Newsletter | Rick Gevers & Associates

April 14, 2019

Greetings:

Always nice to see a few of you at NAB, even though my trip there was shorter than usual due to travel.

In this week’s report, we have ONE newly named ND, TWO new openings (both departures involving veteran NDs), leaving 29 stations looking for a new news director.

We have TWO items in Names in the News, TWO new general managers, and, sadly, FIVE obituaries.

All that and more as you read on!

Newly Named News Directors:

Paulson

KARK/KLRT-TV, Little Rock, AR…ERNIE PAULSON moves up at this Nexstar NBC/FOX operation. Details here. He’s been the Assistant ND there for almost seven years and earlier worked as a reporter there. He also worked as an anchor/reporter in Oklahoma City and Palm Springs, CA. He made his first move into management as the Assistant ND for KNWA-TV in Fayetteville, AR. Ernie replaces AUSTIN KELLERMAN who took a corporate job at Nexstar’s headquarters in his native Texas.

One correction. In last week’s report on KELLY HATMAKER‘s promotion to News Director for Spokane’s KHQ-TV, we listed the wrong affiliation for the station. It’s an NBC affiliate. Apologies.

New News Director Openings:

Jacobs

KGW-TV, Portland, OR…longtime Oregon newsman RICK JACOBS is stepping down as ND for this Tegna owned NBC affiliate. Rick told me that he and his wife have bought some land near the mountains and will build their home. He hopes to travel as well. A 20 year veteran of the station, Rick’s been ND since 2011, earlier had been an ND in Eugene, worked as a producer for another Portland station, and as an anchor/reporter in Medford.

Henning

WPEC-TV, West Palm Beach, FL…this Sinclair owned CBS affiliate has posted an opening for the news director position. My records show ADAM HENNING has been the ND here for just over three years. Adam’s also been an news director in Huntsville, AL, Gainesville, FL, Greenville and Wilmington, NC, and also worked in Mobile and Raleigh.

Thompson

And one update. We told you a few weeks ago that this search was on for a new news director for WJMN-TV, the Nexstar/CBS affiliate in Marquette, MI, though we had few details. We now learn in this article that ND CYNTHIA THOMPSON is leaving to take some time off. Cynthia has the Marquette hat trick having worked at three different stations in this Upper Peninsula market.

News Management Openings:

ASSISTANT NEWS DIRECTOR:

KTVT-TV, Dallas/Ft. Worth, TX (listed 2/10/19)
KXAS-TV, Dallas/Ft. Worth, TX (relisted 2/3/19)
KGO-TV, San Francisco, CA (relisted 3/31/19)
WESH-TV, Orlando, FL (listed 3/17/19)
KUSI-TV, San Diego, CA (relisted 3/3/19)
WCMH-TV, Columbus, OH (relisted 3/3/19)
KARK-TV, Little Rock, AR (new listing this week)
WBND-TV, South Bend, IN (relisted 3/10/19)
WJAC-TV, Johnstown, PA (relisted 3/10/19)
KRNV-TV, Reno, NV (listed 3/24/19)

EXECUTIVE PRODUCER:

KGO-TV, San Francisco, CA (Dayside EP, relisted 3/31/19)
WXIA-TV, Atlanta, GA (relisted 3/31/19)
Spectrum News, Charlotte, NC (listed 2/24/19)
WSMV-TV, Nashville, TN (PM EP, relisted 2/10/19)
WBNS-TV, Columbus, OH (Senior EP, relisted 3/10/19)
KLAS-TV, Las Vegas, NV (Digital EP, listed 3/10/19)
KTNV-TV, Las Vegas, NV (Nightside EP, listed 3/31/19)
WVTM-TV, Birmingham, AL (listed 3/31/19)
WOOD-TV, Grand Rapids, MI (listed 3/3/19)
WIVB-TV, Buffalo, NY (listed 3/31/19)
WJAR-TV, Providence, RI (relisted 3/10/19)
WKRG-TV, Mobile, AL (listed 3/3/19)
WROC-TV, Rochester, NY (listed 3/31/19)
KXRM-TV, Colorado Springs, CO (Digital EP, relisted 3/10/19)
WCTV, Tallahassee, FL (relisted 3/24/19)
KEYT-KCOY-KKFX-TV, Santa Barbara, CA (listed 3/31/19)
WQOW-TV, Eau Claire, WI (listed 3/24/19)

MANAGING EDITOR:

KXAS-TV, Dallas/Ft. Worth (relisted 3/31/19)

Other News Management Openings:

Listed this week:

WSYR-TV, Syracuse, NY (Digital Content Manager)

Relisted this week:

WCPO-TV, Cincinnati, OH (Senior Manager of Editorial Content)

Listed 3/31/19:

WIVB-TV, Buffalo, NY (Digital Content Executive Producer)
WFXR-TV, Roanoke, VA (Digital Content Executive Producer)
WFDX-TV, Wichita Falls, TX (Digital Content Manager)

Listed 3/17/19:

WTNH-TV, Hartford/New Haven, CT (Digital Content Manager)

Listed 3/10/19:

KOIN-TV, Portland, OR (Digital Director)
WKRG, Mobile, AL (Digital Content Manager)
KGET-TV, Bakersfield, CA (Digital Content Manager)
KFDX-TV, Wichita Falls, TX (Digital Content Manager)

Listed 3/3/19:

Rocky Mountain Public Media, Denver, CO (Chief Content Officer)
KLAS-TV, Las Vegas, NV Digital Executive Producer)
KXRM-TV, Colorado Springs, CO (Digital Executive Producer)

Obituaries:

Too many obituaries this week.

Price

Funeral arrangements are still pending for longtime AP executive (and five time news director) LARRY PRICE. Larry lost his battle with cancer at the age of 71 on Fridy. His former AP colleague BOB YOUNG shared this obituary. Larry spent 25 years with the AP, and 25 in newsrooms, including ND jobs in Minneapolis, New Orleans, Providence, Albany, NY, and Portland, ME.

Garcia

KNBC-TV (Los Angeles, CA) producer STEVE GARCIA died this week at the age of 51. He spent 22 years at this NBC o-and-o in a variety of roles, often working on the early morning newscasts. Anchor COLLEEN WILLIAMS anchored this brief tribute to Steve on one of the station’s Friday newscasts.

Valiente

ABC News producer ALEXA VALIENTE was just 27 years old when she died this week. A six year veteran of the network, she worked primarily on 20/20 and Nightline, which aired this tribute to her. Alexa was graduated from Seton Hall University with a degree in diplomacy and international relations and loved to travel, with a goal of going to one new city every month.

RICHARD HAYNSWORTH BRIGGS died earlier this month in North Carolina. He was 79 and had been in declining health for several years. This obituary reports he was a former ND and anchor for WRDW-TV in Augusta, GA, and also worked at WSPA-TV in Spartanburg, SC.

Potter

Finally, we generally restrict our coverage to news managers and general managers, but I’ll make an exception as many of you know one of my best friends from college who lost his wife on Friday. JUDITH POTTER, wife of longtime Miami based network correspondent (ABC, CNN, and NBC) MARK POTTER, died Friday after a three year battle with ovarian cancer. She was diagnosed about the time Mark left NBC and he devoted himself to her care. Today’s Miami Herald has more.

Names in the News (and other items):

NEEL DHERE moves to Denver to become the National Executive producer for Scripps. He’s been an EP for KING-TV in Seattle, and has also worked in Jacksonville, FL, and Columbia, SC.

Ryan

College friend SCOOBIE RYAN (we worked together at the campus radio station at the Univeristy of Missouri) is now serving as the acting director of the University of Kentucky School of Journalism. In addition to her Missouri Journalism degree, Scoobie also has a law degree from Antioch. She’s been teaching at UK since 1996. Earlier, she reported and produced broadcast news in Indianapolis, Boston and Denver.

General Manager News and Notes:

Arguello

Denver’s Telemundo station has a new general manager. TATIANA ARGUELO will lead KDEN-TV. She began her career there as an intern 18 years ago and had been working as NBC Universal Owned Television Stations’ director of local and regional sales.

SUSAN WALTHER is being promoted from sales manager to general manager for Sinclair’s WGME-TV in Portland, ME. She’s worked in the market for 30 years.

Our Full List of Open ND Jobs:

Here’s our list of open ND jobs as of Sunday, April 14, 2019:

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

News 12 New Jersey 450 Raritan Center Parkway Edison, NJ 08837
Verizon Fios 1 News 800 Westchester Avenue, Rye Brook, NY 10573
KNBC-TV 100 Universal City Plaza, Universal City, CA 91608
WUVG-TV 3350 Peachtree Road #1250, Atlanta, GA 30326 **
KING-TV 1501 1st Ave. South, Suite 300 Seattle, WA 98134
KIRO-TV 2807 Third Ave., Seattle WA 98121
KUVS-TV 1710 Arden Way, Sacramento CA 95815 **
KSDK-TV 1000 Market St. St. Louis MO 63101
KGW-TV 1501 SW Jefferson St, Portland, OR 97201
WBTV 1 Julian Price Pl, Charlotte, NC 28208
KFMB-TV 7677 Engineer Road San Diego, CA 92111
WBNS-TV 770 Twin Rivers Dr, Columbus, OH 43215
WSPA-TV 250 International Dr. Spartanburg, SC 29303
WPEC-TV 1100 Fairfield Dr. West Palm Beach, FL 33407
KTNV-TV 3355 S. Valley View Blvd. Las Vegas, NV 89102
WHBQ-TV 485 S. Highland. Memphis, TN 38111
WOWK-TV 350 Quarrier St, Charleston, WV 25301
WLEX-TV P.O. Box 1457 Lexington, KY 40588-1457
WROC-TV 201 Humboldt St. Rochester, NY 14610
WGME-TV 81 Northport Drive. Portland, ME 04103
WFFT-TV 3707 Hillegas RD Ft. Wayne IN 46807
WLTZ-TV 6140 Buena Vista Rd. Columbus, GA 31907
KIII-TV 5002 South Padre Island Dr. Corpus Christi, TX 78411
WECT-TV 322 Shipyard Blvd, Wilmington, NC 28412
KVII-TV 1 Broadcast Center, Amarillo, TX 79101
KBMT-TV 525 Interstate 10 South, Beaumont, TX 77701
WBNG-TV 560 Columbia Dr. Johnson City, NY 13790
WOAY-TV P.O. BOX 3001 Oak Hill, WV 25901
WJMN-TV 3165 Wright Street, Suite 101 Marquette, MI 49855

**: Spanish language station

April 7, 2019

Friday, April 12, 2019 UPDATE:

Greetings:

I’m sorry to report that a longtime Associated Press executive (and a multi-time news director) lost his battle with cancer today.

Price

LARRY PRICE died this morning at his Rhode Island home. He was 71 and passed away with his family, including his wife of 49 years, Charlene, at his side.

Larry’s former AP colleague BOB YOUNG wrote this obituary for us. And Larry’s Linkedin page has details on his career…which included 25 years at the AP and 25 years in local news, including ND stints in Minneapolis and Providence among others.

Funeral arrangements are pending. We’ll include them when we can.

We’ll see you with our full newsletter later this weekend.

Rick Gevers

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

Greetings:

TWO news news directors to share with you this week, and, to my knowledge, no new openings.

I show 27 stations looking for a news director. ONE of those jobs is among our THREE paid help wanted ads this week.

A number of interesting items in Names in the News…including a former ND headed to jail for bank robbery! We also have details about a longtime ABC o-and-o GM (a former ND) who’s retiring, and a new GM job for yet another former ND.

And there’s also an obituary for the well-regarded Dean of the Newhouse School at Syracuse.

A reminder…if you’re headed to NAB…RTDNA is hosting a gathering (cash bar) Tuesday night starting at 9:00 in the Parasol Down bar at the Wynn. Hope to see you there.

Newly Named News Directors:

Kowalski

News 12 The Bronx/Brooklyn…STAN KOWALSKI will run these Altice owned cable news operations. Stan’s spent the last eleven years as the Assistant ND for sister operations News 12 Westchester and Hudson Valley. News 12’s VP/News Operations RANDAL STANLEY spread the word via this email. Stan’s worked in Cleveland, Houston, and Detroit but started his career as a $5/hour tape editor for me at WTOL-TV in Toledo. (Wasn’t I munificent?) 🙂

Hatmaker

KHQ-TV, Spokane, WA…KELLY HATMAKER gets to move into the big office for this Cowles owned NBC affiliate. He’s been the manager of coverage and content on all platforms for the past three years. Kelly’s worked in a variety of roles in several markets, as you’ll learn on his Linkedin page. He succeeds TRACI ZERAVICA who was promoted to a corporate job with Cowles last year.

New News Director Openings:

I’m not aware of any new ND openings this week.

Please note the paid help wanted ad below for the news director opening at WBNS-TV in Columbus, OH.

Paid Help Wanted Ads:

Director of News and Digital Content, WBNS-TV, Columbus, OH:

WBNS-TV, Central Ohio’s News Leader, has a rare and unique opportunity as it seeks a dynamic visionary to be its next Director of News and Digital Content. 10TV is one of the last family-owned power houses in the industry. We are nationally recognized as an industry leader with a focus on journalistic excellence. We are never satisfied at being #1 as we continue to seek ways to grow our dominance.

The Director of News and Digital Content will oversee a large news operation that is focused on enterprise and investigative reporting, creative storytelling, and compelling content. Must have the track record and skillset to produce compelling and distinctive content on all multi-media platforms. Must have a strong digital acumen and knowledge of how and where the audience consumes content and how to best optimize the opportunities to capture their attention and loyalty. Will collaborate with the General Manager and Director of Digital Strategy on digital strategy and innovation.

Must demonstrate a passion for the product with strong oversight and consistent communication and feedback with the team. Quality drives our success and we’re eager to have a leader join us and lead this exceptional news team. Minimum 7 years experience in news management and proven track record in audience growth on all screens. Please include your news philosophy when applying.

Apply online at www.10tv.com (Note: The link may not be operational until later Monday.)

WBNS 10TV is an equal opportunity employer.

WvtmLogo

Executive Producer, WVTM-TV, Birmingham, AL:

WVTM, a Hearst television station in Birmingham, Alabama is looking for an executive producer to grow its news product.

The Birmingham of today is much different from the history books. It is the cradle of the Civil Rights movement and is rich in history. Birmingham has undergone a renaissance in recent years. The city has received national attention and recognition for its flourishing restaurant scene, downtown revival and overall quality of life.

Alabama is more than just barbeque, though it has some of the best in the world. Zagat.com recently rated Birmingham #1 on its list of America’s Next Hot Food Cities. The historic downtown area is being renovated with condos and loft apartments within walking distance of entertainment and shopping.

There are plenty of recreational opportunities from hiking in nearby state parks to biking trails. There are nationally recognized green spaces, unique local breweries and even baseball.

Alabama is crazy about college football. There is a constant feud between fans of the Alabama Crimson Tide and the Auburn Tigers.

This is an exciting time for WVTM. We are one of the newest members of the Hearst family. Hearst is committed to making sure we have the people and resources we need to become the market leader. Our next executive producer will lead a staff of talented people dedicated to being the #1 source of news and information in Alabama.

Why wouldn’t you want this job? Click here to apply.

KeytLogo

Executive Producer, KCOY/KEYT/KKFX-TV, Santa Barbara, CA:

KEYT, KCOY and Fox 11 News have a rare opportunity for a front line newsroom manager.

The Executive Producer manages daily content from MMJs and producers in a diverse, competitive market producing 8 hours of news each weekday. The EP works closely with the team to craft enterprised, compelling and important stories for two separate newscasts that compete against each other every weeknight. It’s fast paced and complicated at times! Strong news producing skills are essential, as the EP regularly fills in for producers on vacation, during sick coverage, etc. The EP works with the News Director, Managing Editor and Digital Content Director to lead a team creating broadcast and digital content across the market. You’ll assist the ND with budget and reviews, you’ll play a major part in planning for special events, elections, digital coverage and of course breaking news. Our last #2 became ND at a sister station, so this is an excellent opportunity for someone with a desire to grow their newsroom management skills and can coach the team to their very best potential. No screamers or chair throwers please. We’re a team here and it takes everyone to win! A minimum 5 years experience is required.

If this resonates, definitely apply!

Go to keyt.com in jobs/internships under the “About” tab to apply.

Employment is contingent upon successful completion of a background check and drug screen.

NPG of CA is an EOE.