Clark to leave WRAL.com for UNC post

John Clark, general manager of WRAL.com, announced Thursday his decision to leave Capitol Broadcasting Company to join the faculty at the School of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Clark, who started at CBC as an intern, was instrumental in establishing WRAL.com as one of the most successful local news websites in the nation. Under his leadership, WRAL.com served more than 1 billion page views in 2010 and won the Edward R. Murrow Award for best broadcast-affiliated website, the Editor & Publisher award for best local TV-affiliated website and a regional Emmy for continuing coverage.

Clark leaves CBC to be executive producer for the Reese Felts Digital Project. The project, funded by a $4.1 million estate gift by UNC alumnus Reese Felts, uses student research and experimentation to test new models for news, advertising and marketing. 

Clark said he is excited about the new venture. "As the Web matures and the mobile world explodes, students in the digital newsroom will develop theories and test them in a practical, real-world environment – and report the findings back to the industry."

"He knows where technology is taking us, and his students are going to shape the future of the mobile news platform," said Jean Folkerts, dean of the UNC journalism school.

Clark's boss at CBC New Media Group, Vice President and General Manager Jimmy Goodmon, said, "There is not a better person than John to bring a real-world digital newsroom experience to the students of today and our colleagues of tomorrow. UNC and its students will be well served by his experience, his knowledge, his kindness and his passion for helping others grow and learn."