ABC11 president and general manager announces retirement
WTVD president and general manager Caroline Welch will retire next month.
The announcement came from Wendy McMahon, president of ABC-owned television stations, in a news release Wednesday afternoon. McMahon said Welch would stay in her role at WTVD while ABC searches for a new general manager.
Welch, 54, came to the local Disney-owned and operated station in 2012 from WPVI, the ABC affiliate in Philadelphia, where she was the vice president of programming.
She has overseen WTVD through the expansion of its downtown Raleigh studio and helped narrow the news ratings gap between WTVD and WRAL — at one point taking the lead in morning newscasts.
In 2017, Welch successfully negotiated a contract to win official broadcast rights of the Raleigh Christmas parade, a contract which had belonged to WRAL for 44 years. In the public — and sometimes ugly — spat that followed between WRAL and the Greater Raleigh Merchants Association, which puts on the parade, Welch stayed above the fray.
“I don’t want to get into a tit for tat,” Welch told The News & Observer at the time. “It’s a parade.”
In 2018, Welch signed a three-year contract with GRMA to retain the official sponsorship and broadcast rights for the parade, though WRAL continues to air the parade as well.
Later that same year, Welch was able to move ABC11’s entire morning news broadcast to the expanded and updated Fayetteville Street studio in downtown Raleigh.
In the news release on Wednesday, McMahon touted ABC11’s accomplishments under Welch, noting its partnership with the UNC Knight-Lenfest Newsroom Initiative and Welch’s work to modernize the station.
“She always acted in service to our audiences, communities and team members,” McMahon said in the release. “And I know her contributions will continue to inspire and motivate future leaders and storytellers.”
Welch added: “I cannot begin to express how grateful I am to Disney, ABC and, most especially, the ABC11 team whose values, work ethic and integrity motivate me every day. Their dedication and passion to our community truly set them apart. As I begin a new chapter, I know I will continue to be energized and inspired by ABC Owned Television Stations.”
ABC11 is a news reporting partner of The News & Observer.
This story was originally published February 12, 2020 at 5:00 PM.
