John L. Humphries is retiring as the head of Hearst Television’s Upstate South Carolina television station that also serves storm-battered Western North Carolina.

His successor has been selected, and it involves a promotion.

Blake Bridges has been named President and General Manager of WYFF-4, the NBC affiliate.

He takes the role effective November 18.
Bridges has served at the station for 17 years, the last dozen of which as general sales manager.

“Blake has distinguished himself as one of our best and brightest leaders in our sales organization for more than a decade,” said Michael J. Hayes, Hearst Television’s President. “He’s spent much of his career in the Greenville-Spartanburg-Anderson-Asheville market, knows it well and is the ideal candidate to succeed John. He will build upon the station’s hallmarks of outstanding journalism and community service with the exceptional team at WYFF 4.”

Bridges began his television career in 1997 as an account executive at Asheville start-up WASV-TV, and was promoted the following year to WSPA-TV, the CBS affiliate in the DMA. Four years later, he moved to WXIA-11 in Atlanta, also as an account executive, before returning to the Upstate and WYFF in 2007 as national sales manager. He served next as local sales manager, eventually assuming his current duties in 2012.

Under his sales leadership, WYFF-4 has earned four Hearst Tower Awards, the highest sales award given by Hearst Television.

Since 2013, Bridges has served on the board of Music Mission Kiev, a Kyiv, Ukraine-based ministry serving widows, orphans and others impacted by the war in Ukraine.