Emily Neilson, longtime general manager at KLAS Las Vegas, plans to step down this summer following 35 years at the station, and 11 as GM. Neilson had agreed to stay on as the ownership transition went from Landmark to Nexstar, which struck a deal to acquire the station late last year for $145 million.
Neilson, who informed staff of her decision last month, joined KLAS as a clerk for traffic and accounting in 1980, and after various jobs, was named news director in 1992. She became general manager of the powerhouse CBS affiliate in 2004.
Neilson, 55, is assisting with the replacement search. She has not ruled out a return to the workforce, but plans to split time between Las Vegas and a home in Pine Valley, Utah, where she jokes that she’ll “grow a garden…and grow grandchildren.”
