The Upstate broadcasting community is mourning the loss of longtime television executive John Humphries.
Humphries, who retired in December 2024 as president and general manager of WYFF 4, passed away Monday, May 11, 2026. He spent 19 years with Hearst Television, leading both WYFF in Greenville and WGAL in Pennsylvania during his career. Colleagues remembered him as a mentor, leader, and friend who led with empathy and a commitment to excellence.
Humphries also served in leadership roles with the South Carolina Broadcasters Association, United Way of Greenville County, and several civic organizations. Earlier this year, he was inducted into the South Carolina Broadcasters Association Hall of Fame.
John Humphries is survived by his wife, three daughters, and granddaughter.
Official press release from WYFF 4:
Greenville, SC—John Humphries, who most recently served as WYFF 4 President and General Manager before retiring in December 2024, passed away Monday.
“Words cannot express the shock and sadness our WYFF 4 family is experiencing with John's sudden passing,” said Blake Bridges, president and general manager of WYFF 4. “He was so much more than a boss, a mentor, and leader to us. John was our friend, our cheerleader, our biggest fan. He led by example, with courage, empathy, and an unrelenting commitment to excellence. He was truly one of a kind. We are grateful for the privilege and blessing to have known and loved him. Rest in peace, John."
John worked for Hearst Television for 19 years. Prior to taking the reins at WYFF 4 in 2016, he served for four years as president and general manager of WGAL-TV, Hearst Television’s NBC affiliate serving the Lancaster-Harrisburg-Lebanon-York, Pennsylvania, television market. His 2016 appointment as president and general manager marked a return to WYFF 4 for Humphries, where he served for six years as general sales manager prior to moving to WGAL.
Before joining Hearst Television in 2006 at WYFF 4, Humphries was director of sales for WBTV in Charlotte, NC and held the same position at WSPA-TV/WASV-TV in the Greenville-Spartanburg market. He began his career at Charlotte’s WSOC-TV, initially as a production specialist and later as a sports reporter and anchor, before moving to sales positions there. He held a bachelor’s degree in Speech from Appalachian State University, in Boone, NC, for which he served on the Alumni Council, and was a graduate of Hearst's executive development program, the Hearst Management Institute.
Among Humphries' industry associations, he was a past president of the board of the South Carolina Broadcasters Association and the SCBA Educational Foundation. He also served on the Television Bureau of Advertising (TVB) Sales Advisory Committee. Among his civic and charitable associations, he served on the board for United Way of Greenville County, the Greenville Chamber of Commerce, the South Carolina Chapter of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation and the Urban League of the Upstate. He was recognized by The Riley Institute at Furman University as a Riley Institute Diversity Fellow.
John was most recently inducted into the South Carolina Broadcasters Association (SCBA) Hall of Fame.
He is survived by his wife, three daughters and his granddaughter.
