Cox Media Group has selected its new Market Vice President for its Tulsa station group, and also for its Jacksonville stations. The company says these appointments are part of its “converging markets with multiple media platforms to strengthen news, sales and operational collaboration.”
Cathy Gunther is now Market Vice President for Tulsa, Okla., as Dan Lawrie accepts the role of Market Vice President for Jacksonville, Fla., effective immediately.
“Both Dan and Cathy are successful media veterans and proven leaders on the Cox Media Group leadership team,” said EVP Bill Hendrich. “We are fortunate to have great leadership within CMG to promote from within for these two new critical roles as we converge our Jacksonville and Tulsa media markets. They will work with our teams in these markets to take our award-winning brands to new heights.”
In her new role, Gunther will oversee the converged Tulsa market of TV and radio stations owned by Cox, including the market’s FOX, MyNetworkTV and MeTV affiliates; and four radio properties.
“Our industry is evolving at a rapid pace. Media consumers expect us to deliver local news and entertainment effectively on their platform of choice,” said Gunther. “This strategic alignment will allow our teams to produce and deliver information in a quick efficient manner, giving us a competitive advantage. We are stronger together, and I look forward to leading this effort for the benefit of our team and the Tulsa community.”
Gunther previously was VP/GM for the Tulsa TV trio: KOKI-TV, KMYT-TV and digital multicast MeTV (KOKI-DT2). Past stops include FOX-affiliated KTVU-2 in San Francisco and its sister property, KICU-TV.
Lawrie will also oversee radio and TV stations for CMG in Florida’s First Coast.
Cox owns the CBS and FOX affiliates in the market, along with a group of seven radio stations including WAPE-FM, WJGL-FM, WOKV-FM and WXXJ-FM.
Lawrie was previously VP/GM for Cox’s Tulsa radio stations, and he’s also held that role for Cox’s radio station in San Antonio. He’s been with Cox since 1999.
“Converging our Jacksonville TV & Radio properties under one Market Leader makes perfect sense and will allow us to collaborate our resources to better serve the Jacksonville community,” said Lawrie. “I’m excited to help lead a team of dedicated TV and Radio professionals to a new level of excellence.”
