Newsmaker

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In the world of network television, staying No. 1 can be tougher than becoming No. 1 in the first place.

That will be the challenge faced by Ray Heacox, who last week was hired as the new president and general manager of KNBC-TV Channel 4 in Los Angeles. He replaces Carole Black, who left recently to become president of Lifetime Television in New York.

Heacox will be responsible for all management aspects of KNBC and will be charged with retaining the station’s current No. 1 standing in the Los Angeles market.

Heacox returns to KNBC from a three-year stint in New York as executive vice president of sales for NBC Television Stations. In New York, he oversaw all sales for the stations division and built a national sales group.

“Ray brings to KNBC an outstanding track record of successful leadership and sales expertise, both nationally and in the Los Angeles market,” said Pat Wallace, president of NBC Television Stations. “He has a strong understanding of what it takes to manage NBC’s second largest owned-and-operated TV station and we expect him to make a considerable impact.”

Heacox was previously at Channel 4 from 1991 to 1996. During most of that time in Los Angeles, he served as vice president of local sales for KNBC. Before joining NBC, he was vice president of the Western regional group for MMT Sales Inc., where he oversaw seven branches. He also worked in sales for several local stations.

NBC spokewoman Maria Battaglia says Heacox knows KNBC better than virtually anyone.

“He rose through the sales ranks and ended up running all of sales,” Battaglia said. “He knows it will be a big and complex job, and he understands the complexities of the market. He knows that local news is extremely important and strategic on a local level.”

A native of Tacoma, Wash., Heacox received his bachelor’s degree in communications from Pacific Lutheran University. He has served as president of the Los Angeles Television Representatives Association and was a former member of the Advertising Industry Emergency Fund and the Hollywood Radio and Television Society.

Jolie Gorchov

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