Cury Takes on KVUE Leadership in Austin

Tom Cury, president and general manager of KENS-TV, assumes expanded duties over TEGNA's ABC affiliate KVUE-TV in Austin.

Updated on Nov. 4, 2026 in People

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Tom Cury, President and General Manager of CBS affiliate KENS-TV, has been given expanded leadership duties over ABC affiliate KVUE-TV, succeeding Byron Wilkinson, who was recently promoted to vice president of advertising sales for TEGNA's Texas and Mid-South regions. The appointment places both TEGNA-owned Austin stations under Cury's oversight.

Why it matters

The move takes place under a federal "hold separate" order issued during ongoing antitrust litigation involving Nexstar Media Group and TEGNA, which governs how the two companies' stations must operate separately. It also comes as the FCC removed a national audience reach cap, reshaping the broadcast landscape for Austin viewers and advertisers.

The FCC erased a Congressionally mandated 39% national TV audience reach cap in an August 2-1 party-line vote, a change that affects station group consolidation. Cury has led KENS-TV for eleven years, while the broader antitrust litigation over the Nexstar and TEGNA combination remains pending.

The players

Tom Cury

Tom Cury is President and General Manager of KENS-TV and began his career in 1990 at Petry Television before joining CBS Television Stations in 1993.

TEGNA

TEGNA is a broadcast media company that owns CBS affiliate KENS-TV and ABC affiliate KVUE-TV in Austin.

Nexstar Media Group

Nexstar Media Group is a major broadcast company whose Austin stations include NBC affiliate KXAN-TV and The CW affiliate KNVA-TV.

The details

Cury's expanded duties cover news, content, sales, marketing, digital operations, and community engagement across KVUE-TV and KENS-TV. Federal judge Troy Nunley issued the hold separate order, which requires Nexstar-licensed and TEGNA-aligned stations to remain operationally distinct while litigation proceeds.

August 2026: The FCC erased the 39% national audience reach cap in a 2-1 party-line vote.
November 4, 2026: Cury's expanded KVUE leadership duties were announced.

Market Landscape

The FCC's 2-1 vote erasing the 39% national audience reach cap removes a long-standing limit on how many viewers a single broadcaster can reach. Combined with the Nexstar-TEGNA litigation, the Austin appointment reflects how station groups are restructuring local leadership under shifting ownership rules.

Austin viewers watching KVUE-TV and KENS-TV will see a single leadership team overseeing both stations' news and sales operations. Advertisers buying time across the two TEGNA stations may deal with one executive chain for coordinated decisions.

The takeaway

Local leadership at major broadcast stations is increasingly shaped by federal ownership rules and litigation, so Austin viewers and advertisers should watch how the hold separate order plays out. Station management changes often signal shifts in how news and advertising are coordinated across a market.