Something happened at Gray Television and now President and Chief Operating Officer Bob Prather out the door.

Prather, which he and partner J. Mack Robinson took over in 1994 and built into a major group through a series of acquisitions.

In a terse announcement, the publicly traded company said that Prather has resigned from "all positions" and that that CEO Hilton Howell will assume the title of president. Howell is Robinson's son-in-law.

Said Howell in a statement: "I want to thank Bob Prather for his service to the company. As we continue to move ahead, I am looking forward to continuing to work closely with our corporate leadership team, as well as all the other members of Gray's outstanding operational leadership team at our television stations.

"This is an exciting and dynamic time in the television broadcasting industry, and after our record year in 2012 we continue to be on track for a very solid year in 2013."

H/T TVNewsCheck