Bob Ramsey, who helped Chicago-based Weigel Broadcasting expand its brand across multiple channels and headed all broadcast operations in Chicago, Milwaukee and South Bend, is stepping down as executive vice president of local media.

Ramsey, 57, said Friday he expects to shift into a consultancy role with the company after assisting in the hiring of his replacement. Starting later this year he plans to spend more time in Palm Springs, California, where he has owned a home for eight years.

Bob Ramsey

"I’m not walking out the door and leaving the [next] person to transition themselves,” Ramsey said. “I'll still be tied to the company, so I’m invested in that person’s success, too. I’m going to spend the time with them to show them where everything is and how we do things.”

The veteran television executive previously worked as station manager of Tribune Media WGN-Channel 9 from 1998 to 2002. He joined Weigel Broadcasting in 2011 as vice president and general manager of WCIU-Channel 26 after stints as general manager of Fox affiliates KSWB-TV in San Diego and KTXL-TV in Sacramento. In 2013 he was promoted to executive vice president of local media.

Ramsey’s hiring by Weigel Broadcasting chairman Norman Shapiro and vice chairman Neal Sabin underscored the company’s ambitions to expand its broadcast operations and develop numerous digital networks, ranging from Me-TV to the new joint venture with CBS branded as Decades. It’s also about to extend its brand into local radio for the first time.

“The fun thing about my job is I work with a bunch of teams and have my hands in a lot of different projects,” Ramsey said. “Neal comes up with the ideas, Norm comes up with the plan, and we execute it. It’s been an awful lot of fun.”