Nexstar Media Group, which gained control of LA TV station KTLA after buying Tribune Media last year, has appointed Janene Drafs as the station’s VP and GM.
Drafs succeeds Don Corsini, who had a long and high-profile career as a broadcast news leader in the LA market, including a decade running KTLA. Corsini announced his retirement last fall after the Nexstar-Tribune deal closed. Drafs, who is heading to LA after several years in the Seattle market, will start February 10 and will report to Nexstar COO Brian Jones.
Since 2013, Drafs has been VP and GM of a combination of a Seattle media portfolio including local TV stations KOMO (an ABC affiliate) and KUNS (Univision), related digital platforms and three radio stations. She started her career at KUNS and KOMO as an account executive in 1992.
During her tenure running KUNS and KOMO, Drafs led an integrated media approach to content, sales, and promotion, and various digital and social media channels including Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. She launched three entertainment diginets, including Comet TV, Mundo Max, and Grit, and oversaw the creation of local lifestyle show, Seattle Refined, and its related website.
KOMO’s news offering expanded by eight hours a week on Drefs’ watch. She helped create and develop Newsdesk, a streaming newscast.
“Janene is the perfect choice to take the reins of leadership at KTLA-TV,” Jones said in a press release. “She worked her way up the ladder over the course of her career at KOMO-TV, and later at KUNS-TV, beginning in an entry-level sales position, and finishing as the leader of multiple media properties in one of the country’s largest markets. Throughout her career, Janene has met every challenge thrown her way and succeeded.”
Drafs said her 30-plus years in the broadcasting business “have prepared me well for this moment.” She added, “My path through sales, programming, operations, and management provided me with the kind of on-the-job experience one must possess to lead a station like the local powerhouse that is KTLA, and I am grateful to Nexstar for giving me this opportunity. From its dominance in local news to its innovative approach to local programming such as its live coverage of the Oscars and the Rose Bowl Parade, KTLA’s reputation for excellence is well-earned. I am looking forward to working alongside the station’s talented and experienced team of professionals at such an exciting time.”