His return was prompted following the news that Chris Wayland, who took over for Leider when he retired, was leaving Sunbeam to join Tribune Broadcasting as vice president of group operations.
Leider retired in 2014 after 40 years at Sunbeam, remained active post-retirement with the station group and in civic affairs. He became a consultant to the company with the title of vice president and continued as a board member of the Habitat for Humanity of Broward and the Seminole Hard Rock Winterfest Boat Parade.
During his time with Sunbeam, Leider led the company through many changes including the loss of the NBC affiliation at WSVN in Miami, Florida 27 years ago that lead to the creation of the 7 News "tabloid news" brand and a local news expansion.
He also oversaw the 1991 purchase of WHDH and the 2006 purchase of WLVI, both in Boston.
Leider helped usher in the transition from analog to digital. He guided the stations through the recession of 2008 while maintaining the stations as strong market leaders in both ratings and revenue.
Leider is in a good position to now lead WHDH in its transition away from NBC when they lose their affiliation in 2017.
“Station owner Ed Ansin and I have come to an agreement to continue our relationship as we position Sunbeam Television towards continued prosperity,” said Leider. “I am happy to lead the most talented individuals in the industry towards success.”
Leider returns to his old position at Sunbeam full-time on September 12.
