McDonnell named President & GM of Telemundo Chicago WSNS.

Telemundo Media announced it named Chris McDonnell to President and General Manager, Telemundo Chicago WSNS. The announcement was made by Manuel Abud, President, Telemundo Station Group, to whom McDonnell will report.

In this role, McDonnell will be responsible for the strategic and operational leadership of WSNS. He will direct and manage all aspects of the station operations, including news, sales, promotions, engineering, finance, human resources and community relations. In addition, he will oversee the development and implementation of strategic sales and marketing plans, as well as direct sales forecasting activities to meet specific company goals.

“Chris has an extensive background in broadcast television, including both Spanish-language and general market. He is no stranger to Chicago or Telemundo, having grown up in Chicago and previously managed the Telemundo Chicago sales team,” said Abud. “His strong sales background, coupled with his knowledge of both the market and our organization, make him the ideal leader for our station.”

McDonnell has been with the NBC-owned television station group since 1997. Most recently, he was Vice President, Sales & Marketing at NBC Dallas/Fort Worth KXAS since 2009. In this role, he was responsible for all revenue-generating activities and consistently grew the station’s new business, as well as its online and sports revenues.

Prior to joining KXAS, he was Vice President, Sales & Marketing at NBC San Diego KNSD since 2005.

Previously, McDonnell was Vice President, Sales & Marketing at Telemundo Chicago WSNS from 2002-2005. From 1995-2002, he was at NBC Chicago WMAQ, where he held multiple roles including Local Sales Manager, National Sales Manager and Account Executive. McDonnell also served the role of Sales and Marketing Executive at New World Sales & Marketing in Chicago from 1994-1995. He worked at Petry Media Inc. since 1991 as an Account Executive, and began his career as a Media Planner & Buyer at Leo Burnett Worldwide for McDonald’s and Procter & Gamble in 1989.