Adrienne Roark has been named president, CBS Stations, effective Monday, Aug. 2. She will work directly with general managers and their teams at the ViacomCBS-owned stations across the country, primarily in the eastern half.
CBS plans to name additional station group presidents at a later date.
The announcement was made by Wendy McMahon, president and co-head of CBS News and Stations, to whom Roark will report. Earlier this year, CBS merged CBS News and CBS Television Stations to form a new division of ViacomCBS, jointly led by McMahon and her fellow president and co-head of CBS News and Stations, Neeraj Khemlani.
“As we reimagine our opportunities for success as a united CBS News and Stations team, we are excited to welcome Adrienne back to CBS in this key leadership role,” McMahon said. “Adrienne possesses an outstanding reputation for driving innovation and fostering collaboration to the mutual benefit of the communities where she has served, her business partners and, most importantly, her colleagues. We look forward to having her rejoin the CBS Stations family and provide thoughtful and creative leadership to our organization.”
Also Read: Meredith Names Corey Hanson GM for Stations in Portland
Roark comes from Portland, where she was general manager of CBS affiliate KOIN, beginning in 2014, then was GM of KPTV-KPDX, a Fox-MyNetworkTV pair. She joined CBS Stations in 2007 as assistant news director at WFOR-WBFS Miami. She spent four years as VP and news director at KTVT-KTXA in Dallas-Fort Worth.
“My previous experience with the CBS Stations in Miami and Dallas-Fort Worth represent memorable and very formative chapters in my career history,” Roark said. “The opportunity to return and work with Wendy and Neeraj is an enormous privilege. I am excited to be a part of a team that brings the best in journalism, storytelling and digital innovation to audiences all over the country. People need us now more than ever to be a trusted provider of news and information and to reflect their communities. I am honored to once again be a member of the CBS family.”
To be based in New York, Roark will also focus on guiding the development of new work streams between the CBS Stations and CBS News organizations, partnering with her colleagues to elevate local news products and experiences and creating new multi-platform audience and revenue growth opportunities across CBS local broadcast and streaming channels. She will also play a key role in supporting CBS Stations' community service initiatives and promoting a positive workplace culture, according to CBS.
Peter Dunn was CBS Television Stations president until his departure, related to an investigation into workplace culture, earlier this year.
Roark has also worked at WESH Orlando, WTVJ Miami, WKYC Cleveland and WCMH Columbus. She started her career at WBNS Columbus.
CBS owns 28 stations in 17 markets.
