TYSONS, Va. (Diya TV) — Media company TEGNA has promoted Kurt Rao to a new senior leadership role as it accelerates its push to unify technology, digital products, and broadcast operations across its national footprint.
The company announced Thursday that Rao will serve as Executive Vice President and Chief Technology and Digital Products Officer. The role expands his oversight across TEGNA’s technology systems and digital product strategy. The move reflects the company’s broader effort to strengthen its streaming and digital media business as viewing habits continue to shift away from traditional television.
TEGNA Chief Executive Officer Patrick Paolini said the leadership change will help the company move faster and compete more effectively in a crowded media landscape.
“As audience behaviors continue to evolve, innovation must be at the center of everything we do,” Paolini said in a statement. “Uniting our technology, digital, and product organizations creates a stronger, more agile TEGNA — one that can move faster, serve consumers more effectively, and position our company for long-term growth in an increasingly competitive media landscape.”
In his new position, Rao will oversee digital product strategy, technology platforms, and engineering operations. He will lead teams responsible for delivering content across broadcast television, streaming services, mobile apps, and digital platforms. The company said the role brings together product management, engineering, technology, and operations under one unified structure. TEGNA aims to improve how it delivers news, advertising, and audience engagement tools across all channels.
Rao will also focus on improving the company’s technology platforms that support content distribution, advertising insights, and newsroom operations. These systems play a key role in how local stations produce and distribute news across multiple platforms. He will continue to guide the company’s use of artificial intelligence tools. TEGNA has expanded its use of AI in recent years to improve newsroom workflows, audience targeting, and content delivery.
Kurt Rao joined TEGNA in 2018 as Senior Vice President and Chief Technology Officer. Since then, he has led the company’s digital transformation efforts. He has overseen broadcast operations, information technology, and enterprise-wide technology strategy. Under his leadership, TEGNA built and expanded platforms that support local news production and digital distribution. Rao has also guided investments in advertising technology. These tools help the company analyze audience behavior and improve advertising performance across digital and broadcast channels.
In addition, he has helped implement artificial intelligence tools across the organization. These tools support newsroom efficiency and help teams deliver content faster across platforms. Rao said the new structure will help TEGNA adapt more quickly to changing viewer expectations.
“New capabilities and technologies are redefining how we deliver local news,” Rao said. “By bringing our broadcast, digital, and product teams together, we can adopt these tools quickly and at scale to create better, more engaging experiences for our viewers and advertisers across every platform.”
