Growing up in East Texas near Angelina National Forest, NBCUniversal Local Chairman Valari Staab spent more time rehabilitating deer, woodpeckers and flying squirrels than thinking about journalism.
“I literally grew up without much television at all,” said Staab, who now leads 50 local, regional and national television properties, including 11 NBC- and 31 Telemundo-owned stations. “We had a scrawny antenna and when a thunderstorm came in, people would run and say, ‘We have a channel!’”
The animal lover wanted to go to college to be a veterinarian but shifted her plans when she signed up for a journalism class. The professor ended up being the general manager of a local television station, swaying her further.
“He was excited about the importance of local television and what it meant to the community,” Staab said. “And he really infused me with all of that.”
Over her 40-year career, Staab has led local news stations across the U.S., helping to increase the amount of locally produced programming and expanding digital coverage with social media and streaming newscasts. Watch the video above and read the interview below to learn more about Staab’s approach to leadership in an ever-changing media landscape.
What does it mean to be in charge of 50 media outlets?
I run the division that includes all the local businesses that are part of NBCUniversal. That includes the Telemundo television stations, the NBC television stations and the regional sports networks. The largest part of my role is looking at the future — which in a rapidly changing environment gets harder and harder, especially many years out — to try to see where the industry is going and how we can best navigate it.
What role does technology play in the changing media landscape?
Technology has allowed us to create 24/7 FAST [free ad-supported streaming TV] channels, or streaming services, and the base of those FAST channels is our daylong regular newscast. And social media is how people get introduced to original content for the first time, so you really have to have a strong social strategy about how you get your message out and hopefully return people to long-form and other platforms that you’re on.
How do you define leadership?
When I talk to my managers, I always say, “When you manage, you’re managing a task. When you’re leading, you’re inspiring.” Leadership has to be a step bigger; it has to be a vision that people can see and get behind and care about.
One thing we care a lot about in the local division is that you don’t lead ego-first. It’s not about you; it’s about the business. It’s about the television station. It’s about what we’re trying to do to serve the community.
How would you describe your own leadership style?
Transparency is huge. Everybody wants to understand why they’re doing what they’re doing. I don’t care what level of an organization you are in — you want to know why it is you’re working on what you’re working on and what the ultimate goal is. In my role, I can’t always tell people exactly why we’re doing something, but I tell them as much as I can, and I tell them why I can’t tell them.
What advice would you give to other women who want to move into leadership roles?
One of the toughest things for me was not having female role models. At the time, a lot of men didn’t want women in television. They would say, “Women getting into TV has ruined the industry.” I tell women to try and be patient with people when they say things that are hurtful, to try to take a breath and figure out a way to open up their mind as opposed to attacking them.
