Dropping out of the TV business — and working with people at the West Clermont School District who weren’t 24/7 news junkies — will give Becky Gulden a different perspective to her new job as WKRC-TV’s news director.
“I truly believe the time away will help me be a better news director and journalist,” says Gulden, who worked 11 years for Sinclair, mostly in Dayton, including four as news director for Dayton’s WKEF-TV (Channel 22) and WRGT-TV (Channel 45).
“I wasn't watching (TV news) through the eyes of a news manager but as someone consuming the news the way audiences do ... I spent the past year and a half surrounded by people who weren't consumed by daily news and that was incredibly insightful. It gave me a clearer sense of which stories really resonated with everyday viewers and what information they actually wanted,” she says.
“It also reinforced just how critical digital and social media are as ways people engage with and trust news today. Additionally, I gained a much better understanding of how local government and public institutions work from the inside, which I believe will lead to more informed and impactful coverage.”
Gulden worked slightly more than a year at Sinclair’s Columbus stations (ABC’s WSYX-TV, Fox’s WTTE-TV and CW’s WWHO-TV) before moving to Dayton in 2015 to become a news executive producer. She was promoted to assistant news director in 2018, and news director in 2020.
The 2005 Bowling Green State University graduate voluntarily left the station — and the TV business — in September 2024, three months after her “Dayton 24/7” news team won a prestigious national Edward R. Murrow Award from the Radio Television Digital News Association for its true crime podcasts. She also won six regional Murrow Awards and two Emmy Awards.
“My contract was up, and after nearly a decade at the station, I felt it was the right moment to explore something new. I was proud of the work we did there and I was incredibly fortunate to work alongside many talented journalists. Stepping away gave me the chance to grow professionally in other ways, but I missed the collaboration and energy of a newsroom,” she says.
While working for the school district headquartered not far from the Eastgate shopping area she kept up on Sinclair events, including the departure of WKRC-TV news director Tim Geraghty in September after 10 years for KSDK-TV in St. Louis.
“When this opportunity came up, I jumped at it because leading WKRC's newsroom has been a longtime goal of mine. WKRC has a powerful legacy in this market and a deep connection to the community and the chance to help guide that newsroom forward while building on its history and strengths is an exciting challenge,” she says.
Franco Gentile, Channel 12 vice president and general manager, said Gulden “brings a strong track record of leadership, newsroom innovation, and a deep commitment to local journalism.”
It should be noted that Gulden has experience running a TV newsroom which produced newscasts for two stations (Channels 22 and Channel 45). That would be valuable if Sinclair succeeds in its efforts to purchase Cincinnati's E.W. Scripps Company, which owns WCPO-TV (Channel 9).
Gulden grew up in Tipp City, about 15 miles north of Dayton. During her senior year in college she was an associate producer at Toledo’s WUPW-TV. She produced newscasts for WVLT-TV in Knoxville and WBTV-TV in Charlotte, North Carolina, before joining Sinclair’s Columbus station. She also taught reporting, newswriting and producing at the Carolina School for Broadcasting in Charlotte for more than four years.
Gulden starts Jan. 12. Three days later the station will welcome Tony Dokoupil, the new CBS Evening News anchor, who will broadcast from Greater Cincinnati on Jan. 15.
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