Veteran local media executive Casey Kespohl has been named Vice President, Brand Strategy and Development, CBS Stations. The announcement was made by Wendy McMahon, President and Co-Head, CBS News and Stations, to whom Kespohl will report.

In this newly created position, Kespohl will work closely with the local management teams at the 27 ViacomCBS-owned television stations across the United States. He will be responsible for helping to evolve and strengthen CBS Stations’ branded content and marketing across broadcast, streaming and digital platforms, to reflect the group’s commitment to being a trusted source of news and information as well as a provider of community service initiatives that impact audiences across the 17 markets served by CBS Stations. He will also work with CBS leadership to help synthesize brand strategies across the CBS News and Stations organization.

In April of this year, CBS announced plans to combine the journalistic and business resources of CBS News and CBS Television Stations to form a new division of ViacomCBS, jointly led by McMahon and her fellow president and co-head of CBS News and Stations, Neeraj Khemlani.

Kespohl assumes his new role, effective immediately. He will continue to be based at WCCO-TV, the CBS station in Minneapolis-St. Paul, where he has been for 19 years, including the past 15 years as creative director and community outreach director. In 2003, he was hired by then-WCCO Creative Services Director Wendy McMahon to serve as the station’s art director. He was promoted to creative director in 2007, when McMahon left WCCO to become creative services director at WBZ-TV and WSBK-TV, the CBS stations in Boston.

“Hiring Casey at WCCO nearly 20 years ago was one of the best decisions I have ever made,” McMahon said. “Since then, I have been proud to watch him grow as both a creative executive and developer of community outreach programs that have helped make ‘CCO one of the top local news and service-oriented stations in the country. I am thrilled to have him in this new position that will allow him to scale his expertise, capabilities and compassion across our entire station group.”

“It’s an incredible honor for me to once again work directly with Wendy and be given this wonderful opportunity to collaborate with the leadership team at CBS Stations and the entire CBS News and Stations organization, to shine a bright light on who we are, what we represent and how we connect with our audiences,” Kespohl said. “I am proud to play a role in helping my colleagues provide the communities we serve with a sense of belonging, sharpen the vision for how our team members work together with a shared purpose, and partner with community organizations across the country to connect those in need with those who are excited to help.”

Prior to joining WCCO-TV, Kespohl spent five years as the senior art director at KTVU-TV in the San Francisco Bay Area. Before that, he worked for KSDK-TV in St. Louis for six years, first as a graphic designer for two years, and then as the station’s director of broadcast design.

Kespohl earned his BFA from Truman State University in Kirksville, Missouri. He is a member of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences and Promax.

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