Maria Barrs named President and General Manager of KXTV in Sacramento

McLEAN, VA – Gannett’s (NYSE:GCI) Broadcasting Division has named Maria Barrs president and general manager at KXTV-TV in Sacramento, CA. Barrs most recently served as vice president and news director for KDFW-TV in Dallas, TX.

“Maria is an incredibly talented product leader,” said Dave Lougee, president of Gannett Broadcasting. “She has a passion for what she does, and it shows. She has proven herself over the past 13 years at the Fox owned station in Dallas, where her newsroom has emerged as the leader among a group of talented competitors.”

Barrs joined KDFW in June 1994 as managing editor. She became assistant news director in October 1996 and was promoted to news director in 1998. Prior to relocating to Dallas, Barrs was the news director at the NBC affiliate in Salinas-Monterey, CA. She began her career as a desk assistant at KCRA in Sacramento.

“Maria is excited to begin her new role as general manager in the same market where she started her career,” said Lynn Beall, executive president/Gannett Broadcasting. “She is an innovative manager, having built ratings growth during an era of challenging times. Maria has overseen eight hours of live news production every day. She has also leveraged a strong social media presence to help build brand loyalty and to drive traffic to the station’s digital products and back to its core on-air newscasts. She has a proven record of recognizing and developing strong talent as well. We are thrilled to have someone of her caliber lead KXTV.”

Barrs received her degree in communications with a broadcast emphasis from California State University, Chico.

About Gannett
Gannett Co., Inc. (NYSE: GCI) is an international media and marketing solutions company that informs and engages more than 100 million people every month through its powerful network of broadcast, digital, mobile and publishing properties. Our portfolio of trusted brands offers marketers unmatched local-to-national reach and customizable, innovative marketing solutions across any platform. Gannett is committed to connecting people – and the companies who want to reach them – with their interests and communities. For more information, visit www.gannett.com.