Matt Piacente named Fox 32 news director

Matt Piacente

Matt Piacente

Matt Piacente, a former executive producer at NBC-owned WMAQ-Channel 5, is coming home to Chicago to become news director of Fox-owned WFLD-Channel 32.

Piacente, who most recently has been vice president of news at WVIT, the NBC-owned station in Hartford, Connecticut, will succeed Tom Doerr, who’s stepping down for “personal family reasons” after three years at Fox 32.

A Chicago native and a graduate of the University of Missouri, Piacente, 46, held a variety of roles in his 15 years at NBC 5, including manager of news and content development and executive producer of news and special projects. He previously worked as a producer at ABC-owned WLS-Channel 7 and Tribune Media WGN-Channel 9 and CLTV.

“Working for 20 years in Chicago news has given me so many great experiences, foremost teaching me that the viewer always comes first,” Piacente said in a statement. “It’s an honor to return to my hometown with the opportunity to work for an organization which understands this and whose mission is to connect with viewers across the Chicago area.”

Piacente’s return to Chicago after two years in Connecticut brings him closer to his two children, who live with his former wife, Robin Baumgarten, morning news anchor at WGN.