WDIV-Local 4/ClickOnDetroit names Dustin Block digital executive producer

DETROIT, April 20, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- WDIV-Local 4/ClickOnDetroit has today announced the appointments of Dustin Block to the newly created role of digital executive producer and David Bartkowiak to managing editor of ClickOnDetroit.

In this role Block will work across WDIV-Local 4/ClickOnDetroit editorial, marketing, social media and commercial teams, helping them to grow audiences and revenues by developing new digital platforms that deepen user and viewer engagement and provide new opportunities to commercial partners. His first day is April 25.

Block brings 18 years of multimedia journalism experience to the station. He joins WDIV from MLive where he was the expansion market editor for the Detroit and Lansing markets and then was promoted to statewide life and culture editor. Prior to arriving in Detroit, Block was the regional editor for the seven Milwaukee area Patch.com sites and the founder of the hyper-local news website, RacinePost.com.

Marla Drutz, vice-president and general manager said, "With Dustin's extensive experience and knowledge of digital we are thrilled to be welcoming him to WDIV and Graham Media Group.  He is the ideal candidate at a time when we are extremely focused on growing our business through digital expansion."

"It's exciting to join a media organization that is such a huge part of the history and future of Detroit. This is an amazing opportunity to grow and shape powerful digital experiences for viewers and users," said Block. 

Bartkowiak moves into the managing editor position after five years as an online news editor/web producer for ClickOnDetroit. A graduate of Michigan State University, Bartkowiak is currently a Master of Science candidate for Information Architecture and User Experience design at Kent State University.

"We have made great strides in the digital space and Dave has been an integral part of that.  He has a true commitment and passion to making ClickonDetroit.com the best news and information website for our users.  I am thrilled with Dave's promotion and looking forward to what he does next," said News Director Kim Voet.   

As managing editor, he will be responsible for overseeing and integrating news and editorial content across all of WDIV's digital platforms, and helping chart long-term digital strategy for the organization. He will start his new position immediately.

"We have a long history of being content creators and the digital landscape gives us so much opportunity to tell compelling stories of Detroit and beyond in both broad and niche ways while uncovering new sources of revenue," continued Drutz.

Block lives in Grosse Pointe Woods with his wife and children while Bartkowiak and his wife are Livonia residents.

*Photos available upon request

About Local 4
Local 4 News is currently the #1 newscast at 4 p.m., 5 p.m., 6 p.m., and 11 p.m. in Nielsen ratings for the Detroit television market. WDIV is the #1 NBC affiliate in the top 15 LPM markets. In addition, Local 4's ClickOnDetroit.com is a leading breaking news and weather website in Michigan and metro Detroit's #1 TV media website.

About Graham Media Group
Graham Media Group (www.GrahamMedia.com), a subsidiary of Graham Holdings Company (NYSE: GHC), owns five local TV stations—each in a top-50 market and all recognized as news leaders—reaching 6.3% of U.S. television households: KPRC–Houston and WDIV–Detroit  (NBC);  KSAT–San Antonio (ABC); WKMG–Orlando (CBS); and WJXT–Jacksonville (independent). The stations also broadcast digital channels focused on classic television and operate market-leading websites, mobile sites and mobile apps that deliver breaking news, weather and community news, reaching millions of users across each platform. Graham Media Group owns SocialNewsDesk, a leading provider of social media software solutions used in more than 600 newsrooms worldwide.

SOURCE WDIV-TV Local 4