David McGowan

Background

About David McGowan

David McGowan is a senior executive with more than 20 years' experience successfully leading media and digital businesses through change. His track record includes the development and leadership of pioneering digital platforms and content services in both the U.S. and Europe, and the turnaround and revitalization of mature businesses. He became President and CEO of WJCT, Inc, the public media company based in Jacksonville, FL, in January 2018. Prior to his appointment at WJCT, David spent fifteen years in senior executive roles at several private-equity owned cable and telecoms companies in Europe: As CEO of Invitel (Hungary), Managing Director of Arena/ Unity Media (Germany), and as Chief Content and Strategy Officer at Cablecom (Switzerland). His leadership has resulted in successful turnarounds and exits for investors and stakeholders. Prior to his work leading digital platforms, David held senior positions at top news organizations. He was the Executive in Charge of programs such as PBS' Washington Week while Senior Vice President of news and public affairs programming and production for WETA (Washington, DC), and served as Head of Media Development for Time Warner's Time Magazine. He has created a news channel joint-venture with the UK's largest supplier of broadcast news, ITN, and overseen the development of a statewide cable news network in Kentucky. Programs under his leadership have won every major American award in broadcasting, including Emmys, Peabody Awards, and the Du-Pont-Columbia Journalism Award. He has served on the boards of several companies and non-profits, including as director of Yonder, a Vermont-based app publisher (sold to Active Interest Media in 2015), and he was the founder and Chairman of the Woodstock Digital Media Festival, an annual event devoted to digital media in the public interest, from 2011-2016.