Draper Media announced April 1 that Craig Jahelka, its current president, will retire effective Friday, May 1. Jahelka has spent nearly 50 years in the broadcasting industry, 18 of them with Draper Media and the Delmarva community.

Jahelka was hired by the late Thomas H. Draper, founder of Draper Holdings, in April 2008 as vice president and general manager of WBOC/FOX21. Over the course of his tenure, he earned several promotions and ultimately became the very first president of Draper Media.

Under Jahelka’s leadership, Draper Media experienced significant growth and expansion. He oversaw the launch of numerous programs and initiatives, including Proud to Serve, Outdoors Delmarva, DelmarvaLife, Good Day Delmarva, The State of Delmarva and CoastLife. He was instrumental in bringing Telemundo Delmarva to the market as its only local Spanish-language television station and in establishing the Delmarva Sports Network, the market’s only 24/7 independent local sports network. Jahelka also expanded the company’s television portfolio to include Antenna TV, NBC CoastTV and MyCOZI.

During his time at Draper Media, Jahelka grew the company’s radio portfolio to 12 stations across Delaware and Maryland. Under his leadership, Draper Media journalists earned seven Emmy Awards, seven Edward R. Murrow Awards and numerous Associated Press awards for journalistic excellence. Jahelka himself was recognized by Broadcasting and Cable Magazine as General Manager of the Year in 2017 for markets 51 and above.

“Craig has spent nearly 50 years in the broadcasting industry, and I’m honored that he chose to spend such a significant portion of his career on Delmarva leading Draper Media,” said Molly Draper Russell, president and CEO of Draper Holdings. “We are deeply grateful to Craig for the impact he has made to our company and our team members over the years. His legacy of growth, innovation and leadership will continue to shape Draper Media for years to come.”

“It has been the privilege of my career to lead this team and serve the Delmarva community for the past 18 years,” said Jahelka. “I’m incredibly proud of what we’ve built together, from expanding local news and launching new networks to growing our radio presence across the peninsula. I’ll always be grateful to the Draper family for the opportunity and to every team member who made this work meaningful.”

Jahelka will continue to serve as president of Draper Media through his last official day, May 1.