Jacques Natz is Director of Digital Media Content for Hearst Television Inc.
Natz oversees news, weather, content and brand development for Hearst’s various digital media businesses, including the company’s more than two dozen local web and mobile sites, and its digital content partnerships with Yahoo, Youtube, MSN, MSNBC and CNN.
Natz works closely with the 29 Hearst TV stations and digital partner Internet Broadcasting to expand local content on the Company’s web sites. 

Digital content development for Hearst has centered on innovating impactful ways for stations and their television journalists to gather and tell stories so they can capitalize on multi-platform content development. 
That innovation includes the surfacing of digital concepts that increase audience and revenue for web, mobile, video syndication and station social networking efforts.
Many concepts have been launched with a heavy emphasis on progressive newsgathering and user interactivity and engagement as guiding principles. Some of those include the introduction of Web 2.0 tools such as “U Local”, Hearst Television’s vibrant user generated content brand, development of interactive radar, constant iterative site development aimed at improving user interface, and oversight of topical content initiatives and breaking news.
Other initiatives have included unique interactive elements for presidential debates with CNN and WMUR-TV, the launch of various content and marketing efforts on Youtube, Yahoo and Facebook, development of cutting-edge digital weather products and local high school sports content along with crafting soon-to-be-announced content initiatives for Hearst Television, Inc.

Natz came to Hearst as an award winning veteran news director at some of the nation’s top television stations.  He previously was News Director at WTHR-TV, the NBC affiliate in Indianapolis, KOMO-TV, the ABC affiliate in Seattle and WHDH, the NBC affiliate in Boston. 

His awards include a 2006 Peabody award for investigative journalism, a 1999 Columbia Dupont Award for investigative journalism, and countless national and regional Edward R. Murrow and NATAS regional Emmy awards. 

During his decade at WTHR, Natz oversaw the news department’s climb to a consistently rated #1 news operation, earning six national Edward R. Murrow awards and a National Headliner Grand Award for documentary work.  He managed the team that provided coverage of numerous major Indiana news stories, including the Colts’ run at the Super Bowl, the Pacers’ bid for the NBA championship, plus nationally acclaimed investigative efforts including the DuPont-Columbia silver baton recipient “Who’s Guarding the Guardians” and a 2006 George Foster Peabody Award for excellence in investigative news.

Natz also developed and evolved the newsgathering partnership between WTHR and The Indianapolis Star, one of the first such arrangements in the country.  Additional initiatives included the launch of WTHR.com and Skytrak Weather Network, a 24/7 local weather channel, which helped position WTHR and WTHR.com as market leaders.

Natz’ career began as a news producer for WDIV-TV in Detroit.  He held various producing positions at KXTV in Sacramento and in Boston, where he became executive producer at CBS’s WBZ-TV.
In 1984 he became assistant news director at WMAQ-TV in Chicago.  In 1986, he moved to WHDH-TV in Boston where he eventually became Vice President of News.  He joined WTHR from KOMO-TV in Seattle, where he was news director from 1992 to 1996.  He is an alumnus of the University of Missouri, School of Journalism.