News director Melville is latest to leave NECN

Tom Melville, the news director at New England Cable News, has resigned from the 24-hour news cable outlet.

Melville, who has overseen the newsroom for over a year, told the station’s staff yesterday. His last day will be Wednesday.

“After 17 years at NECN, I feel it is time for me to try something new,’’ Melville said in a statement.

NECN officials declined to comment on Melville’s departure but said in a statement: “He is the consummate professional, and we wish him the very the best as he takes on new opportunities.’’

Melville is the latest high-ranking executive to leave the station since Comcast Corp. took full ownership of network last summer from Hearst Corp., which had co-owned NECN. With that move, NECN’s general manager and president, Charles J. Kravetz, was replaced by Bill Bridgen, who also oversees Comcast SportsNet based in Burlington. Last month, Iris Adler, NECN’s longtime documentary division editor, left the network to be an executive producer at WBUR 90.9 FM, a National Public Radio affiliate.

The changes come as Comcast has rebranded NECN with expanded programming and new graphics in the past year. This week, the station officially launched a 4:30 a.m. newscast — the earliest of Boston TV stations. Called “First Thing in the Morning,’’ the program features anchors Mike Nikitas and Karen Swensen and meteorologist Danielle Niles.