February 26, 2023
Thursday, March 2, 2023 UDPATE:
Greetings:
Gray Television continues to grow its in-house research and consulting group by hiring a veteran newswoman…and one-time SmithGeiger consultant.
Rigby
JENNIFER RIGBY, who’s been the news director for Tegna’s WXIA-TV (NBC) in Atlanta for more than eight years, is leaving to join Gray’s new unit. Details in this news release.
Jennifer is a former ND for Cox’s WSB-TV in Atlanta, as well as for Cox stations in Pittsburgh and Dayton. She’s also worked in Phoenix, Salt Lake City, and Fresno, as well as for The Weather Channel and (as mentioned) SmithGeiger.
More Sunday in our full report.
regards,
Rick Gevers
Monday, February 26, 2023 UPDATE:
A large market news director is leaving her job.
Washington
RENEE WASHINGTON is leaving KNBC-TV in Los Angeles a few months short of her fourth anniversary as ND there. She had been the assistant ND for a few months before, having crossed the street from KABC-TV where she held the same job. Renee had earlier worked for ABC owned stations in Philadelphia and New York, as well as in Cleveland, Tampa, and Indianapolis.
That leaves TWO Los Angeles network owned stations with news director openings. Fox owned KTTV has had a vacancy since ERICA HILL-RODRIGUEZ left last June.
Also, we misspelled BELVA DAVIS’s first name in yesterday’s newsletter. Apologies. Consider this a reminder to watch Sunday’s CBS Sunday Morning’s report on this trailblazing journalist.
We’ll see you this weekend with our full report.
regards,
Rick Gevers
**** ***** ****
Greetings:
THREE new openings this week, with NO jobs filled to the best of my knowledge. Along with some edits to our list of openings (explained below), the count now stands at 32 stations with ND openings.
Sadly (at lease for my bank account) no paid help wanted ads this week. Email me for details if you’d like to reach the most targeted audience for news managers.
In Names in the News, the hardest working man in TV news may soon retire, but he produced a great story this week about how to cover mass shootings like the one in Orlando which claimed the life of a Spectrum 13 news reporter.
No obituaries this week and just ONE GM change.
Finally, we don’t often cover newspapers and what they are doing, but I was struck by a front page editorial in today’s Las Vegas Review Journal. The newspaper, frustrated as many have been by denial of open records requests, is launching an occasional series of reports called “What are they hiding?” Executive editor GLENN COOK cites examples and pledges to more aggressively report on agencies that are refusing to follow the law.
I wish them well.
Newly Named News Directors:
To my knowledge, no jobs were filled this week. If I’ve missed something, please let me know!
New News Director Openings:
Zak
WAVY/WVBT-TV, Norfolk, VA…SARAH ZAK has left this Nexstar owned NBC/FOX duopoly after not quite 1 1/2 years on the job. She’s a former news director in Ft. Myers, where she spent 3 1/2 years at Scripps FOX affiliate WFTX-TV, and earlier worked for Scripps stations in both Cincinnati (WCPO-TV) and Tampa (WFTS-TV).
Gaito
WLNE-TV, Providence, RI…ALLISON GAITO has left this Standard Media owned ABC affiliate after almost one year on the job. Allison’s a former EP for KTRK-TV in Houston who had earlier worked at another Providence station. Allison’s replacement will be the FOURTH news director in less than two years here.
Brence
KNWA/KFTA-TV, Fayetteville, AR…after more than 21 years at this Nexstar owned NBC/FOX operation (the last 6+ as news director), LISA BRENCE is leaving the business. She began at KNWA in 2001 as a producer while still a student at the Univeristy of Arkansas, and advanced to executive producer and later became the Assistant News Director.
We have made edits to our list below of stations with ND openings, adding WMAQ-TV (NBC owned) in Chicago, and removing KALB-TV in Alexandria, LA
Due to editing errors, we did not add WMAQ after FRANK WHITAKER retired at the end of the year. The station is looking for an SVP/News.
And we failed to remove KALB from the list after ALLIE PURSER was named ND there some time ago.
Paid Help Wanted Ads:
No Paid Help Wanted ads this week. If you want to drum up interest in your management openings, please let me know: rick@rickgevers.com
Other News Management Openings:
ASSISTANT NEWS DIRECTOR:
WTVD-TV, Durham, NC (listed 1/29/23)
WOWK-TV, Charleston/Huntington, WV (listed 2/12/23)
WROC-TV, Rochester, NY (relisted 1/15/23)
KRGV-TV, Weslaco, TX (AM EP, relisted 2/19/23)
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER:
News 12 Long Island, Bethpage, NY (listed 1/15/23)
News 12 Edison, NJ (Spec. Projects. Prod., listed 1/15/23)
KTLA-TV, Los Angeles, CA (listing revised 1/8/23)
KIAH-TV, Houston, TX (AM/Special Projects EP, listed 2/19/23)
KGO-TV, San Francisco, CA (listed 1/29/23)
WTTG-TV, Washington, DC (listed 2/5/22)
KNXV-TV, Phoenix, AZ (listed 2/12/23)
KDVR/KWGN-TV, Denver, CO (relisted 2/25/23)
KXTV. Sacramento, CA (listed 1/15/23)
WTVD-TV, Durham, NC (listed 1/29/23)
WNCN-TV, Raleigh, NC (relisted 1/22/23)
WRTV, Indianpolis, IN (relisted 1/15/23)
WXIN/WTTV, Indianapolis, IN (listed 1/22/23)
WTVF-TV, Nashville, TN (relisted 1/15/23)
KSTU-TV, Salt Lake City (relisted 1/15/23)
KTVX-TV, Salt Lake City (listed 2/25/23)
WBNS-TV, Columbus, OH (listed 1/15/23)
WTIC-TV, Hartford, CT (relisted 1/15/23)
WTNH-TV, New Haven, CT (Digital EP, listed 2/12/23)
WCPO-TV, Cincinnati, OH (relisted 1/15/23)
WAVY/WVBT-TV, Norfolk, VA (relisted 1/15/23)
WWL-TV, New Orleans (AM EP, listed 1/15/23)
WNYT-TV, Albany, NY (listed 2/12/23)
KJRH-TV, Tulsa, OK (listed 2/25/23)
WDTN-TV, Dayton, OH (Digital EP, listed 2/12/23)
WLTX-TV, Columbia, SC (PM EP, listing modified 1/15/23)
WHEC-TV, Rochester, NY (relisted 2/19/23)
KRGV-TV, Weslaco, TX (AM EP, relisted 2/19/23)
KOAA-TV, Colorado Springs, CO (relisted 1/15/23)
KIVI-TV, Boise, ID (relisted 2/19/23)
WBTW-TV, Myrtle Beach, SC (listed 1/22/23)
WTXL-TV, Tallahassee, FL (Digital EP, relisted 1/15/23)
WFFT-TV, Ft. Wayne, IN (relisted 2/19/23)
KETK-TV, Tyler, TX (listed 1/29/23)
WKBT-TV, La Crosse, WI (listed 1/29/23)
KRIS-TV, Corpus Christi, TX (listed 2/25/23)
WTVO/WQRF-TV, Rockford, IL (relisted 1/15/23)
KFDX/KJTL-TV, Wichita Falls, TX (listed 1/22/23)
MANAGING EDITOR:
WTMJ-TV, Milwaukee, WI (listed 1/15/23)
More News Management Openings:
Listed 2/5/23:
Gray Television, Remote (Producers for Magazine Program)
Listed 1/9/23:
KPRC-TV, Houston, TX (Livestream Producer)
KSTU-TV, Salt Lake City, UT (Assignment Desk Manager)
Obituaries:
No obituaries this week.
Names in the News:
Tompkins
He may be retiring next month (as we told you in a Tuesday UDPATE) but the hardest working man in television journalism is still teaching and coaching. AL TOMPKINS posted this well worth your time story, suggesting ways to differentiate your coverage of the Orlando murder of Central Florida News 13 reporter DYLAN LYONS (and the inevitable next mass shooting.)
Davis
Worth watching: A CBS Sunday Morning profile of pioneering black television journalist BELVA DAVIS which aired this morning. Click here if you havent’ seen it. The story is reported by CBS’s BILL WHITAKER who is one of many who counts her as a mentor and role model.
Nexstar’s KOLR-TV in Springfield, MO, filled its open Assistant ND position by hiring HARRISON KEEGAN. He’s been an editor and ‘content coach’ for the Springfield News-Leader.
Rosenthal
Former Boston, San Francisco, and Indianapolis news director LEE ROSENTHAL has a new job. Lee writes: I was hired as Vice President, Head of Marketing and Communications for HPS Investment Partners, a leading global credit investment firm with nearly $100 billion in assets under management. I left the industry in 2017 for a digital marketing and communications role with global asset manager Franklin Templeton Investments.
Finally, we don’t often venture into movie news, but the new movie Cocaine Bear is loosely based on a true story that was big news in Lexington, KY way back when. WKYT-TV in Lexington interviewed longtime ND KEN KURTZ and others who covered the original story.
General Manager News and Notes:
Connor
Just ONE General Manager change this week. Sinclair has promoted SUSAN CONNOR to VP/GM for its Fresno, CA, operations, KMPH/KFRE-TV. She’s been the GM at the company’s KTVL-TV in Medford, OR. Susan earlier had been a GM at WHBQ-TV in Memphis and worked in Seattle and Albuquerque.
Our List of Open News Director jobs:
Here’s our list of open ND jobs as of Sunday, February 26, 2023:
It’s unofficial, there may be others that are open, and some of these may have been filled. If you know of any in either category, please let me know: rick@rickgevers.com
KTTV 1999 S. Bundy Dr. Los Angeles CA 90025
WMAQ-TV 454 N. Columbus Dr.Chicago, IL 60611
KIRO-TV 2807 3rd Ave. Seattle, WA 98121
KMGH-TV 123 E. Speer Blvd. Denver, CO 80203
WOIO/WUAB-TV 1717 E. 12th Street, Cleveland, OH 44114
WBNS-TV 770 Twin Rivers Dr. Columbus, OH 43215
KCTV 4500 Shawnee Mission Pkwy. Fairway, KS 66205
KVUE- TV 3201 Steck Avenue, Austin, TX 78757
WYFF-TV 505 Rutherford St. Greenville, SC 29609
WWMT-TV 590 West Maple St. Kalamazoo, MI 49008
WAVY-TV 300 WAVY Street Portsmouth, VA 23704
WLNE-TV 10 Orms St. Providence, RI 02904
KSEE/KGPE-TV 5035 E McKinley Ave. Fresno, CA 93727
WNEP-TV 16 Montage Mountain Rd. Moosic, PA 18507
KOKI-TV 2625 S Memorial Dr. Tulsa, OK 74129
WISC-TV 7025 Raymond Rd. Madison, WI 53719
KNWA-TV 609 W. Dickson St. Suite 300, Fayetteville AR, 72701
KHGI-TV 1078 25 Road Axtell, NE 68924
KMIZ-TV 501 Business Loop 70 E., Columbia MO 65201
KQDS-TV 2001 London Road Duluth, MN 55812
KMID/KPEJ-TV 1550 West I-20 Odessa TX 79763
WJET-TV 8455 Peach Street Erie, PA 16509
WGFL/WNBW/WMYG-TV 1703 NW 80th Blvd. Gainesville, FL 32606
WBUP/WKBP-TV 1705 Ash Street Suite 5 Ishpeming, MI 49849
WGEM-TV 513 Hampshire. Quincy, IL 62301
WWNY-TV 120 Arcade St. Watertown, NY 13601
KGNS-TV 120 W. Del Mar Blvd. Laredo TX 78041
KMVT-TV 1100 Blue Lakes Blvd North, Twin Falls, ID 83301
Delta News 837 Washington Ave Greenville, MS 38701
KAEF-TV 540 E Street Eureka, CA 95501
KYOU-TV 820 West 2nd Street; Ottumwa, IA 52501
KNOP-TV 402. S. Dewey. North Platte NE 69101
**: Spanish language station