UNIVERSAL CITY, Calif.—NBC4 / KNBC and Telemundo 52 / KVEA today announced new leadership for the stations' news operation, with Marina Perelman being promoted to vice president of news for NBC4 and Miguel “Mike” Gaytán named vice president of news for Telemundo 52.
Perelman will immediately step into the new role; Gaytán’s first day at KVEA will be June 5. Both will report to Todd Mokhtari, president and general manager of Telemundo 52 and NBC4.
In their new roles, Perelman and Gaytán will be responsible for leading the respective stations news operations and will collaborate to lead the production of special news coverage and reporting to bring to light topics that reflect and impact our diverse Southern California communities, the stations reported.
“As local news stations, it is our responsibility to maintain the trust of our audiences, to reflect their stories and provide them with the most complete information to help them navigate their day-to-day lives here in Southern California,” said Todd Mokhtari, president & general manager of Telemundo 52 and NBC4. “Both Marina and Mike are excellent news leaders who share a commitment to serve. I am confident they will help grow our talented news teams and solidify our position in the Los Angeles market.”
Perelman, born in Armenia and raised in Southern California, has more than 25 years of experience in broadcast journalism. Most recently, she served as assistant news director for KNBC, a position she's held since 2019. She helped navigate the KNBC newsroom through one of the most difficult and consequential periods that included reporting on the pandemic, the racial justice movement and the 2020 election.
At KNBC, she’s also held other news leadership roles including managing editor and executive producer for the station’s 11 p.m. newscast. As executive producer for the station’s late news, a role she held for four years, she helped increase the newscast’s ratings year-over-year. Perelman’s tenure at NBCUniversal Local began in 2005 as the producer of NBC Bay Area’s 11 p.m. newscast and was later promoted to senior executive producer. She launched her career in local news at KESQ Channel 3 in Palm Springs, California as the producer for the station’s local newscasts. In 2003, she transitioned to ABC15 News in Phoenix, Arizona as the producer for the local 10 p.m. newscast. Perelman earned a bachelor’s degree from USC’s Annenberg School of Communication and Journalism and was one of the founders of the student-run campus news station Annenberg TV News (ATVN).
“Marina is a thoughtful leader and journalist with vast experience in local news,” said Mokhtari. “She is driven by the principle that local news is a critical community service and our responsibility as journalists to report and share stories that reflect the experiences of the communities we serve.”
“Mike is an innovative and collaborative news leader who is committed to pushing boundaries to deliver the best news and most complete product to our audiences,” said Mokhtari. “He has deep understanding of the needs and complexity of issues impacting our diverse Latino communities and will guide and inspire our talented KVEA news team to continue to deliver the exceptional journalism our viewers expect and deserve.”
Gaytán, of Mexican descent and raised in Laredo, Texas, has more than two decades of local news experience serving Spanish-speaking audiences. Most recently, Gaytán served as the vice president of news for Telemundo 20 / KUAN in San Diego where he led news specials and launched “Telemundo 20 Investiga” the station’s first consumer investigative unit. Under his leadership, Telemundo 20 was recognized with numerous 2023 Golden Mike Awards, including Best News Broadcast and Best Weekend Newscast.
Before this, Gaytán worked at Telemundo Arizona for five years and held newsroom leadership roles including vice president of news and news director, with direct responsibility and oversight of local news operations for Phoenix and Tucson. Gaytán launched his career in local news at Entravision’s KLDO-TV in Laredo, Texas where he served as news director for four years before joining Univision News Group in 2005. During his tenure at Univision, Gaytán held various positions including assignment editor and executive producer of News for Univision 41 / KWEX in San Antonio and news director for Univision 61 / KAKW in Austin, Texas, a position he held for two years. A National Association of Hispanic Journalists member, Gaytán is a past NAHJ Regional Director for Region 7.
