Press Releases

Hero image
For immediate release
5/27/05

Dodie Cantrell-Bickley Named vice President and General Manager of WMAZ-TV

McLEAN, VA – Dodie Cantrell-Bickley today was named vice president and general manager of WMAZ-TV, the Gannett-owned CBS affiliate in Macon, GA. Cantrell-Bickley will assume the general manager duties from Don McGouirk who will remain as president of WMAZ-TV, until his retirement in December 2005.

“Dodie knows and loves this market. She has been a great contributor to the incredible results WMAZ has realized and she has been a very active voice in the community. I have every confidence in her ability to continue the wonderful tradition of service to the community and success that WMAZ has achieved under Don’s leadership,” said Craig Dubow, who has been named president and CEO of Gannett Co., Inc. (NYSE: GCI) effective July 15.

Cantrell-Bickley was named News Director for WMAZ in 1992. Prior to that, she was executive producer for WMAZ and had a number of on-air roles including investigative and consumer reporter.

Cantrell – Bickley received her undergraduate degree from Mercer University and recently completed graduate studies at Georgia College and State University. She currently serves on the steering committee of the Mercer Executive Forum, and is on the board of The Museum of Arts and Sciences. She has served on numerous other charitable and consumer-related boards and committees.

McGouirk was named president of WMAZ in 1996. He has served as general manager since 1982. McGouirk began his broadcasting career in 1968 as an account executive at WCWB-TV in Macon and spent all but four years of his distinguished career in Macon. In 2004, he was inducted into the Georgia Association of Broadcasters Hall of Fame.

McGouirk is active in community organizations including the Executive Board of NewTown Macon, the Board of Directors of The Center Georgia Cancer Coalition, the Board of Directors of the Grand Opera House and the Northeast Public High School Council. He is past president of the Georgia Association of Broadcasters, The Museum of Arts and Sciences, the Advertising Federation of Central Georgia, the Macon Downtown Council, and Campaign Chairman for the United Way of Central Georgia.

Other Gannett TV stations are: W*USA, Washington, DC; WXIA, Atlanta; WTSP, Tampa-St. Petersburg; KARE, Minneapolis; WKYC, Cleveland; KPNX, Phoenix, KNAZ, Flagstaff and KMOH, Kingman; K*USA, Denver; KXTV, Sacramento; KSDK, St. Louis; WZZM, Grand Rapids, MI; WGRZ, Buffalo, NY; WFMY, Greensboro, NC; WTLV and WJXX, Jacksonville, FL; KTHV, Little Rock; WBIR, Knoxville, TN; WCSH, Portland, ME; WLTX, Columbia, SC; and WLBZ, Bangor, ME.

In addition to its television operations, Gannett Co., Inc. (NYSE: GCI) publishes 102 daily newspapers in the USA, including USA TODAY, the nation’s largest-selling daily newspaper. The company also owns more than 800 non-daily publications in the USA and USA WEEKEND, a weekly newspaper magazine. Gannett subsidiary Newsquest is the United Kingdom’s second largest regional newspaper company. Newsquest publishes more than 300 titles, including 17 daily newspapers, and a network of prize-winning Web sites. Gannett is an Internet leader with sites sponsored by its TV stations and newspapers including USATODAY.com, one of the most popular news sites on the web.

For media inquiries, contact:
Tara Connell
Vice President of Corporate Communications
(703) 854-6049
tjconnel@gannett.com