Stephanie Linton Named WESH Orlando News Director

Stephanie Linton News Director Hearst TV
Stephanie Linton (Image credit: Hearst TV)

Stephanie Linton has been named news director at WESH Orlando. She comes from WPBF West Palm Beach, also a Hearst TV station, where she’s worked since early 2019 and was news director. 

“Stephanie’s breadth of experience in various newsrooms and depth of knowledge in Florida make her the ideal news executive to join our award-winning team,” said John Soapes, WESH president and general manager. “She exemplifies the Hearst Television culture and high standards for journalism and community service.”

Linton has been on the ABC NewsOne advisory board. Earlier in her career, she was a producer at WPBF. She was assistant news director at KGO San Francisco and at WSOC Charlotte, and executive producer at WFOR Miami. 

She succeeds Kirsten Wolff at WESH, with Wolff moving on to WBTS-WNEU-NECN Boston. 

“I am honored to join the exceptional team of journalists at WESH 2 News and expand my experience within the Hearst Television family,” Linton said. “Orlando is a vibrant and dynamic news market. I look forward to leading the news team as we tell Central Florida’s stories and continue to make WESH 2 the best choice for local news in Central Florida.”

Orlando-Daytona Beach-Melbourne is DMA No. 17. 

Michael Malone

Michael Malone, senior content producer at B+C/Multichannel News, covers network programming, including entertainment, news and sports on broadcast, cable and streaming; and local broadcast television. He hosts the podcasts Busted Pilot, about what’s new in television, and Series Business, a chat with the creator of a new program, and writes the column “The Watchman.” He joined B+C in 2005. His journalism has also appeared in The New York Times, The Philadelphia Inquirer, Playboy and New York magazine.