Kristie Gonzales Named GM Of WXIA-WATL Atlanta

Tegna today appointed Kristie Gonzales president and general manager of its Atlanta duopoly of WXIA (NBC) and WATL (MNT), effective Oct. 23. She will continue as Tegna vice president, media operations. At WXIA-WATL, Gonzales will be responsible for overseeing the stations’ operations across all platforms, as well as community outreach efforts and driving results for advertisers.

Since 2016, Gonzales has been president and general manager of Tegna’s ABC affiliate KVUE Austin, Texas. During her tenure, KVUE launched the series Boomtown, which highlights Central Texas’s explosive growth. The station received widespread acclaim for its investigative reporting into the school shooting in Uvalde and on the tragic death of Javier Ambler in the custody of the Williamson County Sheriff Department.

During her tenure, Gonzales also grew partnerships with advertisers and helped spearhead community engagement efforts, including “All Together ATX,” which raised nearly $8 million for COVID-19 relief, and “Harvey Can’t Mess with Texas,” a benefit concert developed with Google that helped raise nearly $2 million for Hurricane Harvey relief. KVUE was recently honored with six wins in the Texas Broadcast News Awards, including for best morning newscast.

Since 2021, Gonzales has also served as vice president, media operations for Tegna with oversight of the following stations in Texas: KBMT-KJAC Beaumont; KYTX Tyler, KCEN-KAGS Waco and Bryan-College Station; KWES Midland-Odessa; and KXVA-KIDY Abilene and San Angelo. Gonzales will continue in this role with new responsibilities.

“Kristie is an innovative thinker with a drive to deliver results, as she’s done in Austin and across the portfolio of stations she’s overseen in Texas,” said Larry Delia, Tegna senior vice president, media operations. “She’s an excellent collaborator and community partner with an ability to inspire and motivate those around her. We’re excited to have her join the talented team in Atlanta and continue the stations’ leadership in the market.”

Prior to joining KVUE, Gonzales held various television management roles across the country, specializing in news branding, multicultural marketing and harnessing the power of digital and social media. Before joining KVUE, she was the promotion and digital brand manager at WABC New York.

Gonzales graduated summa cum laude with double honors from the University of New Mexico.