Dennis Leonard will step down as head of two Denver TV stations. to return to his home and family in Birmingham, Ala.
He said Wednesday he plans to “take some time off and get my life back in balance…I’m not really good without my family.”
Leonard served as general manager of Fox affiliate KDVR and CW affiliate KWGN since September 2008. A statement from corporate owner Local TV LLC praised his work.
Despite a string of hits on the Fox network, KDVR-Channel 31 has not done as well as some Fox affiliates during Leonard’s 17 months on the job. The ratings of Channel 2, refashioned as “The Deuce,” have been disappointing.
In his time in Denver, the Local TV LLC executive oversaw the merging of KDVR-Channel 31 and KWGN-Channel 2 and tried a less serious approach to TV news. He had the unpleasant task of downsizing staffs and implementing furloughs, and put four simultaneous hours of news on the air each morning.
He withstood criticism for allowing two female anchors to pose in racy costumes in a local magazine, implemented a deal with McDonald’s for product placements within newscasts, and put a former newsman, Tom Martino, on in a paid program for consumers.
Pam Taylor, president of the Kentucky-based Local TV, said she learned of Dennis’ decision last week. She and the company’s CEO Bobby Lawrence flew to Denver to talk to him. “This was his decision,” she said.
“We support Dennis in his decision and we certainly support Denver, one of our most important markets,” she said.
Local TV’s senior VP for operations, Lynda King will be the interim general manager of the Denver stations until a successor is named.
Taylor steered away from discussion of KDVR’s ratings. “Between the economy, the introduction of local people meters in the market, technical issues and the high-definition conversion, I’m not sure I can make any sense out of the ratings.”
Station staffers noted that the corporate executives have been spending a great deal of time in the Denver market, prompting expectations that change was imminent.
Joanne Ostrow: 303-954-1830 or jostrow@denverpost.com
