September 16, 2018
Thursday, September 20, 2018 UPDATE:
Greetings:
A surprise, at least to me, this afternoon with the naming of a new news director in Phoenix.

Casey
MARK CASEY, who spent 13 years as news director for Gannett/Tegna’s KPNX-TV in Phoenix (and another four years as Station Manager for that NBC affiliate) today was named news director for Scripps’ KNXV-TV.
General Manager ANITA HELT sent this memo to the staff, while the station issued this news release.
Several months after leaving KPNX, Mark joined the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office as Director of Public Information. According to his Linkedin page, he left that position in February. That same Linkedin page details his extensive television background, which includes ND stops in (by my count) six markets, including Phoenix.

Kline
Mark replaces CHRIS KLINE, who was named the new President and CEO of the Arizona Broadcasters Association earlier this week.
We’ll see you this weekend with our full newsletter.
regards,
Rick Gevers
**** ***** ****
Greetings:
Best wishes to all our colleagues in the path of Florence.
Perhaps because of so much effort in covering that storm by so many people, not a lot of activity to report to you this week.
There are TWO new news directors and TWO new openings. Our count of open ND jobs increases slightly to 33.
ONE of those openings is featured in ONE of our TWO paid help wanted ads. And we have ONE ad for an RTDNA candidate.
We have ONE obituary, ONE news manager move, TWO former NDs out with new books, and NO GM news that I could confirm before publication.
Read on for more details!
Paid Political Ad
I’m Allison McGinley, news director of WKMG-TV in Orlando.
Protecting our First Amendment rights is so much more than battling Fake News: it’s about empowering our newsrooms, mentoring inspired students, and protecting our communities.
You see, I believe that protecting our industry and our rights under the First Amendment isn’t enough. We have to think bigger so YOU can be heard.
That is why I am the right candidate for RTDNA’s Region 13 Director and I am asking for your VOTE.
With information coming at us from all directions these days, are we EMPOWERING our newsrooms to stop and discuss important ethical issues?
And as an industry, we will not fail if we take care of those who follow in our footsteps. In my 24 years in this industry, I have had a number of people who have championed me, and I am the product of their lessons and their encouragement. MENTORING is how our voices will continue to be heard loud and clear.
But it’s not just about us — the journalists — being heard loud and clear. It’s about us being heard because we are the voice for the voiceless. The people who do not have the megaphone we possess, the cameras, the airwaves or the knowledge of how to access the truth. We cannot PROTECT our communities if we do not fight to retain our rights.
For more information about how I plan to be of service to YOU, check out my website at www.amcginley.com.
Newly Named News Directors:
KWES-TV, Midland/Odessa, TX…MELISSA HENDRIX-BEACH is being promoted to news director for this NBC affiliate. She’s been the Assistant News Director and replaces MICHAEL THOMPSON who is returning to KLTV in Tyler, TX, as executive producer. Here’s his farewell email to the staff. KWES is currently owned by Raycom Media but is being sold to Tegna as part of the Raycom-Gray transaction.
WVII/WFVX-TV, Bangor, ME…SARAH FARLEY is being promoted to news director at this Rockfleet Broadcasting owned ABC/FOX duopoly. She’s been the Assistant News Director there since 2016 but has worked in Maine most of her life, as you’ll learn here. Sarah replaces another longtime Maine newsperson, CRAIG COLSON. We told you a few weeks ago that Craig was retiring for health reasons.
New News Director Openings:

Busiek
KCCI-TV, Des Moines, IA…we reported Thursday DAVE BUSIEK’s pending retirement after 29 YEARS as news director for this Hearst owned CBS affiliate, which covered his retirement here. Dave worked at KCCI for 39 years, beginning as a reporter/anchor. He spent most of his professional career in Des Moines, beginning at WHO-AM radio. He also spent a term as chair of RTDNA. Dave’s only other career stop was in Columbia, MO, where we attended the University of Missouri together.

Raffaele
WTVA-TV, Tupelo, MS…MICHAEL RAFFAELE is leaving this Heartland Media operation after almost two years as ND. Michael says he has a new job which will be announced soon. He’s also worked in West Palm Beach, Allentown, and Johnstown, PA, in addition to several radio and print positions. Learn more about this opportunity in the Paid Help Wanted ad below.
Paid Help Wanted Ads:
News Director, WTVA-TV, Tupelo, MS:
Small market News Directors, are you tired of chasing #1 with little to no resources? Are you ready to work for a dominant station and experience what winning BIG feels like? Mid-Market middle managers, are you ready for your first News Director gig with a serious news station?
WTVA, the Heartland Media owned NBC and ABC affiliate in Tupelo-Columbus, MS (133), will take your career to a big market experience fast. Heartland Media is a company that believes in and invests in live, local news (more than 9 hours of live coverage each weekday). WTVA has received 4 Emmys in the last 3 years!
Does your current employer invest in your career with training and consulting as if you were a network O & O? Heartland does, and you could soon be working with Magid consultants who partner with us to evolve our winning strategy. We may be market 133, but we play like the big leagues. You must be energetic, positive, passionate, competitive, possess strong motivational skills and exceed in recruiting and training across generations.
We live in a cultural hotbed for internationally recognized music, art, and literature. Elvis was born here. BB King played in the joints. Tennesse Williams, Faulkner, Grisham. 90 minutes from Memphis, 4 hours from Nashville; near competitive SEC universities (Alabama, Ole Miss and Mississippi State). The cost of living is low, and your generous compensation plan will give you more bang for your buck.
Click here to learn more and apply.
EOE
Morning Executive Producer, WFTV, Orlando, FL:
WFTV in Orlando has an immediate opportunity for a morning Executive Producer who will oversee the station’s strategy and execution of four hours of news on all platforms.
This is a chance to work in one of America’s best news markets at a station with all the tools to do the job. This position will have oversight of a team of producers, reporters, photographers, and digital staff. The successful candidate will also ensure that there is collaborative and effective news coverage and marketing across all platforms.
Previous success as an Executive Producer, and experience improving performance from metrics is a must. The successful candidate must be creative, able to work with a research-based framework. At least 3 years’ experience as an Executive Producer required.
To apply click here or email News Director MATT PARCELL: matt.parcell@wftv.com
News Management Openings:
ASSISTANT NEWS DIRECTOR:
WSNS-TV, Chicago, IL (relisted 8/19/18)
WXYZ-TV, Detroit, MI (listed 8/12/18)
WEWS-TV, Cleveland, OH (listed 7/15/18)
KOVR-TV, Sacramento, CA (listed 9/3/18)
KSDK-TV, St. Louis, MO (listed 8/26/18)
KTNV-TV, Las Vegas, NV (relisted 9/3/18)
WHAS-TV, Louisville, KY (listed 9/9/18)
WWL-TV, New Orleans, LA (relisted 9/3/18)
KYTX-TV, Tyler, TX (relisted 9/9/18)
KION-TV, Salinas/Monterey, CA (listed 8/19/18)
WALB-TV, Albany, GA (listed 8/5/18)
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER:
KNBC-TV, Los Angeles, CA (listed 7/29/18)
WUSA-TV, Washington, DC (Dayside EP, listed 9/9/18)
WGCL-TV, Atlanta, GA (AM EP, relisted 8/26/18)
KPNX-TV, Phoenix, AZ (AM EP, relisted 9/9/18)
KOMO-TV, Seattle, WA (PM EP, relisted this week)
KARE-TV, Minneapolis MN (listed 7/22/18)
WOIO-TV, Cleveland, OH (relisted 8/5/18)
WFTV, Orlando, FL (AM EP, listed 9/9/19, see ad above!)
WRTV, Indianapolis, IN (relisted 8/19/18)
KCTV, Kansas City, MO (AM EP, listing modified 7/15/18)
WTMJ-TV, Milwaukee, WI (PM EP, new listing 8/26/18)
WPTV, West Palm Beach, FL (TWO openings, AM & PM, listed 8/26/18)
KTNV-TV, Las Vegas, NV (released 9/9/18)
KVVU-TV, Las Vegas, NV (AM & PM EPs, relisted 8/19/18)
KOB-TV, Albuquerque, NM (listed 7/15/18)
WINK-TV, Ft. Myers, FL (TWO EP openings, listing revised 9/9/18)
WJXT-TV, Jacksonville, FL (AM EP, listed 9/3/18)
WIS-TV, Columbia, SC (relisted 8/19/18)
KREM-TV, Spokane, WA (listed 7/22/18)
WKOW-TV, Madison, WI (Senior EP, relisted 7/22/18)
WCTV, Tallahassee, FL (relisted 8/12/18)
MANAGING EDITOR:
WMAQ-TV, Chicago, IL (relisted 8/19/18)
OTHER NEWS MANAGEMENT OPENINGS:
Listed 9/3/18:
WCPO-TV, Cincinnati, OH (Senior Manager of Editorial Content)
Listed 8/26/18:
WBTV, Charlotte, NC (Digital Content Manager)
WTVF-TV, Nashville, TN (Digital Content Manager)
Listed 8/19/18:
E.W. Scripps, Denver, CO (Director of National News Content)
WTTG-TV, Washington, DC (Senior Digital Producer)
WTTG-TV, Washington, DC (Planning Editor)
WMC-TV, Memphis, TN (Digital Content Manager)
Obituary:
GLENN MAXHAM, a long-ago news director and anchor for KBJR-TV in Duluth, MN, died Monday of natural causes at the age of 88. He worked for several other stations, as well as the PBS station there, and spent much of his life advocating for the environment, especially Lake Superior. Learn more about an interesting life here.
Names in the News (and other items):
WPMT-TV in Harrisburg, PA, has promoted SARAH BROJACK to Senior Producer. It’s part of the station’s expansion of its morning newscast to six hours. Sarah has been a producer at this FOX affiliate since 2017, and previously worked at WCTI-TV in New Bern, NC.

Lord
Longtime newsman and general manager BILL LORD has NOT (as he told me via email) been completely wasting his retirement years on the beach. He’s written 50 Years after Vietnam about the lessons he learned as an infantry sergeant. Click here to read more about the book and a link to where you can buy it. In addition to his time as a network correspondent, Bill was an ND in Los Angeles, Washington, Seattle, and Nashville.

Dugle
Another former news director has written a book. DAWN DUGLE is the author of “The BRAVO! Way: Building a Southern Restaurant Dynasty.” This article tells you about Dawn’s current career, how the book came about and also tells you where you can buy it. Dawn returned to Mississippi after leaving TV, where she worked as an ND in Ft. Smith, AR, and in newsrooms in Tampa, Milwaukee, Austin, TX, and Jackson, MS.
General Manager News and Notes:
Nothing to report this week.
Our Full List of Open ND Jobs:
Here’s our list of open ND jobs as of Sunday, September 16, 2018:
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
Verizon Fios 1 News 800 Westchester Avenue, Rye Brook, NY 10573
WGN-TV, 2501 West Bradley Place, Chicago, IL 60618
KXAS-TV 4805 Amon Carter Blvd. Fort Worth, TX 76155
WUSA-TV 4100 Wisconsin Ave NW Washington DC 20016
WUVG-TV 3350 Peachtree Road #1250, Atlanta, GA 30326 **
KNXV-TV 515 N 44th St, Phoenix, AZ 85008
KIRO-TV 2807 Third Ave., Seattle WA 98121
KUVS-TV 1710 Arden Way, Sacramento CA 95815 **
KDKA-TV 420 Fort Duquesne Blvd., #100 Pittsburgh, PA 15222
WTNH-TV 8 Elm St. New Haven CT 06510
KCTV 4500 Shawnee Mission Pkwy. Fairway, KS 66205
KBLR-TV 5000 West OakeySuite B2 Las Vegas, NV 89102 **
KSNV-TV 1500 Foremaster Lane Las Vegas, NV 89101
WTKR-TV 720 Boush Street Norfolk, VA 23510
KOTV 303 N. Boston Ave. Tulsa, OK 74103
WHIO-TV 1611 S Main St, Dayton, OH 45409
KCCI-TV 888 9th St. Des Moines, Iowa 50309
WFRV-TV 1181 E Mason Street. Green Bay, WI 54301
KHQ-TV 1201 W. Sprague Ave. Spokane, WA 99201
WOWT-TV 3501 Farnam St, Omaha, NE 68131
WACH-TV 1400 Pickens Street, Suite 600, Columbia, SC 29201
KKTV 520 E. Colorado Colorado Springs, CO 80903
KYTX-TV 2211 ESE Loop 323 Tyler, TX 75701
WFFT-TV 3707 Hillegas RD Ft. Wayne IN 46807
WRBL-TV 1350 13th Ave. Columbus, GA 31901
KIII-TV 5002 South Padre Island Dr. Corpus Christi, TX 78411
KHSL/KNVN-TV 3460 Silverbell Rd. Chico, CA 95973
WTVA-TV P.O. Box 320 Tupelo, MS 38802 (see ad above!)
KRCG-TV, 10188 Old Highway 54 North. New Bloomfield, MO 65063
WTWO-TV PO Box 9268 Terre Haute, IN 47808
KPVI-TV 902 E Sherman St, Pocatello, ID 83201
KMVT-TV 1100 Blue Lakes Blvd N. Twin Falls, ID 83301
WABG-TV 849 Washington Ave. Greenville MS 38701
**: Spanish language station