Industry Veteran Jon Camera Named Head of Sales at WABC-TV

Jon Camera has been named head of Sales of WABC-TV, the flagship ABC-owned television station in New York and most-watched television station in the New York television market and the United States, announced Debra O’Connell, president and general manager of WABC-TV, to whom he will report.

In this role, Camera will be responsible for managing and directing advertising sales and sales strategies of the station’s multimedia portfolio. He will lead a team of sales managers; an Integrated, Sponsorship & Partnership Marketing team; account executives; and research and support staff providing customers with meaningful and innovative solutions for their advertising needs across the top DMA in the country. While overseeing all aspects of WABC’s linear, digital, social and sponsorship sales, Camera will work closely with station leadership as well as Disney Ad Sales to continuously develop new revenue-generating opportunities, inventory optimization and marketplace positioning.

“I am thrilled to have Jon join us; he is a proven leader with a strong track record of sales success,” said O’Connell. “Jon has the ability to combine innovation with a strategic vision to balance the day to day while planning for the future – this combination will bring success to our sales team here at WABC and our advertising clients alike. As the No. 1 station in the NY DMA and the nation, replacing Scott Simensky who excelled for 23 years as our station general sales manager was a critical mission, and Jon is the ideal executive to lead our sales team into the future.”

“It is an honor to have the opportunity to work for WABC, the ABC Owned Television Stations and The Walt Disney Company,” said Camera. “I am looking forward to working with the exceptional Sales team at WABC and across Disney Ad Sales, and excited to move our advertisers’ business forward.”

In December 2008, Camera founded Kingdom Media Marketing, a full-service, independent media planning and buying firm, and served for more than 10 years as its president and CEO. He was responsible for obtaining non-owned media assets on large multiplatform and multimarket deals for media companies as well as meeting the needs and providing solutions for marketing and communications agencies. His clients included major broadcasting groups, in addition to numerous independent marketing and communications agencies, in need of seamless and scalable solutions with their multimarket campaign executions.

Prior to Kingdom Media, Camera was senior vice president of Business Development and Marketing at the CBS Owned Television Stations, where he developed and implemented integrated marketing growth opportunities and oversaw business development of all the stations for broadcast and digital sales. Previously, he was the director of Business Development at NBC Local TV Stations and director of Convergence Sales at ABC Owned TV Stations. He began his career in television sales at FOX as a sales assistant before moving to WABC Radio as an account executive and then PAX TV’s New York TV station, WPXN-31, as an account executive.

Camera attended Boston University and is a graduate of Hofstra University with a bachelor’s degree in business administration and marketing.

About WABC
WABC-TV has been the leader in local news and entertainment programming in the New York City area for more than 60 years. Producing more than 45 hours of live, local news and weather each week, Channel 7 “Eyewitness News”is the most watched local news in New York and the United States. WABC-TV also produces “Live with Kelly and Ryan,” the top-rating daytime talk show that airs weekdays at 9:00 a.m. E.S.T. and is seen in more than 200 markets across the U.S. With the most trustworthy and accurate news and programming, propelled by cutting-edge technology and ongoing community outreach, these are the hallmarks of excellence that have consistently kept WABC-TV as New York’s No. 1 station, and the most-watched television station in the nation.