GM of the Year, Markets 26-50: Tim Ingram, WVUE, New Orleans
In the TV business, WWL was as much a New Orleans landmark as Jackson Square or Caf du Monde. The CBS affiliate dominated the Crescent City for decades, until general manager Tim Ingram and his team from Fox affiliate WVUE flipped the market.
Under GM Tim Ingrams direction, Gray's WVUE became New Orleans' most-watched news station.
During last year's November sweeps, Gray Television-owned WVUE won all of the news time periods except noon. I'm never going to win at noon unless Young and the Restless goes off the air, Ingram said. The station celebrated with its biggest Christmas party ever, with treats including broiled oysters.
We walked around high-fiving each other for about three days and then got back to work, Ingram said. That's what I like about this team. They work hard, they play hard and they do it together.
According to BIA, WVUE increased its share 3% over the preceding year and finished 2018 as the top station in New Orleans, earning a 27.3% share of the $95.7 million market. Tegna's WWL was just behind with a 27.2% share.
More Local Heroes: Station Group of the Year | GM of the Year, Markets 1-25 | GM of the Year, Markets 51+ | News Director of the Year | Multiplatform Broadcaster of the Year
Ingram grew up in Arkansas and didn't want to farm like the rest of the family. When he caught the TV bug, he wanted nothing more than to end his career running KAIT Jonesboro (Arkansas). He started out as a director at KAIT and later was operations director at KLTV in Tyler, Texas, before returning to KAIT in 2007 as general manager.
He went on to run KFVS Cape Girardeau, Missouri. Then in 2015 during the shortest job interview ever, Ingram said he was offered the job running WVUE for Gray, which had acquired the Fox affiliate the year before.
WVUE had a strong news operation, headed up by Mikel Schaefer, reflecting the Big Easy with coverage of food, music, Mardi Gras and the Saints. It was important to bring in a GM who was strategic, competitive and who believed they could really win, and Tim did, said Sandy Breland, VP at Gray Television and Ingram's predecessor. He was able to inspire people and instill this can-do attitude.
Fox 8 anchors Lee Zurik (l.) and Kim Holden.
Anchor Swap
One of Ingram's most important moves was to shuffle eight anchors, including bringing two popular late-news faces, John Snell and Nancy Parker, to WVUE's breakfast shift in 2016 as WWL was about to replace two hours of local news with CBS This Morning.
The morning show took off and WVUE's 9 a.m. hour often pops a 10 household rating. New Orleans has different circadian rhythms, Ingram said. And in late night, WVUE's sports reports often beat the network talk shows during football season.
Ingram also restructured his sales side, creating teams consisting of a media sales consultant, who tracks down clients and secures business, and a success manager, who makes sure schedules run and customers get exemplary service.
Danielle Medina, director of local investment, noted that WVUE has strong news programming and gets powerful promotion during the Saints games it airs. WVUE is very collaborative; they're always willing to put together a promotion tied to local, high-profile events such as the Saints, the LSU Tigers or Mardi Gras, she said.
Dealing with Tragedy
Ingram and the station were tested by tragedy Aug. 16 when Nancy Parker was killed in a plane crash while reporting a story. (Unlike some stations, WVUE anchors report from the field.) Ingram was in the newsroom as Parker's death was confirmed, and the station initially reported on the crash while withholding the victims' names until family could be notified.
It rocked the station and the entire city, Breland said. Tim stayed at the station for days. He was helping people deal with their grief without really taking time to grieve himself. And then he immediately went into planning every detail of Nancy's memorial service. He did not want to let her down. And it was a beautiful tribute broadcast live on the station.
Ingram called the experience probably the most difficult thing Ive ever done. There's no playbook for that.
At a time when many are down on the TV business, Ingram sees opportunities at WVUE. The station has rolled out two new sports news apps, one for the Saints, the other for LSU.
I'm still bullish on television, he said.
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
07/10/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, today announced the latest Long-Term Supported (LTS) release of Dalet Flex. Build...
06/09/2026
June 9 2026, 23:00 (PDT) Dolby and MagentaTV Bring Fans Closer to the FIFA Worl...
04/08/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
15/07/2026
The 2026 FIFA World Cup is a big deal for DAZN, which has distribution rights in three markets: Italy, Spain, and Japan. Each requires a different editorial app...
15/07/2026
As sports-media organizations manage rapidly growing content libraries and incre...
15/07/2026
HBS director of digital Johannes Franken talks SVG Europe through the operation built to serve FIFA World Cup 2026 rights holders remotely from Stratford, east ...
15/07/2026
IBC has unveiled the conference program for IBC2026, with this year's event ...
15/07/2026
Software-defined wideband RF platform supports 96-kHz monitoring, streamlined fr...
15/07/2026
New AI-powered module enables broadcasters and content owners to extract dialogu...
15/07/2026
Weeklong gathering at EBU headquarters will test new IPMX capabilities and expand certified product ecosystem...
15/07/2026
Force Tech has announced the appointment of Bryan Adams, CTS, as Vice President of Integration. Adams will oversee AV and broadcast integration project delivery...
15/07/2026
USA Sports has announced an exclusive English-language agreement with the Bundes...
15/07/2026
ITV Sport's FIFA World Cup 2026 coverage has been produced from one of the m...
15/07/2026
Program will provide professional camera kits, training, and technical support to participating local newsrooms...
15/07/2026
San Francisco church becomes first U.S. deployment of the 2 M/E production switcher...
15/07/2026
Former ESPN and NFL Network executive to advise startup league on media, distribution, technology, and fan engagement...
15/07/2026
The Houston-based RSN is the live-game home of the Astros and Rockets...
15/07/2026
Launched alongside new FreqSoft installer
Designed to bridge the gap between hardware and software, Freqport's FreqInOut FO1 unit provides a simple way ...
15/07/2026
Save up to 55% on software until 23 July 2026
Expressive E have just launched their Summer Offer sale, with discounts of up to 55% now applied across their ...
15/07/2026
Real-time stem-separation tool updated
zplane have recently released a new and improved version of their real-time stem-separation plug-in which they say ma...
15/07/2026
A new benchmark in bass enhancement
Described as a new benchmark in bass enhancement , Baby Audio's latest release has been designed to augment the lo...
15/07/2026
DMC Production's AR 1 and AR 2 units reverse the conventional OB workflow, keeping all production-critical processing at the venue while operators work remo...
15/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
15/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
15/07/2026
GigaCloud, a leading Ukrainian cloud service provider, and Cubbit, the first geo-distributed cloud storage enabler, today announced a new Business Alliance Part...
15/07/2026
SMPTE, the global society for media professionals, technologists, and engineers, has announced the launch of the SMPTE 110th Anniversary Campaign, a fundraising...
15/07/2026
Studio Technologies, a leading manufacturer of high-quality audio, video, and fiber-optic solutions, unveils the new StudioComm Model 762 Stereo Level Control, ...
15/07/2026
COW Jobs: Producer, Virtual Events - Hybrid, Full Time, Salaried
Brie Clayton July 15, 2026
0 Comments
Producer, Virtual Events (Hybrid | Full-time | ...
15/07/2026
Brazilian media organization builds nationwide CDN with Broadpeak's high-performance software for low-latency streaming and new content distribution service...
15/07/2026
DHD announces a new utility designed to increase the efficiency of its audio mixing systems during initial installation and subsequent configuration.
Anyone w...
15/07/2026
BCNEXXT Brings Next-Generation Vipe to IBC2026, Breaking the 1:1 Channel-to-Server Ratio New innovations liberate broadcasters from legacy playout infrastructur...
15/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
15/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
15/07/2026
Wednesday 15 July 2026
Screeners and press pack now available: Gomorrah: The Or...
15/07/2026
Trinity's Treasures features Ruth Negga, Eleanor McEvoy, and David Norris, a...
15/07/2026
Join geographer Dr Susan Hegarty, Engineer Tim Joyce and Architect Orla Murphy a...
15/07/2026
Home to leading manufacturers, robotics pioneers, infrastructure builders and gaming, of course, Japan is one of the world's centers of AI - building across...
14/07/2026
South end zone videoboard, cloud-based control system will be ready for 2026 football season...
14/07/2026
Redesigned website, enhanced mobile app unify content, ticketing, and personalized fan engagement...
14/07/2026
Agreement spans sponsorship sales, digital monetization, radio production, and new practice facility naming rights...
14/07/2026
Independent league adds 14 regional sports network affiliates, growing distribut...
14/07/2026
New strategy aims to unify competitions, content, fan engagement, and commercial...
14/07/2026
ESPN and Disney+ become exclusive home of PFL events in key international MMA market...
14/07/2026
Gill will oversee engineering, technology, and sports operations across the company's 64 local television stations...
14/07/2026
Submitted by North American Broadcasters Association (NABA)
As broadcasters con...
14/07/2026
Modernized mobile unit combines HOME Apps, mc 56 console, and IP infrastructure ...
14/07/2026
Every match of the 32-team tournament will air across ION and Scripps Sports platforms in English and Spanish...
14/07/2026
FloHockey to stream every game of the annual international tournament under four...
GM of the Year, Markets 26-50: Tim Ingram, WVUE, New Orleans
