Tegna Inc. announced today that Patrick Paolini will be the company’s new CEO, effective June 1. Paolini will report directly to the Tegna Board of Directors.
Paolini is coming in at an interesting time for the company. Nexstar Media Group closed a $6.2 billion deal to acquire Tegna in March, giving Nexstar control of Tegna’s 64 stations across 51 markets. However, following a legal battle with DIRECTV and several state attorneys general over the merger, the ABC, CBS, NBC, and FOX stations are continuing to operate under Tegna branding for now. Until a temporary restraining order is resolved, Tegna must continue operating as a fully independent business unit with its own management team.
Before joining Tegna, Paolini was at FOX Television Stations, where he has served as Executive Vice President of Advertising Sales since 2023. In that role, he was responsible for ad sales strategy, initiatives, and efforts across the FOX Television Station Group.
“Patrick is an ideal choice to lead TEGNA,” said the company’s Board of Directors in a collective statement. “He brings deep expertise in the broadcast television industry, major-market station management, and high-quality local news, along with a proven track record of driving revenue growth across linear and digital platforms. He is an innovative thinker and a proven leader with an established history of success. We look forward to Patrick’s leadership of this great company.”
“I am honored to be joining TEGNA,” said Mr. Paolini. “I have tremendous respect for the TEGNA brand, for the outstanding local news delivered across its 64 local television stations and hundreds of digital platforms, and for the company’s dedicated employees and local journalists. TEGNA will remain committed to providing the exceptional service our viewers, advertisers, and communities expect, while continuing to innovate and expand across the platforms that define the modern media landscape. I am excited by the opportunities ahead.”
Tegna says that in the new role, Paolini will be responsible for Tegna’s daily operations, revenue-generating business strategies, local journalism and production, and growth initiatives.