Josh Gorbutt

About Josh Gorbutt

For the past decade-plus, I\'ve run one of Texas\'s most-recognized news operations: a 50-person team with a publishing infrastructure reaching audiences across broadcast, digital, and connected television. My background spans brand strategy, executive leadership, crisis communications, and multi-platform content — with a consistent through line of building teams and systems that outperform their size and market.I\'ve led complete organizational rebrands, grown platforms by more than 50% over the last five years, and built the editorial and operational frameworks that earned national recognition — including a National Edward R. Murrow Award for digital coverage and more than a dozen regional Murrow Awards across every category of excellence.In 2024, I was selected as a RIAS Berlin Commission Fellow — a competitive program placing senior communications professionals in an immersive international exchange on media, policy, and public affairs. The experience deepened my ability to operate across cultures, communicate across borders, and understand how institutions build trust with complex, global audiences.Beyond the newsroom, I\'ve led at the community level as executive board chair of the Community Foundation of the Brazos Valley, overseeing a multimillion-dollar endowment, and as a multi-year chair of Leadership Brazos, developing the next generation of organizational leaders in our region.

Experience

1. News Director

   Kbtx Media

   Jul 2015 — Present · Bryan/College Station, TX, US

   Led editorial operations and strategic communications for nationally-recognized newsroom, overseeing ~50 professionals and a multimillion-dollar annual budget across broadcast, digital, and connected television-Architected and executed annual strategic plans, driving 50%+ programming growth over five years and sustaining double-digit digital audience expansion, including exponential growth on connected TV platforms-Directed brand governance, editorial standards, and organizational voice — maintaining consistency, credibility, and audience trust at scale across all platforms and formats-Orchestrated high-stakes live communications, including breaking news events, political debates, investigative accountability projects, large-scale fundraising telethons, and community special events-Built and maintained crisis communications frameworks enabling real-time, coordinated response to emergencies, organizational incidents, and community-impact events-Developed and enforced ethical storytelling standards and best practices across a diverse team — translating brand values into daily editorial decisions at every level-Recognized with a National Edward R. Murrow Award (2023), 12+ Regional Murrow Awards, and the inaugural TAB Jason Hightower Award for Broadcast Excellence (2021)

Education

• The Carole Kneeland Project for Responsible Journalism

  Spring Fellow

  2020 — 2020

• Sam Houston State University

  Bachelor of Arts (B.A.), Mass Communication- Public Relations