they can feel good when they get to it, and that’s played a big role in our success.”

Hallmark, which launched its lineup of 19 original holiday films before Halloween, has consistently finished among the top three most watched networks in primetime during the month of December. The network’s sixth annual "Countdown to Christmas" programming stunt is up by double digits among all key demos compared with last year’s edition, including a 22% jump among total viewers, according to Hallmark officials.

Sister service Hallmark Movies and Mysteries is also performing well with viewers. The network set a ratings record among adults 25-54 with its Dec. 11 original movie Sound Of Christmas.

UP’s “We Get Christmas” lineup has remained hot after launching over the first weekend of November with 5.5 million viewers, led by the premiere of its original holiday movie Married by Christmas, the network said.

Freeform’s annual “25 Days of Christmas,” which launched during the Thanksgiving weekend, has catapulted the network into the top five most watched cable networks over the past two weeks. The network is averaging 1.4 million viewers in primetime during the month, well above the 893,000 viewers the network averaged in November.

Holiday programming has always appealed to viewers during the period between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Eve: 85% of all U.S. TV households, or more than 217 million viewers, watched at least one minute of holiday content last year. But the turmoil and consternation revolving around the election and other events in 2016 has made holiday content even more relevant this season.

“We’ve had such a tumultuous year that folks are looking for upbeat, positive programming, and certainly the main thrust of holiday programming is positive, uplifting and fun,” Bill Carroll, senior vice president and director of content strategy for Katz Television Group, said. “We spent so much time over the last year on both sides dealing with the election that I think viewers are looking for that end-of-the-year push for a more positive mood.”