Nexstar names Zink new VP/GM of WEHT Local, Local 7 WTVW

Nexstar Broadcasting announced Thursday that it has named Arika Zink as the new vice-president and general manager of its Evansville-market television stations, ABC affiliate WEHT Local (ch. 25) and independent Local 7 WTVW (ch. 7).

Zink, who has 25 years' experience in television broadcasting, comes to the Tri-State after two years managing Four Points Media's TV stations in West Palm Beach, Fla. Those stations include CW, MyNetwork TV and Azteca America affiliates.

In addition to her time in Florida, Zink has worked at stations in South Carolina, Ohio and her home state of West Virginia.

Zink replaces Mike Smith, who is retiring after nine years with Nexstar, the last six of those at WTVW. He became WEHT's general manager in December 2011 when the two stations combined their operations under Nexstar management.

"I am excited to work again with Nexstar and the teams at WEHT Local, Local 7 WTVW and Tristatehomepage.com, as we deliver additional compelling local news and entertainment programming, expand our relationships with the community and continue to grow our menu of outstanding marketing solutions across multiple platforms for our advertising partners," Zink said in a statement released Thursday. "I look forward to immediately joining the Evansville community and developing strong relationships with local businesses and community organizations.

"Arika is a proven leader, having administered successful policies and procedures to further enhance the effectiveness of station operations, leading teams to produce revenue generating results," said Nexstar executive vice-president and co-chief operating officer Tim Busch. "Having tracked Arika’s success in West Palm Beach for the last several years, we are confident in her ability to provide the Tri-State community exceptional service while delivering compelling and effective marketing solutions for local and national advertisers."

Nexstar Broadcasting has owned WEHT Local since December 2011, and manages the operations of WTVW, which is owned by Mission Broadcasting, under the terms of a shared services agreement.