Hartford Business Journal

12 HARTFORDBUSINESS.COM | March 6, 2023 'Alternate Platforms' In new GM role, NBC CT's Guerrero seeks out younger, more diverse audience By Harriet Jones Hartford Business Journal Contributor W hen Hank Guerrero appears on video conference to chat about his new role as general manager at NBC Connecticut and Telemundo Connecticut, he's at his desk in an open-collar shirt — much as he appears in his official headshot from the station. The smiling, relaxed and youthful GM look appears authentic to the man, but it's also very much in line with a station policy that's trying to speak to a younger, perhaps more unbuttoned demographic. "They are interested in what's happening in their local communities," said the 44-year-old Guerrero of those elusive millennial and Gen Z viewers. "What we're quickly finding is that they're using alternate platforms to get their news and information." NBC is attempting to meet that generational challenge in a couple of ways. First, through putting the brand in front of people on social media. "We've got some TikTok superusers in the newsroom that we really do lean on to create content that resonates with folks on those platforms," he said, "and really to try to bridge that generational gap." In another attempt to serve that younger, on-demand audience, NBC CT launched its local news offering on a streaming channel in June 2022, followed in November by a regional Spanish language streaming service, Telemundo Noticias Noreste. "We continue to invest and change the way that we interact with our streaming platforms," said Guerrero. "We're a little bit more nimble with those platforms than we would have been otherwise. They give us the ability to be hyper-local. If we want to go into extending coverage of something that's happening very locally, we can do that." Guerrero has moved from his previous role as vice president of sales for WVIT and WRDM to fill the top slot, following Diane Hannes' retirement. He takes the helm at a time of both opportunity and challenge. The 2020 pandemic lockdowns provided a moment of renewed relevance for local TV news as more people sought localized information in an unprecedented situation, boosting ratings. But at the same time, the generational disconnect persists, with a Pew Research survey taken in 2020 showing half or more of adults 50 and older are still turning to TV for news often, and 68% of those 65 and older. At the other end of the age spectrum, just 16% of adults ages 18 to 29 often look to TV for news. And that's the issue with the old model of "appointment" news at 6 p.m. and 11 p.m. "There are so many ways for people to get news and information now that relying on the six o'clock news, as people once did, is almost a quaint notion," said Duby McDowell, principal of Hartford- based McDowell Communications, and a former TV reporter. That's not just a challenge for the people making content. "The TV salesperson of a few decades ago was simply hoping that the local car dealer would buy an ad on the six o'clock news," said McDowell. "For the salesperson of today, it's putting together a much more complicated offering." Authentic, relatable brand Guerrero, whose background is entirely in sales, said he believes that HANK GUERRERO General Manager NBC CT and Telemundo CT Education: Bachelor's degree, North Carolina State University Age: 44 Corner Office Hank Guerrero was recently named general manager of TV news stations NBC Connecticut and Telemundo Connecticut. Duby McDowell HBJ PHOTO | STEVE LASCHEVER

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