Cristina Schwarz to Step Down as President and General Manager of Telemundo 47 New York / WNJU at the End of the Year

Cristina Schwarz, President and General Manager of Telemundo 47 New York / WNJU, has decided to step down from her position at the end of this year. Valari Staab, Chairman of NBCU Local, shared that Eric Lerner, President and General Manager of NBC 4 New York / WNBC, will expand his role to include leadership of Telemundo 47 (WNJU).

Schwarz has had a remarkable tenure at WNJU, a leading station in both market and industry performance. Lerner has been a station leader for nearly 25 years, including more than 10 at WNBC, and previously oversaw an NBC/Telemundo duopoly in the Philadelphia market, where he helped launch a company-owned Telemundo station. Both worked closely together to bring the two stations into their new state-of-the-art facilities at 30 Rockefeller Plaza earlier this year.

“After nearly 12 years leading WNJU, and a distinguished 40-plus-year career as a media executive, Cristina is ready to focus more of her time on her friends and family, and pursue her passion for travel. Moving forward, she plans to stay involved in the industry and continue her longstanding service to the community,” Staab said in a memo to staff.

Staab added that Schwarz’s impact on Telemundo 47 has been immense. “Through major expansion and innovation across content and platforms, consistent ratings and revenue milestones, and the recent relocation, her tenure with WNJU has been transformative. She has also been a great colleague, fearless leader, and fierce advocate for Spanish-language media, the station, its people, and the communities they serve.”

Staab continued that Lerner will carry on the excellence Telemundo 47 has achieved under Cristina, while continuing to guide WNBC’s success. “Thanks to Cristina and Eric’s years-long efforts and collaboration, WNBC and WNJU have come together as a high-performing bilingual, multiplatform operation in their state-of-the-art new facility,” she said.

Eric Lerner, President and General Manager of NBC 4 New York / WNBC, will expand his role to include leadership of Telemundo 47

Lerner brings previous experience overseeing a major-market duopoly. Before joining WNBC more than 10 years ago, he led the NBC- and Telemundo-owned stations in Philadelphia after overseeing the launch of Telemundo62 in 2013.

12 YEARS AT TELEMUNDO 47 NEW YORK

“After a break, I will explore what’s next. I have always loved to work and stay active, and I am excited for the future. I know that part of my time will be spent helping our community, as I have done throughout my career, in addition to traveling the world and learning more about other countries and people,” Schwarz said in a letter to employees.

She shared that in February 2014 she returned to Telemundo, “a full-circle moment in a career that began even before Telemundo existed. My journey started when John Blair & Company acquired WKAQ (now Telemundo Puerto Rico) and launched WSCV (now Telemundo 51 in Miami), where I was hired to lead national sales out of New York City.”

BlairSpan was later formed with the acquisition of KVEA (now Telemundo 52 Los Angeles), and NetSpan emerged with WNJU (now Telemundo 47) as its anchor, under the visionary leadership of Carlos Barba and the ownership of Jerry Perenchio.

Through a series of mergers, acquisitions, and evolving ownership, these stations laid the groundwork for what would become the Telemundo Station Group and, eventually, the Telemundo Network.

“When I returned to Telemundo as President and General Manager of Telemundo 47, WNJU, I saw an incredible opportunity to drive transformation and lead meaningful change. I am deeply proud of everything we accomplished together. None of it would have been possible without the unwavering support of Valari Staab and her leadership team, the Telemundo Station Group, the Telemundo Network, and most importantly, the dedicated employees of Telemundo 47,” she said.

She added that among many proud milestones, the one that stands out most is the successful co-location and collaboration with our sister station WNBC at 30 Rockefeller Center. “This five-year project culminated in a state-of-the-art duopoly facility that has positioned both stations to thrive across platforms in the largest media market in the country. Eric and I have worked closely with a shared vision: to unite our stations and build a bilingual, bicultural, multiplatform powerhouse.”

She concluded by saying that “the future is bright. With a strong duopoly strategy, a talented team, and steadfast support from Cesar Conde, Valari Staab, and our leadership team, I am confident that Telemundo 47 and WNBC will continue to grow and innovate in this dynamic media landscape. With the additional support and guidance from Jose Cancela and Ozzie Martinez, Telemundo 47 will be front and center and at the table in all major decision-making moments.”