NBC Bay Area Expands Investigative Reporting Capabilities

SAN JOSE, Calif., Nov. 11, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- NBC Bay Area today announced that it has added two investigative reporters to the station's news staff, significantly increasing the station's investigative reporting capabilities in advance of launching a new unit early next year.

Bay Area native Tony Kovaleski joins NBC Bay Area to lead the station's investigative team after working at television stations in Phoenix, Houston and Denver.  While in Denver, Kovaleski exposed problems with emergency services at Denver's airport and uncovered inappropriate gifts given to government appointees.  Kovaleski's reports resulted in significant changes in airport operations and in tighter regulations governing gifts and travel.  As the winner of the prestigious Alfred I. DuPont-Columbia award in 2010, the national Edward R. Murrow Award for Investigative Journalism, the Sigma Delta Chi award, the National Headliner award and more than 26 Emmy Awards including this year's Emmy for Investigative Journalism, he is considered one of the country's premiere investigative reporters.  Kovaleski is a graduate of San Jose State University with a degree in Journalism.

Investigative reporter Jenna Susko comes to NBC Bay Area after working at television stations in the southeastern United States.  She has built a reputation for quality investigative reporting with stories about poor oversight of FEMA funds across the Gulf Coast, mismanagement in a court system allowing criminals to easily get cases dismissed and security flaws at a local school system.  Susko has a degree from Florida State University in Communications and English Literature.

"As we increase our investment in high-quality local journalism, we are very pleased to welcome these two investigative journalists to the Bay Area and into our newsroom," said Richard Cerussi, President and General Manager of NBC Bay Area.  "Tony and Jenna are the first of many new team members who will allow us to bring Bay Area viewers more of the kind of in-depth investigations that result in positive change."

About NBC Owned Television Stations

NBC Owned Television Stations is the division of NBCUniversal that includes 10 local television stations and their digital channels and websites, as well as a group of out-of-home properties and a production company.  The 10 stations produce and deliver compelling and unique local news, information and entertainment programming to viewers in the communities they serve, which include New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Philadelphia, San Francisco Bay Area, Dallas-Fort Worth, Washington, D.C., Miami, San Diego and Connecticut, with a goal of connecting to their audiences anytime and anywhere.

SOURCE NBC Bay Area