Kyle I. Grimes

Kyle I. Grimes is president and general manager of WCVB Channel 5, Hearst Television’s flagship station and Boston’s ABC affiliate, and Hearst Television Vice President, New England. Kyle became the fifth president and general manager in WCVB’s long and storied history in 2020, and 2023 also assumed oversight of all Hearst Television stations in the New England region. Kyle’s move to the top role at the country’s most honored local commercial television station and oversight of Hearst’s New England stations marks the advancement of a career spent entirely, and spanning more than two decades, with Hearst Television.

In his role as Hearst Television Vice President, New England, Kyle is charged with overseeing market leading stations including WMTW-TV and WPXT-TV, the ABC and CW affiliates serving Portland-Auburn, Maine; WMUR-TV, the ABC affiliate in Manchester, New Hampshire; and WPTZ-TV and WNNE-TV, the NBC and CW affiliates serving the Plattsburgh, New York, and Burlington, Vermont, television markets, in addition to WCVB-TV Boston.

Kyle joined WCVB from Hearst Television’s leading station WGAL-TV in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Under his leadership, WGAL added more than seven hours of local news per week as well as a weekly local public affairs show. During his tenure, the station earned regional Emmy Awards for Best Newscast as well as regional Associated Press honors including Outstanding News Operation and Best Newscast. Among other innovations, Kyle oversaw the establishment of the WGAL 8 Hall of Fame to honor leaders who have made important contributions to the station during its 70-year history, and the development of a public/private partnership with Millersville University to preserve the station’s film archive.

The station’s commitment to community service helped WGAL-TV earn several national, industry honors including finalist status for the National Association of Broadcasters’ 2019 Service to America Award. Through telethons and other efforts, WGAL has raised millions of dollars for various organizations including the American Red Cross; the Children’s Miracle Network; and the Central Pennsylvania Food Bank to aid families during the 2020 pandemic.

Prior to taking the reins at WGAL, Kyle served as president and general manager of WPTZ-TV and WNNE-TV. During his time there, the station received a national Edward R. Murrow Award for a series investigating Vermont's Department of Children and Family Services, and two regional Murrow Awards for their nationally followed reporting on the prison escape of convicted murderers in Dannemora, New York. It was the second tour in the market for Kyle, who served as the stations’ news director from 2005 to 2008. In between his two positions at WPTZ and WNNE, he was news director at WPBF-TV, the Hearst ABC affiliate serving West Palm Beach, Florida.

Kyle serves on the board of local business and industry associations including the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce and the Massachusetts Broadcasters Association. His unwavering track record of community service continues at the helm of WCVB as a board member of the United Way of Massachusetts Bay, as well as involvement in various other local charitable organizations. While at WGAL-TV, Kyle served on the board of the Pennsylvania Association of Broadcasters and was a member of the Pennsylvania Bar/Press Committee. He also served on the boards of United Way of Lancaster County and the American Red Cross Central Pennsylvania Chapter, as well as on the advisory board of Children’s Miracle Network and the board of trustees of Susquehanna Waldorf School.

Kyle began his career at Hearst’s California television properties, entering broadcast television at Hearst’s KSBW-TV, the news leader serving the Monterey/Salinas TV market, later becoming a newscast producer at Hearst’s KCRA-TV/KQCA-TV, Sacramento’s longtime recognized news leader. He holds a bachelor’s degree in broadcast journalism from the Newhouse School at Syracuse University.