Media relations
Share this release
DAVID WURTZEL NAMED PRESIDENT AND GENERAL MANAGER OF ABC7/KGO-TV San Francisco
David Wurtzel has been named president and general manager of ABC7/KGO-TV San Francisco – the Bay Area’s Emmy® Award-winning source for breaking news; it was announced today by ABC Owned Television Stations President Chad Matthews, to whom he will report. In this new role, Wurtzel is responsible for the station’s operations and ancillary businesses.
Wurtzel has been with The Walt Disney Company for nearly 20 years, recently serving as the vice president of Operations and Business Planning for the ABC Owned Television Stations in Los Angeles and Fresno. He is an accomplished finance executive with extensive experience in strategic planning, contract negotiations, accounting, labor relations, financial reporting and analysis, and compliance. He also leads all contractual and rights fee negotiations for special programming, including the LA Pride Parade, Kingdom Day Parade, and LA Rams preseason football, among others.
“His strong analytical skills, proven track record of achieving ambitious goals, and commitment to operational excellence have enabled him to tackle critical business challenges and initiate transformational projects,” said Matthews. “I know he will leverage his expertise and vision to enhance the station’s continued success in providing the highest quality local news.”
“The KGO team is regularly singled out for overall excellence – most recently by the Regional Edward R. Murrow Awards – for very good reason,” said Wurtzel. “From in-depth stories about the impact of climate change and severe weather to hard-hitting investigations into government corruption and powerful documentary storytelling, they have distinguished themselves by reporting on complex issues of vital interest to Bay Area residents with the utmost care, thoroughness and professionalism. I look forward to working with them to further enhance and leverage the tremendous work they do across linear, streaming and social platforms.”
Throughout his career at Disney, Wurtzel has worked within the broadcast television, digital media, and distribution groups, gaining expertise in corporate financial planning and analysis (FP&A), process improvements, technical accounting, budgeting and forecasting, internal controls, and systems implementation.
Before joining The Walt Disney Company, Wurtzel served as a supervisor, Internal Audit at Sony Pictures Entertainment. In this role, he conducted a range of domestic and international financial audits across various divisions, including television, theatrical releases, motion picture production and home entertainment. He began his career as a senior auditor at Ernst and Young in Boston.
Wurtzel received his Master of Business Administration from Loyola Marymount University and his Bachelor of Business Administration from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, Massachusetts. He is a certified public accountant licensed by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. He is on the board of directors for the Media Financial Management Association, a not-for-profit association that provides media and entertainment industry financial professionals with unique networking and educational opportunities and media-specific information services to enhance their capabilities and contribute to their organizations’ success.
About ABC7/KGO-TV San Francisco
Emmy® Award-winning station KGO-TV ABC7 is the San Francisco Bay Area’s source for breaking news, weather and live video. Widely recognized for its solution-based promise to help the Bay Area communities, the station’s initiative “Building a Better Bay Area” dedicates more time, resources and reporting to the issues that impact its viewers’ quality of life. From the local economy and education to health and safety and issues impacting the environment, ABC7’s focus is to bring greater perspective on the challenges currently facing neighborhoods. This year, KGO-TV was honored with three Edward R. Murrow Awards, including the Murrow for Overall Excellence. The station has won back-to-back Emmy Awards for Overall Excellence/News Excellence in 2019 and 2020. KGO-TV is an ABC owned television station serving San Francisco, Oakland, San Jose and all of the greater Bay Area, which together comprise the nation’s sixth largest television market.
Follow ABC7/KGO-TV San Francisco on X and Facebook.
Media Contact:
Fonda Berosini
fonda.berosini@disney.com
(818) 441-4983
Ambir Sniezko
ambir.sniezko@disney.com
(818) 319-3257