Veteran local media executive and award-winning journalist Kathy Hostetter has been named vice president and general manager of CBS News and Stations’ local businesses in Baltimore, including WJZ-TV, the CBS News Baltimore streaming channel and CBSBaltimore.com. The announcement was made today by Wendy McMahon, president and co-head, CBS News and Stations, and Adrienne Roark, president, CBS Stations. Hostetter will report directly to Roark and assume her new role on Monday, April 25.

Hostetter will be joining CBS Baltimore after having spent nearly three-and-a-half years as the news director at CBS News and Stations’ local businesses in Pittsburgh, Pa., including KDKA-TV (CBS), WPCW-TV (The CW Pittsburgh), the CBS News Pittsburgh streaming channel and CBSPittsburgh.com.

“It is always a pleasure whenever we are able to fill key leadership positions by promoting top performers from within our organization,” McMahon said. “Kathy has done an outstanding job leading our news team in Pittsburgh and enhancing KDKA’s reputation as the market’s top station. We are excited to have her make the move from one great station to another and help us add wonderful new chapters to WJZ’s history.”

“Kathy is a proven leader and accomplished journalist who, over the course of her more than 30-year career, has demonstrated time and again how much she cares about local news and how quality storytelling has a positive impact on local communities,” Roark added. “Kathy has done a terrific job of leading our newsroom in Pittsburgh with empathy and heart. We look forward to having her bring that same kind of thoughtful approach to guiding our team in Baltimore.”

“I am humbled and honored to have this opportunity to go from working with one of the finest local newsrooms in the business at KDKA to joining an equally great team in Baltimore,” Hostetter said. “I want to thank Wendy and Adrienne for their support and leadership, and am also deeply grateful for the opportunity to work alongside my forever friends and colleagues in Pittsburgh.”

Prior to joining CBS Pittsburgh in November 2018, Hostetter spent five years as the news director at WTHR-TV in Indianapolis. During her time there, the station’s news department received Peabody, regional and national Edward R. Murrow, Alfred I. duPont-Columbia University and national Society of Professional Journalists awards.

Hostetter’s background also includes serving as the news director at WAVE-TV in Louisville, WAVY-TV and WVBT-TV in Portsmouth and WISE-TV in Fort Wayne. In addition, she has been an executive producer at stations in the San Francisco Bay Area, Indianapolis, and Moline; and a producer at stations in Grand Rapids and Fort Wayne.

Hostetter earned her bachelor’s degree in French and telecommunications from Ball State University. She and her husband, Ben, are the proud parents of their daughter, Emily.

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