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For more than 30 years, John Kiesewetter has been the source for information about all things in local media — comings and goings, local people appearing on the big or small screen, special programs, and much more. Contact John at johnkiese@yahoo.com.

Dayton Native Branden Frantz To Run WLWT

WLWT-TV

Branden Frantz, former general sales manager at WXIX-TV (Channel 19), will succeed Richard Dyer as WLWT-TV president and general manager Jan. 1.

Frantz comes to Channel 5 from sister Hearst Television station WESH-TV in Orland-Daytona, Fla. He was general sales manager for the NBC affiliate.

A Dayton native, Frantz has spent most of his career in Ohio. After graduating from the University of Toledo, he started as an account executive at WUPW-TV in Toledo, and later moved to Toledo's WNWO-TV as a regional-national sales executive. After working at Pittsburgh's WPGH-TV/WCWB-TV, he returned to Ohio as director of sales at Dayton's WKEF-TV/WRGT-TV.

Then he spent five years as general sales manager for Channel 19 -- and the station’s multicast, digital and mobile properties – commuting to Fox 19 from his Springboro home. In 2013, he left Channel 19 for Orlando.

He's a graduate of Milton-Union High School in West Milton, northwest of Dayton.

Dyer, general manager since 2002, last week was named president and general manager at WUSA-TV  in Washington, D.C., his home town.

John Kiesewetter, who has covered television and media for more than 35 years, has been working for Cincinnati Public Radio and WVXU-FM since 2015.