Faces of Xavier: Francis X. Comerford '73

This week, the Xavier E-News begins a series of profiles featuring the 2016 inductees into the Xavier Hall of Fame. We begin with an alumnus named for St. Francis Xavier himself—Francis X. Comerford ’73, chief revenue officer and president of commercial operations for NBCUniversal owned television stations. 

Comerford was nominated to the Hall of Fame by Kevin McLaughlin ’74. “Frank, a Brooklyn native, took a circuitous route to 16th Street, having started at Brooklyn Prep, then Fordham Prep, before arriving at Xavier his junior year,” McLaughlin wrote in his nomination. “Perhaps this explains Frank’s dedication to Xavier, for when he did arrive, he knew he found a home.”

Comerford attended Georgetown University and has distinguished himself in the television industry for more than 30 years. Before assuming his current role in 2013, he served as chief revenue officer of NBC owned television stations, and before that, he was president and general manager of NBC’s flagship station, WNBC New York.

In 2012, Comerford was the Grand Marshal of New York City’s 250th St. Patrick’s Day Parade. He has also been honored by CAPP, Abilities School, the Diocese of Brooklyn, the Friends of AHRC Autism Program, Little Flower Children’s Services, and New Yorkers for Children. He has been active on many charitable boards, including Catholic Charities New York, the Association for a Better New York, the Lutheran Medical Center, the New York City St. Patrick’s Day Parade Committee, the John A. Reisenbach Foundation, and the Diocese of Brooklyn’s TVC. He is a past trustee of Xavier.

“Frank has directed the power of local television station broadcasts in a positive way countless times to educate, evoke, and move viewers to assist those in need in the community,” McLaughlin wrote. “Frank is a man for others, for his service to the Church, all New Yorkers (particularly those in need), Xavier, and his professional accomplishments.”

The 2016 Hall of Fame Dinner will be held at Pier Sixty at Chelsea Piers on Friday, October 28.