Tribune Names John Cruse GM of New Orleans Duopoly

CHICAGO: Tribune Broadcasting named New Orleans native John Cruse as vice president and general manager of its New Orleans television duopoly, WGNO-TV and WNOL-TV. Cruse previously served as director of sales for the two stations.

“He knows instinctively what will work locally and what won’t, and how we can best serve the interests of our viewers and advertisers because he was born down the bayou in Houma, Louisiana, and moved to New Orleans in the eighth grade,” said Tribune Broadcasting chief Jerry Kersting.

Cruse was credited with seeing WGNO/WNOL through Hurricane Gustav in 2008 when he served as interim general manager.He was appointed WGNO/WNOL’s director of sales in 2005. Prior to that, he was local sales manager for WGNO, managing a nine-person sales staff and overseeing all local and regional sales. Cruse has held sales and advertising jobs of increasing responsibility in New Orleans since beginning his career with KHOM-FM as an account executive in 1993.