LEXINGTON, Ky. — NBC affiliate WLEX-TV will have a new face at the helm of its market-leading news. On Aug. 5, Brian Neal will join LEX18 as news director. He replaces Bruce Carter, who led the station’s news efforts for two decades before retiring last December.
Neal comes to LEX18 with impressive news management experience. Most recently he served as assistant news director with WXII-TV, the Heart Television NBC affiliate in Winston-Salem, N.C.
He has also worked in producer and news management roles in Syracuse, High Point, Sacramento and San Francisco. Neal is a graduate of the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communication at Syracuse University.
“Brian comes to us highly recommended for his work at stations with outstanding news reputations,” says LEX18 President/General Manager Pat Dalbey. “He is exceptionally qualified to lead us. And it’s a homecoming of sorts for him, with his family’s strong ties to the Bluegrass.”
Neal’s wife grew up in Lexington and her parents now reside in nearby Paris, Ky.
LEX18 has also promoted Jennifer Smith to the role of assistant news director. Smith is an Emmy-winning news producer who has been leading force in the LEX18 newsroom since 1999.
Add Comment