Rick Gevers & Associates

April 10, 2010

Greetings from Las Vegas, home of this year’s RTDNA convention.  I hope to see many of you here.

If you are attending, read on for information about several social events this week.

We have  TWO new news directors to tell you about, and  ONE new opening.  That brings our total of open ND positions to 17.

Be sure to check out our help wanted ad for an EP position at The Weather Channel.  In Names in the News, details about a former ND turned GM who’s gotten a promotion, and we’ll link to a list of all the regional Murrow Award winners which were announced this week.

All that…and more…after this week’s changes:

NEW NEWS DIRECTORS NAMED:

WAVE-TV, Louisville, KY…KATHY HOSTETTER will be the next ND for this Raycom-owned NBC affiliate.  Kathy is currently the ND for LIN’S WAVY-TV in Norfolk, and earlier had been an ND in Ft. Wayne, IN.  She’s from Indiana originally and she’ll be closer to family.  Kathy’s also worked in Indianapolis, Grand Rapids, MI, and San Jose/San Francisco, CA.  Kathy replaces LEE ELDRIDGE who left the station earlier this year after 3+ years as news director.

WMBF-TV, Myrtle Beach, SC…another Raycom-owned NBC affiliate, another new ND.  SARAH MILES has been the EP/Acting ND at Raycom’s WAVE-TV in Louisville.  She’s also worked in Evansville and Peoria.  She replaces MATT MILLER who was promoted to ND for Raycom’s WXIX-TV in Cincinnati last month.

NEW NEWS DIRECTOR OPENING:

WAVY-TV, Norfolk, VA…as mentioned above, KATHY HOSTETTER is leaving this LIN-owned NBC affiliate to become ND for WAVE-TV in Louisville.  Kathy’s been the ND here for more than four years.

**** ***** ****

**** ***** ****

HELP WANTED AD:

Executive Producer, The Weather Channel, Atlanta, GA

We are recruiting for a seasoned news professional to join our team at The Weather Channel.  Responsibilities would include managing a team of producers, associate producers and talent.

Mid-to-Large market or network experience preferred.

Excellent oral/written communication, and organizational skills, with ability to meet daily deadlines.

Forward a letter of interest and resume to:

Rashida Jones
Director, Live Programming
The Weather Channel
300 Interstate North Parkway
Atlanta, GA 30339

Or email: rjones@weather.com

**** ***** ****

OTHER NEWS MGMT. OPENINGS:

ASSISTANT NEWS DIRECTOR:

KYW-TV, Philadelphia, PA (listed 3/19/10)
KSHB-TV, Kansas City, MO (listed 2/26/09)
WLWT-TV, Cincinnati, OH (relisted 3/12/10)
KTVX-TV, Salt Lake City, UT (listed 2/12/10)
WHAS-TV, Louisville, KY (listed 3/27/10)

EXECUTIVE NEWS PRODUCER:

The Weather Channel, Atlanta, GA (new opening this week, see ad above!)
News 12 The Bronx/Brooklyn, NY (listed 1/8/10)
News 12 New Jersey (AM EP, listed 3/12/10)
KCBS/KCAL, Los Angeles, CA (PM EP, listed 3/27/10)
KTVT-TV, Ft. Worth/Dallas, TX (2 jobs, Special Projects & AM EP, listing revised 1/8/10)
KXTV,    Sacramento, CA (PM EP, listing revised 1/29/10)
KPTV, Portland, OR (two openings, one is EP/Special Proj., listing revised 1/29/10)
KTVX-TV, Salt Lake City, UT (AM EP, listed 12/26/09)
KSHB-TV, Kansas City, MO (listed 2/26/10)
WSPA-TV, Spartanburg, SC (listed 3/27/10)
WOAI-TV, San Antonio, TX (listed 2/5/10)
KOAT-TV, Albuquerque, NM (relisted 3/27/10)
KOB-TV, Albuquerque, NC (AM EP, listed 3/27/10)
WGHP-TV, Greensboro/High Point, NC (PM EP, listed 2/19/10)
WVLT-TV, Knoxville, TN (listed 3/5/10)
KGBT-TV, Harlingen, TX (listed 3/19/10)
WCTI-TV, New Bern, NC (listed 3/5/10)
WBTW-TV, Myrtle Beach, SC (listed 4/2/10)

MANAGING EDITOR:

KCBS/KCAL, Los Angeles, CA (PM EP, listed 3/27/10)

MANAGER OF CONTENT PRESENTATION:

WCMH-TV, Columbus, OH (listed 3/05/10)

NEWS OPERATION MANAGER:

KCBS/KCAL, Los Angeles, CA (listed 3/27/10)

**** ***** ****

RTDNA Social Events:

The annual informal gathering of news managers will be Monday, April 12, in the Parasol DOWN bar at the Wynn Hotel and Casino.  Folks will start showing up around 9:30 PM.  I plan on being there and looking forward to seeing you there.  This is perhaps the best time and place to see fellow news managers.

The Missouri Mafia will convene in its normal place and time:  Tuesday between 5:00 and 7:00 in the Benihana Bar near the lobby of the Las Vegas Hilton.  You don’t have to be an alum to stop by and say hi.  STACEY WOELFEL, news director of KOMU-TV and the outgoing RTDNA Chairman will be among those on hand.  This year’s gathering is sponsored by Dan Devlin and the Devlin Design Group.

**** ***** ****

NAMES IN THE NEWS:

Bush

One-time news director DEBBIE BUSH is moving up the GM ladder.  She’s head to KOLD-TV in Tucson, the Raycom-owned CBS affiliate there.  Debbie is currently GM for Raycom’s WFIE-TV in Evansville, IN.  She’s a former ND in Indianapolis and Kansas City, and has worked in Pittsburgh, Cedar Rapids, Wichita, Topeka, and Santa Barbara.

Congratulations to all the winners of RTDNA Regional Edward R. Murrow Awards, which were announced this week.  WISC-TV in Madison, WI, was honored with eleven Murrows, the most of any television station.  Check out the complete list here.

**** ***** ****

Here’s our list of all the stations currently looking for an ND, as of Friday, April 9, 2010.

If you know of any changes, additions, corrections, or deletions, please let me know via email:  rick@rickgevers.com

News 12 Bronx/Brooklyn 930 Soundview Ave. Bronx NY 10473
KVEA-TV, 3000 W. Alameda Ave.             Los Angeles, CA 91523 ***
WXYZ-TV   20777 W. 10 Mile Road           Southfield MI 48037
KUVS-TV   1710 Arden Way                         Sacramento CA 95815 ***
KDKA-TV,  One Gateway Center,               Pittsburgh, PA 15222
WZTV-TV   631 Mainstream Drive             Nashville TN 37228
WAVY-TV, 300 Wavy St.                        Portsmouth VA 23705
WFMY-TV 1615 Phillips Avenue                Greensboro NC 27405
WTEN-TV   341 Northern Blvd.                   Albany, NY 12204
WOWK-TV 555 Fifth Ave.                            Huntington WV 25701
KGMB-TV 420 Waiakamilo Rd. # 205     Honolulu HI 96817
WNWO-TV   300 S. Byrne Rd.                    Toledo OH 43615
WJHL-TV 338 E. Main St.                           Johnson City TN 37601
WFFF-TV   298 Mountain View Dr.         Colchester VT 05446
WMGT-TV   PO Box 4328                           Macon GA 31208
KTVE/KARD-TV 200 Pavilion Rd.           West Monroe LA 71292
KGNS-TV   120 W. Delmar Blvd.                Laredo TX 78045

*** (Spanish language)

April 3, 2010

Greetings:

To answer a question many of you have asked me this week, yes, my wife and I are going to the Final Four.  We’ll be the folks in the WAY high upper deck seats.  Never one to miss an opportunity to jump on a bandwagon, we bought appropriate attire at the Butler University bookstore on Sunday.

As to the normal business of this newsletter, we have just ONE new opening to share with you, and that one’s a surprise…as a veteran newswoman leaves a top 25 network o-and-o for a job in a smaller market, though much closer to home.   That moves creates the  ONLY new ND to tell you about as, well, leaving our count of open ND jobs at 18.

We’re rerunning an ad for an Assistant ND job in Louisville, we have updated our list of open news management positions, and we have lots of items in Names in the News, including a number of local stations honored with Peabody and/or IRE awards.  We also have an obituary for a longtime news director who died earlier this week.

If you’re going to the RTDNA/NAB conference in Las Vegas, we’ve got the time and place for what’s turned into an annual event…a informal gathering of news managers.

All that and more after this weeks’s changes:

NEW NEWS DIRECTOR NAMED:

Marren

WTIC-TV, Hartford, CT…we first told you that COLEEN MARREN was returning to this Tribune-owned FOX Affiliate in an UDPATE earlier this week.  WTIC is the station where Coleen held her first ND job in the early 90’s, followed by news director jobs in Milwaukee, Boston, and Pittsburgh, where she’s been the ND for CBS o-and-o KDKA-TV since last summer.  Coleen still has family and friends in the Hartford area.  At WTIC, she replaces BOB ROCKSTROH who left the station earlier this year after four years as ND.

NEW NEWS DIRECTOR OPENING:

KDKA-TV, Pittsburgh, PA…as reported above, COLEEN MARREN is leaving this CBS o-and-o to become ND at WTIC-TV in Hartford.  Coleen’s been the ND here since last June.

**** ***** ****

HELP WANTED AD:

ASSISTANT NEWS DIRECTOR, WHAS-TV, Louisville, KY

Belo’s WHAS11 in Louisville is recruiting for an Assistant News Director.

Responsible for assisting the executive news manager with all news content on all platforms.  Participate in the planning of short/long term department goals, special projects, and budgeting. 2 years experience as newsroom manager or executive producer in a mid-to-major size market.

Proven leadership skills with managing a large news staff.  Excellent oral/written communication, and organizational skills, with ability to meet daily deadlines.

Forward a letter of interest and resume to:

Mark Neerman
Executive News Director
520 W. Chestnut Street
Louisville KY 40202

or via email to: mneerman@whas11.com.

**** ***** ****

**** ***** ****

OTHER NEWS MGMT. OPENINGS:

ASSISTANT NEWS DIRECTOR:

KYW-TV, Philadelphia, PA (listed 3/19/10)
KSHB-TV, Kansas City, MO (listed 2/26/09)
WLWT-TV, Cincinnati, OH (relisted 3/12/10)
KTVX-TV, Salt Lake City, UT (listed 2/12/10)
WHAS-TV, Louisville, KY (listed 3/27/10, see ad above!)

EXECUTIVE NEWS PRODUCER:

News 12 The Bronx/Brooklyn, NY (listed 1/8/10)
News 12 New Jersey (AM EP, listed 3/12/10)
KCBS/KCAL, Los Angeles, CA (PM EP, listed 3/27/10)
KTVT-TV, Ft. Worth/Dallas, TX (2 jobs, Special Projects & AM EP, listing revised 1/8/10)
KXTV,    Sacramento, CA (PM EP, listing revised 1/29/10)
KPTV, Portland, OR (two openings, one is EP/Special Proj., listing revised 1/29/10)
KTVX-TV, Salt Lake City, UT (AM EP, listed 12/26/09)
KSHB-TV, Kansas City, MO (listed 2/26/10)
WSPA-TV, Spartasburg, SC (listed 3/27/10)
WOAI-TV, San Antonio, TX (listed 2/5/10)
KOAT-TV, Albuquerque, NM (relisted 3/27/10)
KOB-TV, Albuquerque, NC (AM EP, listed 3/27/10)
WGHP-TV, Greensboro/High Point, NC (PM EP, listed 2/19/10)
WVLT-TV, Knoxville, TN (listed 3/5/10)
KGBT-TV, Harlingen, TX (listed 3/19/10)
WCTI-TV, New Bern, NC (listed 3/5/10)
WBTW-TV, Myrtle Beach, SC (new listing this week)

MANAGING EDITOR:

KCBS/KCAL, Los Angeles, CA (PM EP, listed 3/27/10)

MANAGER OF CONTENT PRESENTATION:

WCMH-TV, Columbus, OH (listed 3/05/10)

ASSIGNMENT MANAGER:

The Weather  Channel, Atlanta, GA (listed 12/18/09)

NEWS OPERATION MANAGER:

KCBS/KCAL, Los Angeles, CA (listed 3/27/10)

**** ***** ****

OBITUARY:

Hardee

Longtime newsman ROY HARDEE died Thursday, April 1, of complications from advanced Parkinson’s Disease.  He was 79 and died in his wife’s arms at a Kansas City hospice.  During his career, Roy served as ND of two Eastern Carolina stations:  WNCT and WITN. One of his former employees, STEWART PITTMAN, remembers his one-time boss in this essay.

**** ***** ****

NAMES in the NEWS:

One-time Kansas City and Boise ND TRACY BROGDEN-MILLER is joining SmithGeiger as a consultant.  Tracy most recently was ND at KCTV in Kansas City.  She’s also worked in Phoenix, Seattle, Sacramento and Tulsa.

TODD WOOLMAN has been named Executive Producer of Good Day Chicago, the five hour morning block on WFLD-TV in Chicago.  He’s reunited with ND CAROL FOWLER: they worked together at WBBM-TV in Chicago where Carol was the ND and Todd the Assistant ND.  Todd’s a former ND at WPTV in West Palm Beach, and has worked in Kalamazoo, South Bend, Detroit, and Seattle, as well as WGN-TV and WLS-TV in Chicago.

BEN HART has been named Assistant ND for WAPT-TV in Jackson, MS, the Hearst-owned ABC affiliate where he worked earlier in his career.  Ben’s worked at two other Hearst stations, WDSU-TV in New Orleans and KCRA-TV in Sacramento, where he has been working as the 10:00 producer.

Five local TV stations were honored with Peabody Awards this week:  KCET-TV (PBS) in Los Angeles, WFLD-TV (Fox) in Chicago, KTVU-TV (Fox) in Oakland/San Franicsco, KHOU-TV (CBS) in Houston, and WYFF-TV (NBC) in Greenville, SC.  Here’s a complete list of all the winners, including entertainment programming.

And KHOU-TV in Houston won IRE’s highest honor, the IRE medal this week, for the same investigation that was honored with the Peabody Award.  Click here to see all the IRE honorees.

If you’re planning on attending the RTDNA/NAB conference in Las Vegas later this month, plan to attend the annual informal gathering of news managers, now marking its seventh year.  The get-together will be Monday, April 12, in the Parasol DOWN bar at the Wynn Hotel and Casino.  Folks will start showing up around 9:30 PM.  I plan on being there and looking forward to seeing you there.

***** ***** ****

Here’s a list of all the stations currently looking for an ND, as of Friday, April 2, 2010.

If you know of any changes, additions, corrections, or deletions, please let me know via email:  rick@rickgevers.com

News 12 Bronx/Brooklyn 930 Soundview Ave. Bronx NY 10473
KVEA-TV, 3000 W. Alameda Ave.             Los Angeles, CA 91523 ***
WXYZ-TV   20777 W. 10 Mile Road           Southfield MI 48037
KUVS-TV   1710 Arden Way                         Sacramento CA 95815 ***
KDKA-TV,  One Gateway Center,       Pittsburgh, PA 15222
WZTV-TV   631 Mainstream Drive             Nashville TN 37228
WAVE-TV  725 S. Floyd St.                           Louisville KY 40203
WFMY-TV 1615 Phillips Avenue                Greensboro NC 27405
WTEN-TV   341 Northern Blvd.                   Albany, NY 12204
WOWK-TV 555 Fifth Ave.                            Huntington WV 25701
KGMB-TV 420 Waiakamilo Rd. # 205     Honolulu HI 96817
WNWO-TV   300 S. Byrne Rd.                    Toledo OH 43615
WJHL-TV 338 E. Main St.                           Johnson City TN 37601
WFFF-TV   298 Mountain View Dr.         Colchester VT 05446
WMBF-TV PO Box 3579                              Myrtle Beach SC 29577
WMGT-TV   PO Box 4328                           Macon GA 31208
KTVE/KARD-TV 200 Pavilion Rd.           West Monroe LA 71292
KGNS-TV   120 W. Delmar Blvd.                Laredo TX 78045

*** (Spanish language)

March 27, 2010

March 30, 2010 UPDATE:

Greetings:

Marren

Veteran newswoman COLEEN MARREN is returning to Hartford, CT, to become ND for WTIC-TV, the Tribune-owned FOX affiliate there.  Coleen’s first ND job was at WTIC in the early 90’s, followed by ND stints in Milwaukee, Boston, and Pittsburgh, where she’s been the ND for KDKA-TV since last summer.  Coleen still has family and friends in the Northeast.

At WTIC-TV, she replaces BOB ROCKSTROH who left the station last month after almost four years as ND there.

We’ll have more on this move…and all the week’s developments…in our regular update later this week.

**** ***** ****

This week’s edition contains a first.

It’s the first time that I can recall in 14+ years of producing this newsletter that we have no new openings or no newly named NDs.  Our list of openings remains constant, then, at 18.

We do, however, have three paid help wanted ads, including one for an Assistant ND job in Louisville.  You first saw the other two ads last week:  an ND opening in Myrtle Beach, SC, and an EP opening in Texas.

There are other new news management openings and a few items in Names in the News, including a return to Scripps for a veteran broadcaster who has Super Bowl experience.

All that and more below:

**** ***** ****

HELP WANTED ADS:

ASSISTANT NEWS DIRECTOR, WHAS-TV, Louisville, KY

Belo’s WHAS11 in Louisville is recruiting for an Assistant News Director.

Responsible for assisting the executive news manager with all news content on all platforms.  Participate in the planning of short/long term department goals, special projects, and budgeting. 2 years experience as newsroom manager or executive producer in a mid-to-major size market.

Proven leadership skills with managing a large news staff.  Excellent oral/written communication, and organizational skills, with ability to meet daily deadlines.

Forward a letter of interest and resume to:

Mark Neerman
Executive News Director
520 W. Chestnut Street
Louisville KY 40202

or via email to: mneerman@whas11.com.

**** ***** ****

NEWS DIRECTOR, WMBF-TV, Myrtle Beach, SC

WMBF-TV, Raycom Media’s HD NBC affiliate in Myrtle Beach, SC, is looking for a News Director who is a leader with the strategic skills to craft winning game plans and the tenacity to see them through.

The successful candidate must have a proven track record of news leadership and ratings success in a highly competitive environment. Your background should include more than five years television newsroom management, preferably as AND and/or EP, and a college degree in a related field of study.  Successful candidate needs a strong track record of online news growth, social media and citizen journalism initiatives.

The candidate will manage a news team that includes on-air, online, mobile, social media and news production and will be responsible for creating content 24 hours a day, seven days a week in a multimedia, multi-platform world. The ND will be engaged in daily news planning, direct leadership of news staff, supervision of all news content, hiring and promotion, budgeting, strategic planning and newsroom administration.

We’re hoping to have someone in place before the May book.

Rush your resume, news philosophy and cover letter to:

Ted Fortenberry
VP & GM
WMBF News
918 Frontage Road E.
Myrtle Beach SC 29577

or via e-mail to: tfortenberry@wmbfnews.com

No phone calls please. EOE-M/F/D/V

**** ***** ****

EXECUTIVE PRODUCER, KGBT-TV, Harlingen, TX

Executive News Producer responsibilities include:

• Work Closely with the News Director to execute the station’s brand on during breaking news and everyday news gathering
• Responsible for the look, tone and growth of the newscast making sure all  deadlines are met
• Supervise pre-production to ensure quality for our product and design online and on-air
• Ability to create tactical strategies to increase demo performance in target areas on multiple platforms
• Candidate must have a strong editorial background and be able to motive, lead and coach the team even under pressure
• Approve all Reporter scripts and coordinate the enterprise story calendar
• Assist in managing the continuous news desk to ensure content elements are up-to-date
• Knowledge of FTP, iNews, P2 cameras, AVID a plus
• Works flexible non-standard shifts
• Performs related work as required and other duties as assigned.

EDUCATION/EXPERIENCE:
College degree, previous training and/or work in related field preferred.

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS:
Must be able to move quickly in breaking news situations 

DATE POSITION AVAILABLE:
Immediately

QUALIFIED APPLICANTS SHOULD SEND RESUME AND DVD TO:

Betty Byrd, HR Manager
KGBT-TV
9201 W. Expressway 83
Harlingen, TX.  78552

No phone calls, please.  Pre-employment drug screening required.

It is the policy of KGBT-TV, Barrington Broadcasting, that equal employment shall be afforded to all qualified persons, and no person shall be discriminated against because of sex, race, color, religion, age, disability or national origin.

**** ***** ****

OTHER NEWS MGMT. OPENINGS:

ASSISTANT NEWS DIRECTOR:

KYW-TV, Philadelphia, PA (listed 3/19/10)
KSHB-TV, Kansas City, MO (listed 2/26/09)
WLWT-TV, Cincinnati, OH (relisted 3/12/10)
KTVX-TV, Salt Lake City, UT (listed 2/12/10)
WHAS-TV, Louisville, KY (new listing this week, see ad above!)
WAPT-TV, Jackson, MS (listed 3/5/10)

EXECUTIVE NEWS PRODUCER:

News 12 The Bronx/Brooklyn, NY (listed 1/8/10)
News 12 New Jersey (AM EP, listed 3/12/10)
KCBS/KCAL, Los Angeles, CA (PM EP, new listing this week)
KTVT-TV, Ft. Worth/Dallas, TX (2 jobs, Special Projects & AM EP, listing revised 1/8/10)
KXTV,    Sacramento, CA (PM EP, listing revised 1/29/10)
KPTV, Portland, OR (two openings, one is EP/Special Proj., listing revised 1/29/10)
KTVX-TV, Salt Lake City, UT (AM EP, listed 12/26/09)
KSHB-TV, Kansas City, MO (listed 2/26/10)
WSPA-TV, Spartasburg, SC (new listing this week)
WOAI-TV, San Antonio, TX (listed 2/5/10)
KOAT-TV, Albuquerque, NM (relisted this week)
KOB-TV, Albuquerque, NC (AM EP, new listing this week)
WGHP-TV, Greensboro/High Point, NC (PM EP, listed 2/19/10)
WVLT-TV, Knoxville, TN (listed 3/5/10)
WCTI-TV, New Bern, NC (listed 3/5/10)
KGBT-TV, Harlingen, TX (listed 3/19/10, see ad above!)

MANAGING EDITOR:

KCBS/KCAL, Los Angeles, CA (PM EP, new listing this week)

MANAGER OF CONTENT PRESENTATION:

WCMH-TV, Columbus, OH (listed 3/05/10)

ASSIGNMENT MANAGER:

The Weather  Channel, Atlanta, GA (listed 12/18/09)

NEWS OPERATION MANAGER:

KCBS/KCAL, Los Angeles, CA (PM EP, new listing this week)

**** ***** ****

**** ***** ****

NAMES IN THE NEWS:

Sullivan

Veteran broadcaster BOB SULLIVAN returns to Scripps as the new Vice President of Content.  Bob formerly served as ND for the company’s KNXV-TV in Phoenix before leaving to open his own consulting firm.  He also served as President of the 2008 Arizona Super Bowl Organizing Committee.  Bob spent much of his TV career with Gannett, including stints in Phoenix, Denver, Jacksonville, and Washington, DC, where he served as GM of WUSA-TV. He’s also worked in Milwaukee.

MISTIE LACKEY heads even further south to join the staff of WPEC-TV in West Palm Beach as Executive Producer.  Mistie had been a producer for WOFL-TV in Orlando.  She’s also worked in Nashville and Knoxville.

**** ***** ****

Here’s the complete list of stations with an open ND position, as of Saturday, March 27, 2010.

If you know of any changes, corrections, deletions, or additions, please email me at: rick@rickgevers.com

News 12 Bronx/Brooklyn 930 Soundview Ave. Bronx NY 10473
KVEA-TV, 3000 W. Alameda Ave.             Los Angeles, CA 91523 ***
WXYZ-TV   20777 W. 10 Mile Road           Southfield MI 48037
KUVS-TV   1710 Arden Way                         Sacramento CA 95815 ***
WTIC-TV, 285 Broad St.                               Hartford, CT 06115
WZTV-TV   631 Mainstream Drive             Nashville TN 37228
WAVE-TV  725 S. Floyd St.                           Louisville KY 40203
WFMY-TV 1615 Phillips Avenue                Greensboro NC 27405
WTEN-TV   341 Northern Blvd.                   Albany, NY 12204
WOWK-TV 555 Fifth Ave.                            Huntington WV 25701
KGMB-TV 420 Waiakamilo Rd. # 205     Honolulu HI 96817
WNWO-TV   300 S. Byrne Rd.                    Toledo OH 43615
WJHL-TV 338 E. Main St.                           Johnson City TN 37601
WFFF-TV   298 Mountain View Dr.         Colchester VT 05446
WMBF-TV PO Box 3579                        Myrtle Beach SC 29577 (see ad above)
WMGT-TV   PO Box 4328                           Macon GA 31208
KTVE/KARD-TV 200 Pavilion Rd.           West Monroe LA 71292
KGNS-TV   120 W. Delmar Blvd.                Laredo TX 78045

*** (Spanish language)

March 20, 2010

Greetings:

Perhaps everyone is paying a lot of attention to basketball, because it’s a slow week in the world of news director movement.  I hope your bracket is in better shape than mine.

To the best of my knowledge, there is just  ONE new opening to share with you, though that one opening is in the number one market.   And there is ONE new news director to tell you about, though we first reported that position had been filled in our last edition.

That means our count of open ND jobs stands at  18.

We do have a new ad for one of those openings…at an NBC affiliate in a VERY desirable place to live.  And we have another ad for an EP opening in Texas.

Those paid ads follow,  as well as a new listing for an Assistant ND job in Philadelphia.  In Names in the News, a former Atlanta/Pittsburgh/Dayton ND turned consultant heads to the Weather Channel, and we have additional memorial information for the late JIM TELLUS.

All that and more after this week’s changes:

NEW NEWS DIRECTOR OPENINGS:

News 12 Bronx/Brooklyn…LEESA DILLON has resigned as GM/ND for this Cablevision-owned all news network.  I’m told she plans to return to Las Vegas and leave the TV business.  Leesa has been GM/ND here for more than two years.

WMBF-TV, Myrtle Beach, SC…we first told you about this opening last week, so it’s sorta/kinda new.  We listed it again as new for two reasons:  I mistakenly listed it as a Fox station.  It is an NBC affiliate.  And we also want to call attention to their ad below which tells you more about this opportunity.  Please note they hope to have someone in place by the May rating period.

NEW NEWS DIRECTORS NAMED:

WGBO-TV, Chicago, IL…we also told you last week that this position had been filled, but we were missing a very important fact.  The name.  Thanks to two readers who answered our plea, we can now tell you that MARISOL SEDA is the new ND for this Univision station.  She moves to Chicago from Puerto Rico.  I’m told she has a background in producing and investigative reporting.

One other correction from last week.  We told you that WOWK-TV ND LEEZA GLAZIER was moving to Jacksonville as a morning EP.  We (and by that I mean me) screwed up her new station:  She’s going to work at WTEV/WAWS.  Apologies to all.

**** ***** ****

HELP WANTED ADS:

NEWS DIRECTOR, WMBF-TV, Myrtle Beach, SC

WMBF-TV, Raycom Media’s HD NBC affiliate in Myrtle Beach, SC, is looking for a News Director who is a leader with the strategic skills to craft winning game plans and the tenacity to see them through.

The successful candidate must have a proven track record of news leadership and ratings success in a highly competitive environment. Your background should include more than five years television newsroom management, preferably as AND and/or EP, and a college degree in a related field of study.  Successful candidate needs a strong track record of online news growth, social media and citizen journalism initiatives.

The candidate will manage a news team that includes on-air, online, mobile, social media and news production and will be responsible for creating content 24 hours a day, seven days a week in a multimedia, multi-platform world. The ND will be engaged in daily news planning, direct leadership of news staff, supervision of all news content, hiring and promotion, budgeting, strategic planning and newsroom administration.

We’re hoping to have someone in place before the May book.

Rush your resume, news philosophy and cover letter to:

Ted Fortenberry
VP & GM
WMBF News
918 Frontage Road E.
Myrtle Beach SC 29577

or via e-mail to: tfortenberry@wmbfnews.com

No phone calls please. EOE-M/F/D/V

**** ***** ****

EXECUTIVE PRODUCER, KGBT-TV, Harlingen, TX

Executive News Producer responsibilities include:

• Work Closely with the News Director to execute the station’s brand on during breaking news and everyday news gathering
• Responsible for the look, tone and growth of the newscast making sure all  deadlines are met
• Supervise pre-production to ensure quality for our product and design online and on-air
• Ability to create tactical strategies to increase demo performance in target areas on multiple platforms
• Candidate must have a strong editorial background and be able to motive, lead and coach the team even under pressure
• Approve all Reporter scripts and coordinate the enterprise story calendar
• Assist in managing the continuous news desk to ensure content elements are up-to-date
• Knowledge of FTP, iNews, P2 cameras, AVID a plus
• Works flexible non-standard shifts
• Performs related work as required and other duties as assigned.

EDUCATION/EXPERIENCE:
College degree, previous training and/or work in related field preferred.

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS:
Must be able to move quickly in breaking news situations 

DATE POSITION AVAILABLE:
Immediately

QUALIFIED APPLICANTS SHOULD SEND RESUME AND DVD TO:

Betty Byrd, HR Manager
KGBT-TV
9201 W. Expressway 83
Harlingen, TX.  78552

No phone calls, please.  Pre-employment drug screening required.

It is the policy of KGBT-TV, Barrington Broadcasting, that equal employment shall be afforded to all qualified persons, and no person shall be discriminated against because of sex, race, color, religion, age, disability or national origin.

**** ***** ****

**** ***** ****

OTHER NEWS MGMT. OPENINGS:

ASSISTANT NEWS DIRECTOR:

KYW-TV, Philadelphia, PA (new listing this week)
KSHB-TV, Kansas City, MO (listed 2/26/09)
WLWT-TV, Cincinnati, OH (relisted 3/12/10)
KTVX-TV, Salt Lake City, UT (listed 2/12/10)
WAPT-TV, Jackson, MS (listed 3/5/10)

EXECUTIVE NEWS PRODUCER:

News 12 The Bronx/Brooklyn, NY (listed 1/8/10)
News 12 New Jersey (AM EP, listed 3/12/10)
KTVT-TV, Ft. Worth/Dallas, TX (2 jobs, Special Projects & AM EP, listing revised 1/8/10)
KXTV,    Sacramento, CA (PM EP, listing revised 1/29/10)
KPTV, Portland, OR (two openings, one is EP/Special Proj., listing revised 1/29/10)
KTVX-TV, Salt Lake City, UT (AM EP, listed 12/26/09)
KSHB-TV, Kansas City, MO (listed 2/26/10)
WOAI-TV, San Antonio, TX (listed 2/5/10)
WPEC-TV, West Palm Beach, FL (relisted 12/12/09)
KOAT-TV, Albuquerque, NM (relisted 1/15/10)
WGHP-TV, Greensboro/High Point, NC (PM EP, listed 2/19/10)
WVLT-TV, Knoxville, TN (listed 3/5/10)
WBRZ-TV, Baton Rouge, LA (PM EP, listed 1/22/09)
WCTI-TV, New Bern, NC (listed 3/5/10)
KGBT-TV, Harlingen, TX (new listing, see ad above!)

MANAGER OF CONTENT PRESENTATION:

WCMH-TV, Columbus, OH (listed 3/05/10)

MULTI MEDIA CONTENT DIRECTOR:

The Weather  Channel, Atlanta, GA (listed 12/12/09)

ASSIGNMENT MANAGER:

The Weather  Channel, Atlanta, GA (listed 12/18/09)

**** ***** ****

NAMES IN THE NEWS:

Rigby

SmithGeiger consultant and one time ND JENNIFER RIGBY, who ran newsrooms for Cox stations in Dayton, Pittsburgh and Atlanta, has been named Multi Media Content Director for the Weather Channel.  She’ll be working with another former Cox ND, HELEN SWENSON. Jennifer spent more than five years as ND for WSB-TV in Atlanta.  She’s been with SmithGeiger for two years.

Former colleagues of the late JIM TELLUS have established a scholarship fund at his alma mater, Wichita State University.  We told you earlier this month that Jim died of an apparent heart attack at the age of 47.  He was the GM at WTHR-TV in Indianapolis, where he was promoted from ND.  He’d also been an ND in Seattle, Norfolk, and Wichita.  You can contribute online (be sure to enter Jim Tellus Memorial Fund under ‘other’) or via mail to:

Jim Tellus Memorial
c/o WSU Foundation
1845 Fairmount, Box 2
Wichita, KS 67260-0002

**** ***** ****

Here’s a complete list of all stations that I believe have an ND opening, as of Friday, March 19, 2010.

And if you know of updates, corrections, or additions to this list, please let me know via email: rick@rickgevers.com

News 12 Bronx/Brooklyn 930 Soundview Ave. Bronx NY 10473
KVEA-TV, 3000 W. Alameda Ave.             Los Angeles, CA 91523 ***
WXYZ-TV   20777 W. 10 Mile Road           Southfield MI 48037
KUVS-TV   1710 Arden Way                         Sacramento CA 95815 ***
WTIC-TV, 285 Broad St.                               Hartford, CT 06115
WZTV-TV   631 Mainstream Drive             Nashville TN 37228
WAVE-TV  725 S. Floyd St.                           Louisville KY 40203
WFMY-TV 1615 Phillips Avenue                Greensboro NC 27405
WTEN-TV   341 Northern Blvd.                   Albany, NY 12204
WOWK-TV 555 Fifth Ave.                            Huntington WV 25701
KGMB-TV 420 Waiakamilo Rd. # 205     Honolulu HI 96817
WNWO-TV   300 S. Byrne Rd.                    Toledo OH 43615
WJHL-TV 338 E. Main St.                           Johnson City TN 37601
WFFF-TV   298 Mountain View Dr.         Colchester VT 05446
WMBF-TV PO Box 3579                        Myrtle Beach SC 29577 (see ad above)
WMGT-TV   PO Box 4328                           Macon GA 31208
KTVE/KARD-TV 200 Pavilion Rd.           West Monroe LA 71292
KGNS-TV   120 W. Delmar Blvd.                Laredo TX 78045

*** (Spanish language)