WABG-TV has parted ways with its general manager and news director, Gavin Maliska.
Maliska took the position in August of 2016 when WABG, the ABC affiliate, was bought by Cala Broadcast Partners LLC, a media organization with owners in Michigan and Los Angeles.
He made his home in Greenwood.
Becky Swan, senior vice president of television for Cala, confirmed Maliska’s departure but offered no details.
“That would be a personnel matter that we won’t discuss with anyone,” Swan said.
Maliska could not be reached for comment.
Swan said Cala will be looking for a new general manager to succeed Maliska but declined to say whether that person will also serve as news director.
Cala Broadcast Partners entered the Mississippi media market in 2015, and in 2016 purchased four Delta television stations, all based in Greenville: WABG; WNDB, the NBC affiliate; WXVT, the CBS affiliate; and WABG-DT2, the Fox affiliate.
Cala purchased two companies that owned the four stations and consolidated news operations after hiring Maliska to form The Delta News, providing four hours of broadcast news each weekday and on the web at www.deltanews.tv.
When Cala took over WABG, it replaced Vice President and General Manager Sherry Nelson and News Director Pam Chatman, both longtime employees of the station. Maliska took over both positions.
He told the Commonwealth at that time that he had worked for more than 25 years as a news director but this was his first job as general manager.
Maliska said in 2016 that he would focus initially on the details of merging operations into one Greenville facility and modernizing “operations, systems, computers, everything.”
He said that as news director he would focus on quality.
“I think we need to improve the station’s news products to better serve viewers,” Maliska told the Commonwealth in that interview.
Before coming to WABG, Maliska served as news director for stations in Missoula, Montana; Panama City, Florida; Indianapolis; and Macon, Georgia.
• Contact Kathryn Eastburn at 581-7235 or keastburn@gwcommonwealth.com.
The original version of this story incorrectly suggested that Sherry Nelson was terminated after WABG was purchased in 2016. Nelson resigned rather than accept a different role at the station.
