Tony Canales has been named president and general manager of KXAS-KXTX Dallas-Fort Worth, and Hank Guerrero was appointed president and general manager of WVIT-WRDM Hartford. Both are NBC-Telemundo duos owned by NBCUniversal Local.
Canales, named general manager of the year last month by B+C, has been the simultaneous president and general manager of KTMD Houston and KASA Albuquerque. He succeeds Tom Ehlmann at KXAS-KXTX, with Ehlmann retiring.
Guerrero has been VP of sales at WVIT-WRDM, with general manager Diane Hannes retiring.
Both GMs start immediately. They will report to Valari Staab, chairman, NBCUniversal Local, and will work closely with Manuel Martinez, president, Telemundo Station Group.
“Tony and Hank are exceptional. They are collaborative and innovative, and represent the next generation of leaders in local broadcasting,” said Staab. “I’m excited to see what each, along with their respective North Texas and Hartford teams, will do to serve our communities.”
Canales joined NBCUniversal in 2012. Before that, he led several stations in Texas, including KYAZ Houston and KWEX-KNIC San Antonio. He was saluted by B+C both for his work in ultra-competitive Houston, including expanding news output, and for his role in launching local news in Albuquerque.
At WVIT-WRDM, Guerrero was national sales manager and local sales manager before he was VP of sales. Before joining NBCUniversal, Guerrero worked at Beasley Broadcast Group.
“Tony and Hank bring with them new ideas and perspectives, and will build upon the great work that Tom and Diane have done for our stations. Both are really great to work with, and are very passionate about our work for our Spanish-speaking audiences,” said Martinez.
Staab and Martinez toasted Ehlmann and Hannes as they retire. “Tom and Diane have led long and successful careers in local broadcasting, mentoring and impacting many along the way,” the pair said. “Tom helped us to create the largest bilingual TV newsroom in North Texas, resulting in more comprehensive storytelling and weather forecasting for our English and Spanish-speaking viewers in the market. Diane leaves our division taking on leading leadership roles in marketing and most recently as GM of our NBC and Telemundo Connecticut stations, where she helped us solidify our operation as the only bilingual TV newsroom in the state. We are grateful for their service and wish both the very best in their well-deserved retirement.” ■
