Jeff Schlesser

Jeff Schlesser is News Director at WWSB-TV, Gray Media’s ABC Affiliate serving Manatee and Sarasota Counties. Jeff is proud to call Manatee County home and has enjoyed developing a team of journalists committed to covering the southern portion of the Tampa Bay Media Market.

Jeff transferred to WWSB in September 2020, and remains committed to growing the ABC7, First Alert Weather and My Suncoast.com brands across all broadcast, digital and social platforms. Jeff and his team have worked behind the scenes, to build structure that supports the 54 hours a week of locally produced programming.

While at the station, Jeff’s worked with the team to update the station’s look, reporting and producing style, adding an hourlong ABC7 News at 10AM and half hour ABC7 News at 3:30PM, relaunching ABC7 Sports and evolving the ABC7 Frist Alert Traffic brand. The newsroom is now focused on breaking stories on the station’s website, using tools like the ABC7 Newsroom Live Desk to connect with viewers in new, innovative ways.

Prior to transferring to Florida’s Suncoast, Jeff served as News Director at WCTV-TV, Gray Media’s powerhouse CBS Affiliate based in Tallahassee. During his five-year term, Jeff helped maintain the station’s dominance in the market, while growing on-air and online products. Under Jeff’s direction, WCTV’s News Department added an additional hour of news and launched a new newsroom, a new studio, set, and graphics.

While at WCTV, Jeff’s team earned two NAB Leadership Foundation Service to America Awards, and the operation was twice named Station of the Year by the Florida Association of Broadcast Journalists (formerly the FL Associate Press Awards).

Jeff grew up in the Chicago Suburbs and has worked in multiple markets in Wisconsin as a Reporter and Producer. Jeff spent several years in Special Projects with the FOX O&O group in Milwaukee WI, and Tampa, FL. He is a graduate of Marquette University in Milwaukee, WI.