NEW YORK—Veteran local media executive Joel Davis has been named president and general manager of NBCU Local Philadelphia’s NBC10 / WCAU, Telemundo62 / WWSI and NBC Sports Philadelphia, beginning March 17.
In the new role, Davis will report to Valari Staab, chairman of NBCUniversal Local. Davis will provide strategic and operational leadership of the media properties’ TV, streaming and digital platforms, and will oversee the local management team and staff. He will work closely with Telemundo Station Group president José Cancela and NBC Sports Regional Networks president Bill Bridgen.
“Joel is a proven local media executive whose experience, passion and strategic leadership has guided success and growth across broadcast, streaming and digital media platforms in several markets,” said Staab. “We are pleased he is joining our Philadelphia properties to further their impact on the communities they serve.”
Davis has more than 35 years of local media experience, including more than a decade as a station leader. He joins NBCU Local Philadelphia from Capitol Broadcasting Co., where he has been vice president & general manager of NBC affiliate WRAL, FOX affiliate WRAZ, and WNGT in Raleigh, N.C., for nearly seven years.
Since joining Capitol Broadcasting Co. in 2018, Davis has led WRAL News to its position as the market’s leading multiplatform news brand, a portfolio that includes WRAL.com, the top-performing local news website in North Carolina. He also oversaw the launch of WRAL News+, a 24/7 local news streaming channel simulcast on WNGT.
During his tenure with WRAL, WRAZ and WNGT, Davis helped establish successful community events, such as the ‘WRAL Nights of Lights,’ a holiday event that attracted more than 100,000 attendees, and led media partnerships with the NFL’s Carolina Panthers, NHL’s Carolina Hurricanes and N.C. Courage, the NWSL club.
Prior to Capitol Broadcasting Co., Davis led San Diego’s ABC affiliate, KGTV, and Azteca América station, KZSD, for four years from 2014 to 2018, first as station manager and then as general manager. He joined KGTV as news director in 2009 and spent nearly six years in that position before being elevated station leadership.
Overall, Davis has 28 years of experience in news roles. Before San Diego, he spent 15 years in newsroom leadership, including as news director, with ABC stations in Orlando, Fla., Fresno, Calif., and the CBS and FOX stations in Bakersfield, Calif. He previously held anchor, reporter and production positions in several markets.
An Iowa native, Davis began his career as an investigative research intern while attending Iowa State University, where he earned a journalism degree. A multiple Emmy and Murrow Award winner, he is President of the North Carolina Association of Broadcasters and Chair of Iowa State’s Greenlee School of Journalism Advisory Council.
