A Treasure Valley leader who has made innumerable contributions to strengthen our communities announced his retirement Wednesday, and this time it hits very close to home.
KTVB’s President and General Manager, Doug Armstrong, will retire after over two decades at the helm next March. His steadfast commitment to the mission statement of KTVB to set the gold standard and make our communities stronger is evident in everything he's established and helped flourish at Idaho's Newschannel 7.
“I want to thank Doug for his dedication, leadership, professionalism and friendship," Mark Cornetta, executive vice president of TEGNA Media, said. "We will miss Doug’s strong passion but wish him the very best in this next chapter of his life.”
Doug Armstrong is one of only two people to lead KTVB in 50 years, taking the reins from Robert E. Kruger in 1996. It was a seamless transition as he continued to uphold the high standards for news and public service long established at Idaho’s Newschannel 7.
Quickly, Armstrong put his stamp on the community by spearheading big campaigns like Enough-Is-Enough, the largest local media-based drug prevention effort in the country. To keep the message strong, Armstrong was founder of the non-profit Drug Free Idaho still hard at work today.
The list of community outreach efforts that he spearheaded and supported is long: March for Families, Rachel’s Challenge, a multiyear effort to build safer school environments by promoting acts of kindness, St. Jude Children’s Hospital Dream Home Giveaway which has raised over 9 million dollars for child cancer research.
Armstrong is the founder and chief vision officer for the 7Cares Idaho Shares effort that for nine years has fueled a huge injection of contributions to provide for those in need in our community: 4.7 million meals raised so far and now considered an indispensable part of celebrating the holidays in Idaho.
In 2014, Armstrong was named National Television General Manager of the Year by Broadcasting and Cable Magazine.
Armstrong’s ability to form strong partnerships is also legendary. For 13 years he has crafted agreements with BSU keeping KTVB the official station for Bronco Nation. Partnering with the Race for the Cure energized that event and keeps the awareness and support for curing breast cancer at the forefront of issues our community tackles.
From a business perspective, Armstrong has guided KTVB through times of tremendous change, keeping the station’s television news viewership a dominant No. 1 while building the social media and desktop and mobile business side also unrivaled in Idaho.
Doug Armstrong will retire as President and General Manager of KTVB in early 2018.