9/30/19: Leading Ladies: The General Managers of Nashville’s TV Stations

From left: Noreen Parker – WZTV (FOX17), Rene LaSpina – WSMV (News 4 – NBC affiliate), Lyn Plantinga WTVF (NewsChannel 5 – CBS affiliate), Tracey Rogers – WKRN (News2 – ABC affiliate)

From payroll to programming, the women who lead Nashville’s TV stations are responsible for nearly every aspect of their station’s operation. On the flip side, they’re accountable to the thousands of viewers who tune in, click to, or stream their product 24-7.

In a panel discussion led by Rotarian and former Newschannel5 reporter/anchor Lydia Lenker, we’ll get an inside look at the TV industry and the daily challenges of life at the helm.

Noreen Parker became General Manager of WZTV (FOX) and WUXP (MyNet) in December 2014. Before coming to Nashville, she served as GM at WTTA (MyNet) in Tampa, FL.  Parker does volunteer work in a variety of organizations and sits on the board of directors at Ronald McDonald House.

Rene LaSpina signed on as Vice President and General Manager of WSMV News in January 2019, bringing more than 20 years of television station management experience to the position. She served as GM and president of WIVB/WNLO-TV in Buffalo, NY and has held GM positions in Minneapolis, Memphis, Albany, NY and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, PA.

Lyn Plantinga joined WTVF-NewsChannel 5 as a news intern while attending Vanderbilt University, and is now Vice President and General Manager. She is a multiple Emmy award-winner, produced the first gavel to gavel trial coverage ever televised in Tennessee and led one of the nation’s first local station transitions to High Definition Television.

Tracey Rogers is Vice President and General Manager of WKRN-News2.  She held similar posts in Memphis and Jonesboro, AR.  Rogers began her TV career in Nashville, working at Channels 2, 4 and 5. She’s been awarded three Emmy awards, four Associated Press awards and two Murrow awards. She is the current chair of the Tennessee Association of Broadcasters board.