• by David Goetzl  @dgoetzl, February 1, 2007

The industry trade group representing local broadcasters has tapped Paul Karpowicz, president of Meredith Broadcasting, as chairman. Karpowicz will serve a two-year term as head of the Television Bureau of Advertising's board of directors.

Karpowicz, who heads Meredith's group of 14 stations, including CBS affiliates in Atlanta and Phoenix, takes over from Alan Frank, president-CEO of Post-Newsweek Stations.

His appointment coincides with a cloudy future for stations as they face declining ad revenues. Bread-and-butter local news broadcasts are challenged by the Internet; at the same time, retransmission consent deals could usher in new revenue streams.

"[Karpowicz] brings to the table his 30 years of experience in the broadcasting business--we expect he will be a significant force in guiding TVB through one of the most transformative times in the industry's history," said Chris Rohrs, TVB president.

Karpowicz has also held top posts at Lin Broadcasting as the group nearly doubled its portfolio, and as general manager of stations in Providence and Indianapolis.