Rick Gevers & Associates

June 22, 2026

Greetings:

Thanks to those of you who reached out with tips after a slow week of news last time. Thanks to our readers, we have lots of news this week.

TWO new news directors were named this week, with TWO new openings

Our count of ND openings grows to 24.

TWO obituaries, including one of a former two-time network correspondent who was a key character in a (to me, at least) fascinating 1977 magazine article called The Great St. Louis Street Fight. (Fascinating to me because I started working in St. Louis shortly after it was published.)

Again this week, NO general manager changes that I am aware of.

Also this week:

• Near record attendance at this week’s IRE convention. It’s always a great conference and terrific to see old friends and meet new ones.
• Members chose new board of director members, with a growing representation by broadcasters.
• The conference was not without controversy coming out of an NBC meeting on Wednesday.
• A local newspaper goes in-depth on DuJUAN McCOY, head of Circle City Broadcasting which owns TWO Indianapolis TV stations.
• And we have news about managers taking new jobs.

A reminder, again, that we always welcome your tips about items worthy of inclusion. Let me hear from you!

We’ll be back next week.

Newly Named News Directors:

Gibilisco

KREM-TV, Spokane, WA…STEPHANIE RUIZ GIBILISCO returns to this Tegna/CBS affiliate as its next ND. Here’s the memo from Tegna’s JULIE WOLFE, VP/Content West. Stephanie’s been working out of TV for the last three years, but earlier had been both Assistant ND and EP there. Stephanie’s also worked in Omaha, Tucson, and Lincoln, NE. At KREM, she replaces JESSIE KANE who decided to step away from local news. She was ND here for six years.

WLFI-TV, Lafayette, IN…according to her Linkedin page, JANICE O’SHEA is the new news director for this recently acquired by Gray Media CBS affiliate. She’s also worked in Indianapolis.

New News Director Openings:

Tracey

KGO-TV, San Francisco, CA…TRACEY WATKOWSI is leaving this ABC o-and-o after 14 years as news director and an earlier seven years as the Assistant ND. Here are the memos that GM DAVID WURTZEL and Tracy sent the staff. Her time at KGO was split by her 5 1/2 years as ND for sister o-and-o KFSN-TV in Fresno. She also worked in Philadelphia, Cincinnati, and at CNN in Atlanta.

Dancy

KNBN-TV, Rapid City, SD…CHRIS DANCY is retiring after just over ten years at this Forum Communications NBC affiliate. He began his career working for NBC NewsChannel, both in Charlotte and the Washington bureau for more than ten years. and spent the next 14 years working in PR for two aviation associations. Some of you may remember Chris’ father, JOHN DANCY, a longtime NBC correspondent.

Help Wanted Ads:

No ads this week. There’s no better place to advertise your news management openings. Email me for details.

News Management Openings:

ASSISTANT NEWS DIRECTOR:

WFAA-TV, Dallas, TX (listed 5/25/26)
KTXL-TV, Sacramento, CA (listed 6/7/26)
WCNC-TV, Charlotte, NC listed 5/25/26)
WVTM-TV, Birmingham, AL (relisted 5/17/26)
WMBD-TV, Peoria, IL (relisted 5/25/26)

EXECUTIVE PRODUCER:

WPIX-TV, New York, NY (Digital EP, listed 5/10/26)
KHOU-TV, Houston, TX (relisted 5/17/26)
WMUR-TV, Manchester, NH (Boston market) (listed 5/17/26)
KRON-TV, San Francisco, CA (relisted 6/21/26)
WFLA-TV, Tampa, FL (listed 6/7/26)
WFTS-TV, Tampa, FL (listed 4/19/26)
KXTV, Sacramento, CA (relisted 5/17/26)
WNCN-TV, Raleigh, NC (Lifestyle Show EP, listed 6/7/26)
KSDK-TV, St. Louis, MO (relisted 5/17/26)
WBAL-TV, Baltimore, MD (listed 5/17/26)
WTIC-TV, Hartford, CT (listed 6/21/26)
WCPO-TV, Cincinnati, OH (relisted 4/19/26)
WXIX-TV, Cincinnati, OH (listed 6/21/26)
WPBF-TV, W. Palm Beach, FL (listed 5/17/26)
WVEC-TV, Norfolk, VA (relisted 5/17/26)
KOCO-TV, Oklahoma City, OK (listed 5/17/26)
WWL-TV, New Orleans, LA (relisted 5/17/26)
WREG-TV, Memphis, TN (listed 6/7/26)
WBBH-TV, Ft. Myers, FL (listed 5/17/26)
WGRZ-TV, Buffalo, NY (relisted 5/17/26)
KTHV-TV, Little Rock, AR (relisted 5/17/26)
KARK/KLRT-TV, Little Rock, AR (Morning EP, relisted 6/21/26)
KJRH-TV, Tulsa, OK (listed 4/19/26)
KCCI-TV, Des Moines, IA (listed 5/17/26)
WFXR/WWCW-TV, Roanoke, VA (listed 6/7/26)
WBTW-TV, Myrtle Beach, SC (Digital EP, listed 5/25/26)
KYTX-TV, Tyler, TX (listed 6/21/26)
KRIS-TV, Corpus Christi, TX (relisted 5/17/26)
KBMT-TV, Beaumont, TX (relisted 5/17/26)
KWES-TV, Midland, TX (listed 6/14/26)
WETM-TV, Elmira, NY (Digital EP, listed 5/2/26)

MANAGING EDITOR:

WCBD-TV, Charleston, SC (listed 6/7/26)

Other News Management Openings:

Relisted 4/19/26:

KXAN-TV, Austin, TX (Digital Director)

Listed 5/31/26:

Hubbard DC, Washington, DC (Market President)

Listed 5/25/26:

KOMU-TV, Columbia, MO (General Manager)
Arizona PBS, Phoenix, AZ (Dir. of News & Public Affairs)
WPTV, West Palm Beach, FL (Executive Reporter)

Listed 5/3/26:

WRAL-TV, Raleigh, NC (Senior Producer, Nighttime Newscast)
WRAL-TV, Raleigh, NC (Newscast Producer)

Relisted 4/19/26:

KMGH-TV, Denver, CO (Digital Director)

Listed 4/12/26:

University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK (GM of Student Broadcast Media and Instructor)

Obituaries:

Ryan

Our Monday update reported the passing of former Post-Newsweek CEO BILL RYAN. He was 85 when he died last April. Bill was twice GM for WPLG-TV in Miami when PNS owned it, and was also a past chair of NAB. He also played professional baseball. Old friend STEVE WASSERMAN, who worked for Bill at Post-Newsweek, passed along these fun facts about his friend.

Gilmour

SANDY GILMOUR, who worked for CBS and NBC News, as well as local stations in St. Louis and Salt Lake City, died Tuesday from complications following a heart procedure. He was 83. More details about his career in this obituary. And he was a featured character in a 1977 St. Louis Magazine story called the Great St. Louis Street Fight. It’s a long but VERY entertaining read about a huge shift in St. Louis television.

Names in the News (and other stuff):

It’s always great to see so many news directors at the annual IRE conference, held this week in National Harbor, MD. Attendance this year topped 1,900 people, close to the record set in 2019 in Houston. A shout-out to Gray Media which sent more than 175 employees there.

IRE voters elected seven new members to the board of directors and the group is close to announcing a new executive director to succeed the late DIANA FUENTES.

A statement made at the conference by NBC executive ANZIO WILLIAMS about his company’s relationship with the Trump administration also made news. Anzio told me his comments were taken out of context. More about his remarks and a longer response from him in this story from The Daily Beast.

McCoy

The Indianapolis Star has this detailed profile of DuJUAN McCOY, owner of Indianapolis based Circle City Broadcasting. An Indianapolis native, DuJuan bought WISH-TV (CW) from Nexstar in 2019 and purchased WRTV (ABC) from Scripps in March, pledging to increase local content. But he was widely criticized for firing almost all the WRTV employees, though a few have since been rehired. Interestingly, he would not talk to the Star for its story.

Some personnel moves:

Vap

Veteran investigative journalist NICOLE VAP starts a week from tomorrow as the Public Affairs Editor at Colorado Public Radio. She wrote about her new job on Linkedin. She spent much of her career at KUSA-TV in Denver before becoming EP of Content Development for CBS News and Stations though CBS eliminated her job three years later. She’s also worked in Phoenix, Green Bay, and Austin, MN.

Yarbro

LATONYA YARBRO moves to WFAA-TV (Tegna/ABC) as the morning executive producer. Here’s the note from ND LESLIE McCARDEL to the staff. She’s been the nightside EP for KMOV-TV (Gray/CBS) in St. Louis and has also worked in Indianapolis.

General Manager News and Notes:

I’m not aware of any GM changes again this week. As always, appreciate your tips.

Our List of Open News Director Jobs:

Here’s our list of open ND jobs as of Sunday, June 21, 2026:

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

WPVI-TV 4100 City Ave, Philadelphia, PA 19131
KGO-TV 900 Front St, San Francisco, CA 94111
KMGH-TV 2323 Delgany St, Denver, CO 80203
KSDK-TV 1001 Highlands Plaza Dr. St. Louis, MO 63110
WKRN-TV 441 Murfreesboro Pike Nashville, TN 37210
WBFF-TV 2000 W 41st St Baltimore, MD 21211
KOKH/KOCB-TV 1228 E. Wilshire Blvd. Oklahoma City, OK 73111
WLKY-TV 1918 Mellwood Ave. Louisville, KY 40206
WGNO-TV 1 Galleria Blvd, Suite 850 Metairie LA 70001
KOKI-TV 2625 S Memorial Dr, Tulsa, OK 74129
KAKE-TV 1500 N. West St. Wichita, KS 67203
KLEW-TV 2626 17th St, Lewiston, ID 83501
KNVO-TV, 801 North Jackson Rd., McAllen TX 78501 **
KCEN-TV 215 N. 3rd Street Temple, TX 76501
KKTV 3100 N Nevada Ave, Ste B, Colorado Springs, CO 80907
WSIL-TV 1416 Country Aire Drive Carterville, IL 62918
WHBF-TV 231 18th St. Rock Island, IL 61201
KNDU-TV 3312 W. Kennewick Ave. Kennewick, WA 99336
WCBI-TV 201 5th Street South Columbus, MS 39701
KRIS-TV 301 Artesian Street Corpus Christi, TX 78401
KBMT-TV 525 Interstate 10 South, Beaumont, TX 77701
KIFI-TV 1915 N Yellowstone Hwy Idaho Falls, ID 83401
KNBN-TV 510 North Cambell Suite 8 Rapid City, SD 57701
KAVU-TV. 3808 N Navarro St. Victoria, TX 77901

**: Spanish language station

June 14, 2026

Monday, June 15th, 2026 UPDATE:

Greetings:

TWO stories in today’s UPDATE: A veteran top ten market o-and-o ND has left her station, and an obituary for a former Post-Newsweek executive.

  Tracey 

After more than 14 years as news director for ABCs KGO-TV in San Francisco, TRACEY WATKOWSKI (SILVA) has left the station. Here are the notes GM DAVID WURTZEL and Tracey sent the staff. Tracey was in her second stint at KGO, having been the AND there before a 5 1/2 year run as the ND at sister ABC o-and-0 KFSN-TV in Fresno. As is true of all of us, she had stops at a few other places along the way as detailed in her Linkedin page.

Ryan

And we just learned today (thanks to a tip from a loyal reader) that BILL RYAN died a few weeks ago. He was 85 when he passed away on April 26th. Bill was the CEO of Post-Newsweek Stations (now Graham Media Group) and was twice the GM for WPLG-TV in Miami when PNS owned it. He also served a term as chair of NAB. You may not have known that he was also a professional baseball player, as a pitcher in the Milwaukee Brewers organization. More details in this obituary.

As I mentioned in last night’s newsletter, I’ll be at IRE in National Harbor this weekend, and hope to see many of you there.

regards,

Rick Gevers

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

Greetings:

We’re a little early again this week, not, this time, because of our attendance at an IndyCar race in St. Louis, because of a VERY slow week of news.

Hopefully we can find some news as we’ll be attending the annual IRE conference in National Harbor, MD, this week, and hope to see many of you there.

On to business:

NO new news directors were named this week, with NO news openings, to the best of my knowledge.

Our count of ND openings stays at 23.

BARRY NASH returns with a post suggesting your lead anchor talent should play a role similar to a football quarterback.

No help wanted ads, NO obituaries, and NO new GM changes.

I told you it was slow!

And there was not a lot of news.

• Powerhouse Raleigh station WRAL-TV has a new documentary looking a news deserts around both the country and North Carolina.
• A defamation suit against a Michigan NBC affiliate is one step closer to a jury trial.
• There are TWO new assistants NDs to tell you about.
• And a former top ten market ND retires after 28 years in his second career: public relations.

Always welcome your tips about items worthy of inclusion. Let me hear from you!

See you next week, hopefully with more content.

Newly Named News Directors:

I am not aware of any new hires. Always happy to hear from you if you know about something I missed.

New News Director Openings:

I am not aware of any new openings. Always happy to hear from you if you know about something I missed.

Help Wanted Ads:

No ads this week. There’s no better place to advertise your news management openings. Email me for details.

News Management Openings:

ASSISTANT NEWS DIRECTOR:

WFAA-TV, Dallas, TX (listed 5/25/26)
KTXL-TV, Sacramento, CA (listed 6/7/26)
WCNC-TV, Charlotte, NC listed 5/25/26)
WVTM-TV, Birmingham, AL (relisted 5/17/26)
WMBD-TV, Peoria, IL (relisted 5/25/26)

EXECUTIVE PRODUCER:

WPIX-TV, New York, NY (Digital EP, listed 5/10/26)
KHOU-TV, Houston, TX (relisted 5/17/26)
WMUR-TV, Manchester, NH (Boston market) (listed 5/17/26)
KRON-TV, San Francisco, CA (listed 4/12/26)
WFLA-TV, Tampa, FL (listed 6/7/26)
WFTS-TV, Tampa, FL (listed 4/19/26)
KXTV, Sacramento, CA (relisted 5/17/26)
WNCN-TV, Raleigh, NC (Lifestyle Show EP, listed 6/7/26)
KSDK-TV, St. Louis, MO (relisted 5/17/26)
WBAL-TV, Baltimore, MD (listed 5/17/26)
WCPO-TV, Cincinnati, OH (relisted 4/19/26)
WPBF-TV, W. Palm Beach, FL (listed 5/17/26)
WVEC-TV, Norfolk, VA (relisted 5/17/26)
KOCO-TV, Oklahoma City, OK (listed 5/17/26)
WWL-TV, New Orleans, LA (relisted 5/17/26)
WREG-TV, Memphis, TN (listed 6/7/26)
WBBH-TV, Ft. Myers, FL (listed 5/17/26)
WGRZ-TV, Buffalo, NY (relisted 5/17/26)
KTHV-TV, Little Rock, AR (relisted 5/17/26)
KARK/KLRT-TV, Little Rock, AR (Morning EP, relisted 3/29/26)
KJRH-TV, Tulsa, OK (listed 4/19/26)
KCCI-TV, Des Moines, IA (listed 5/17/26)
WFXR/WWCW-TV, Roanoke, VA (listed 6/7/26)
WBTW-TV, Myrtle Beach, SC (Digital EP, listed 5/25/26)
KRIS-TV, Corpus Christi, TX (relisted 5/17/26)
KBMT-TV, Beaumont, TX (relisted 5/17/26)
KWES-TV, Midland, TX (listed 6/14/26)
WETM-TV, Elmira, NY (Digital EP, listed 5/2/26)

MANAGING EDITOR:

WCBD-TV, Charleston, SC (listed 6/7/26)

Other News Management Openings:

Listed 5/31/26:

Hubbard DC, Washington, DC (Market President)

Listed 5/25/26:

KOMU-TV, Columbia, MO (General Manager)
Arizona PBS, Phoenix, AZ (Dir. of News & Public Affairs)
WPTV, West Palm Beach, FL (Executive Reporter)

Listed 5/3/26:

WRAL-TV, Raleigh, NC (Senior Producer, Nighttime Newscast)
WRAL-TV, Raleigh, NC (Newscast Producer)

Relisted 4/19/26:

KMGH-TV, Denver, CO (Digital Director)
KXAN-TV, Austin, TX (Digital Director)

Listed 4/12/26:

University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK (GM of Student Broadcast Media and Instructor)

Names in the News (and other stuff):

WRAL-TV in Raleigh continues to produce local documentaries. The latest: a look at news deserts nationally and across North Carolina and what it means. WRAL is, of course an NBC affiliate owned by Capitol Broadcasting Company.

The defamation lawsuit filed against Nexstar Broadcasting and its Grand Rapids, MI, NBC affiliate WOOD-TV, is one step closer to a jury trial. That after a settlement conference failed to reach an agreement. Two former news managers are the plaintiffs. More details in this story from TheDesk.net.

Two new assistant news directors to report:

WILLIAM NEGRON has been promoted at Univision’s KMEX-TV in Los Angeles, while LAUREN SATHER gets bumped up at Tegna’s KVUE-TV (ABC) in Austin, TX.

Kraft

Congratulations to former WXYZ-TV (Detroit) News Director WALTER KRAFT who is retiring after 17 years as VP/Communications at Eastern Michigan University. Walter worked at WXYZ for almost 20 years, the last six as ND, before moving to PR. His Linkedin post has more.

Finally, thanks to those of you who reached out with a kind word after we shared that we lost one of the Associates, LOLA the cat. the week before. Obviously we have a lot of animal lovers among the readership. I took this poignant picture a few weeks and shared it with a few responders who liked it.

General Manager News and Notes:

I’m not aware of any GM changes again this week. As always, appreciate your tips.

Our List of Open News Director Jobs:

Here’s our list of open ND jobs as of Sunday, June 14, 2026:

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

WPVI-TV 4100 City Ave, Philadelphia, PA 19131
KMGH-TV 2323 Delgany St, Denver, CO 80203
KSDK-TV 1001 Highlands Plaza Dr. St. Louis, MO 63110
WKRN-TV 441 Murfreesboro Pike Nashville, TN 37210
WBFF-TV 2000 W 41st St Baltimore, MD 21211
KOKH/KOCB-TV 1228 E. Wilshire Blvd. Oklahoma City, OK 73111
WLKY-TV 1918 Mellwood Ave. Louisville, KY 40206
WGNO-TV 1 Galleria Blvd, Suite 850 Metairie LA 70001
KOKI-TV 2625 S Memorial Dr, Tulsa, OK 74129
KREM-TV 4103 S Regal St Spokane WA 99223
KAKE-TV 1500 N. West St. Wichita, KS 67203
KLEW-TV 2626 17th St, Lewiston, ID 83501
KNVO-TV, 801 North Jackson Rd., McAllen TX 78501 **
KCEN-TV 215 N. 3rd Street Temple, TX 76501
KKTV 3100 N Nevada Ave, Ste B, Colorado Springs, CO 80907
WSIL-TV 1416 Country Aire Drive Carterville, IL 62918
WHBF-TV 231 18th St. Rock Island, IL 61201
KNDU-TV 3312 W. Kennewick Ave. Kennewick, WA 99336
WCBI-TV 201 5th Street South Columbus, MS 39701
KRIS-TV 301 Artesian Street Corpus Christi, TX 78401
KBMT-TV 525 Interstate 10 South, Beaumont, TX 77701
KIFI-TV 1915 N Yellowstone Hwy Idaho Falls, ID 83401
KAVU-TV. 3808 N Navarro St. Victoria, TX 77901

**: Spanish language station

June 7, 2026

Greetings:

We’re a little early this week. Do not get used to it. (But if there was an IndyCar race in St. Louis every Sunday night like there is tonight…) 9:00 PM Eastern on Fox.

You can look for me in the stands but it would be easier to find Waldo. 🙂

TWO new news directors were named this week, with NO openings, to the best of my knowledge.

Our count of ND openings drops to 23.

There are TWO paid help wanted ads this week: one for an ND job in the Midwest and an unusual (and lucrative) job in DC.

And it was a busy week with lots of news.

• You may have missed CBS News’ fair coverage of the firing of SCOTT PELLEY.
• A veteran broadcaster assigns blame to both sides in the CBS turmoil.
• You can bet good money that the Editor at Large of TVNewscheck is not a fan of FCC Chair BRENDAN CARR.
• No surprise here: duopolies are growing (duh!) and stations are changing the way they are branding them.
• A former ND advances to the general election in a California Congressional primary, and has some thoughts about the difference between being on the ballot and covering ballots.
• We have an interesting look at Murrow awards and a change in the ownership of the winners.
• A retiring ND is honored with a proclamation from his local government.
• And we’ll tell you why it’s been a sad weekend at the world headquarters.

See you next week!

Newly Named News Directors:

Dahl

KIRO-TV, Seattle, WA…our Tuesday UPDATE brought first word that JENNIFER DAHL would be the next ND for this Cox Media/CBS affiliate. (That might have been overshadowed by the SCOTT PELLEY firing moments after we posted.) Here’s the note from GM PAT NEVIN. Jen’s a former ND in Phoenix and Salt Lake City who’s been working as an agent and consultant for the last few years. She replaces LAURA EVANS who left in April after three years.

Fulmer

WAVE-TV, Louisville, KY…according to his Linkedin page, BARRY FULMER has assumed ND responsibilities for this NBC affiliate. Barry’s been the ND for WDRB-TV (FOX) in Louisville. Gray, which owns WAVE, recently acquired WDRB from Block Communications. Barry’s in his second stint at WDRB, spending 17 years there before moving to WCPO-TV in Cincinnati in 2022. He returned three years later.

Updating last week’s story about WXXV-TV in Gulfport, MS: We told you that CASEY DUCRE has been promoted to ND for this Morris Multimedia operation: We did not know…at the time…who she replaced. Thanks to a tip from a loyal reader, we now know that Casey replaces GRANT CIGHIZOLA who had been an anchor there before his promotion. Grant’s bio is still on the station website, though, and his Linkedin page still lists him as news director.

New News Director Openings:

I am not aware of any new openings. Always happy to hear from you if you know about something I missed.

Help Wanted Ads:

Market President, Hubbard DC, Washington, DC:

Hubbard DC, which includes WTOP, Federal News Network and 2060 Digital, is committed to reporting relevant news for the DC region. Through continuously evolving brands, we connect consumers with advertisers across a growing number of distribution platforms including radio, podcasts, social media, and websites. We do this with a commitment to our community…while growing our people and profits.

Hubbard DC is looking for a new Market President to take the reigns after the incumbent retires later this year after over 30 years with the station group. We are looking for someone who can:

• Lead the market as its senior executive
• Champion uncompromising news integrity and public trust
• Lead a high‑performing executive team
• Own the market’s strategic plan
• Drive sustained revenue and profitability
• Maintain full P&L and financial management responsibility
• Oversee integrated market operations
• Ensure regulatory compliance and risk management
• Serve as the senior market representative

This highly compensated role has a salary range of $300,000 to $600,000 plus bonuses based upon experience. To see the full job description including qualifications and to apply for this unique opportunity, please follow this link:

Market President Posting

To learn more about Hubbard Broadcasting, please follow this link:

Home – Hubbard Broadcasting

News Director, KAKE-TV, Wichita, KS:

KAKE and KAKE.com, Wichita’s legacy ABC affiliate, has an immediate opening for a News Director to lead a dedicated team of journalists and photojournalists in one of America’s most livable cities. Our current News Director is relocating this summer, creating this rare opportunity with a family-owned broadcast company.

KAKE produces 40+ hours of local television news each week and embraces a screen-agnostic approach to coverage through our website, two mobile apps, streaming video channels, broadcast television stations, and social media platforms and, as a result, enjoys a leadership position in the market with digital audience engagement.

The successful candidate will have a proven track record of audience growth and will understand how to best utilize our social media and digital platforms to that end.

We are committed to excellence in journalism. The primary responsibility of the News Director is to oversee all aspects of our news operation and ensure all KAKE journalists are timely, accurate, and unbiased in their reporting on all platforms. We seek someone who shares that expectation of excellence and can demonstrate their ability to lead strong teams.

You’ll lead efforts to build, train, inspire and retain a top-notch staff of diverse, competitive, driven high-performers. You’ll need to be aggressive in adjusting resources to meet the demand of a shifting local news marketplace.

Interested candidates can apply to:

Mark Kurtz
Corporate Director of News
Lockwood Broadcast Group
mkurtz@lockwoodbroadcast.com

No telephone calls please

News Management Openings:

ASSISTANT NEWS DIRECTOR:

WFAA-TV, Dallas, TX (listed 5/25/26)
KTXL-TV, Sacramento, CA (listed 6/7/26)
KGW-TV, Portland, OR (listed 5/25/26)
WCNC-TV, Charlotte, NC listed 5/25/26)
WVTM-TV, Birmingham, AL (relisted 5/17/26)
WMBD-TV, Peoria, IL (relisted 5/25/26)

EXECUTIVE PRODUCER:

WPIX-TV, New York, NY (Digital EP, listed 5/10/26)
KHOU-TV, Houston, TX (relisted 5/17/26)
WMUR-TV, Manchester, NH (Boston market) (listed 5/17/26)
KRON-TV, San Francisco, CA (listed 4/12/26)
WFLA-TV, Tampa, FL (listed 6/7/26)
WFTS-TV, Tampa, FL (listed 4/19/26)
KXTV, Sacramento, CA (relisted 5/17/26)
WNCN-TV, Raleigh, NC (Lifestyle Show EP, listed 6/7/26)
KSDK-TV, St. Louis, MO (relisted 5/17/26)
WBAL-TV, Baltimore, MD (listed 5/17/26)
WCPO-TV, Cincinnati, OH (relisted 4/19/26)
WPBF-TV, W. Palm Beach, FL (listed 5/17/26)
WVEC-TV, Norfolk, VA (relisted 5/17/26)
KOCO-TV, Oklahoma City, OK (listed 5/17/26)
WWL-TV, New Orleans, LA (relisted 5/17/26)
WREG-TV, Memphis, TN (listed 6/7/26)
WBBH-TV, Ft. Myers, FL (listed 5/17/26)
WGRZ-TV, Buffalo, NY (relisted 5/17/26)
KTHV-TV, Little Rock, AR (relisted 5/17/26)
KARK/KLRT-TV, Little Rock, AR (Morning EP, relisted 3/29/26)
KJRH-TV, Tulsa, OK (listed 4/19/26)
KCCI-TV, Des Moines, IA (listed 5/17/26)
WFXR/WWCW-TV, Roanoke, VA (listed 6/7/26)
WBTW-TV, Myrtle Beach, SC (Digital EP, listed 5/25/26)
KRIS-TV, Corpus Christi, TX (relisted 5/17/26)
KBMT-TV, Beaumont, TX (relisted 5/17/26)
WETM-TV, Elmira, NY (Digital EP, listed 5/2/26)

MANAGING EDITOR:

WCBD-TV, Charleston, SC (listed 6/7/26)

Other News Management Openings:

Listed 5/25/26:

KOMU-TV, Columbia, MO (General Manager)
Arizona PBS, Phoenix, AZ (Dir. of News & Public Affairs)

Listed 5/3/26:

WRAL-TV, Raleigh, NC (Senior Producer, Nighttime Newscast)
WRAL-TV, Raleigh, NC (Newscast Producer)

Relisted 4/19/26:

KMGH-TV, Denver, CO (Digital Director)
KXAN-TV, Austin, TX (Digital Director)

Listed 4/12/26:

University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK (GM of Student Broadcast Media and Instructor)

Names in the News (and other stuff):

Pelley

You likely know by now that CBS News fired SCOTT PELLEY this week, but (if the ratings are to be believed) you may not have seen its praiseworthy coverage of the issue on the CBS Evening News.

Veteran broadcaster HANK PRICE brings his perspective on the turmoil at CBS News, saying there’s blame on both sides, and points to the transition from Cronkite to Rather as a successful way to bring change.

TVNewsCheck Editor at Large HARRY A. JESSEL exorciates FCC Chair BRENDAN CARR, calling him a political hack and the master of the empty threat.

Here’s an interesting look at the growth of duopolies (which are only likely to increase with consolidation.) It suggests that stations are increasingly branding multiple stations with one name.

An example: Spokane, where Morgan Murphy’s KXLY-TV will operate FOX affiliate KAYU-TV under a common branding.

An interesting development from New Jersey, where Montclair State University will take over operations of four PBS stations in the state, saving them from a likely shutdown. The University’s news release is here, and Wikipedia has this long and detailed history of how this came about.

Cohen

Retired news director turned politician STEVE COHEN advanced in a primary this week in his bid for the Congressional seat in California’s 50th district. Democrat SCOTT PETERS received about 47% of the vote with Steve, running as a Republican, coming in second at 44% in the state’s jungle primary. They’ll face off in November. Before the election, Steve shared these thoughts about being ON the ballot as opposed to reporting on results.

Varner

Retired news director turned blogger KIRK VARNER (who may have more spare time on his hands than I do) put some of that time to good use with an interesting study on his TVND.com website. He analyzed the ownership of the stations who won Murrow Awards this year and found some interesting changes over the past. Check it out here.

Tucker

And retired (as of Friday) news director ELBERT TUCKER‘s 42 year long career in our industry ended Friday when he left Nexstar’s WKRN-TV (ABC) in Nashville. We told you in March that he was retiring. New this edition: Elbert received a proclamation from Nashville’s Metro Council. He was ND here for ten years, and earlier had been an ND in Indianapolis, Columbus, OH, and Cincinnati and worked in several other markets.

Finally, sorry to share that we lost one of the Associates this week. We made the always difficult decision to euthanize LOLA after she suffered what the vet believes was a cerebral issue Friday. We inherited Lola from my wife’s brother when he passed away in 2023, becoming the third member of the family to host her. No one is quite sure of her age, but we’re guessing between 15-18 years old. She was a mellow animal with the unusual habit of liking to drink from a bathroom faucet, which always resulted in her head becoming soaked!

General Manager News and Notes:

I’m not aware of any GM changes this week. As always, appreciate your tips.

Our List of Open News Director Jobs:

Here’s our list of open ND jobs as of Sunday, June 7, 2026:

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

WPVI-TV 4100 City Ave, Philadelphia, PA 19131
KMGH-TV 2323 Delgany St, Denver, CO 80203
KSDK-TV 1001 Highlands Plaza Dr. St. Louis, MO 63110
WKRN-TV 441 Murfreesboro Pike Nashville, TN 37210
WBFF-TV 2000 W 41st St Baltimore, MD 21211
KOKH/KOCB-TV 1228 E. Wilshire Blvd. Oklahoma City, OK 73111
WLKY-TV 1918 Mellwood Ave. Louisville, KY 40206
WGNO-TV 1 Galleria Blvd, Suite 850 Metairie LA 70001
KOKI-TV 2625 S Memorial Dr, Tulsa, OK 74129
KREM-TV 4103 S Regal St Spokane WA 99223
KAKE-TV 1500 N. West St. Wichita, KS 67203 (see ad above!)
KLEW-TV 2626 17th St, Lewiston, ID 83501
KNVO-TV, 801 North Jackson Rd., McAllen TX 78501 **
KCEN-TV 215 N. 3rd Street Temple, TX 76501
KKTV 3100 N Nevada Ave, Ste B, Colorado Springs, CO 80907
WSIL-TV 1416 Country Aire Drive Carterville, IL 62918
WHBF-TV 231 18th St. Rock Island, IL 61201
KNDU-TV 3312 W. Kennewick Ave. Kennewick, WA 99336
WCBI-TV 201 5th Street South Columbus, MS 39701
KRIS-TV 301 Artesian Street Corpus Christi, TX 78401
KBMT-TV 525 Interstate 10 South, Beaumont, TX 77701
KIFI-TV 1915 N Yellowstone Hwy Idaho Falls, ID 83401
KAVU-TV. 3808 N Navarro St. Victoria, TX 77901

**: Spanish language station

May 31, 2026

Tuesday, June 2, 2026 UPDATE #2:

SCOTT PELLEY FIRED AT CBS NEWS!

Moments after our UPDATE (below) where we wondered how long SCOTT PELLEY would be around at 60 Minutes, The Wall Street Journal is reporting that Pelley has been fired ‘for cause’.

Will CBS Mornings cover this story?

regards,

Rick Gevers

Tuesday, June 2, 2026 UPDATE:

Greetings:

An ND opening in a top 15 market has been filled by someone who’s been out of a newsroom for more than four years…but still active in the business.

Dahl

JENNIFER DAHL will start June 15th as the next ND for Cox Media’s KIRO-TV (CBS) in Seattle. GM PAT NEVIN sent this note to the staff. Jen is a former ND in Phoenix (KTVK-TV) and Salt Lake City (KSL-TV), and held corporate jobs with Tribune, Local TV, and Sinclair. For the last few years, she’s been working as an agent and consultant. Her Linkedin page has more. Jen replaces LAURA EVANS who left in April after almost three years as ND.

On another issue, I’m sure you’ve heard about the contentious 60 Minutes staff meeting yesterday introducing new EP NICK BILTON. Several news organizations received audio recordings, but we have the video!

In a more serious vein, we offer this story from Variety. It points out the challenges 60 Minutes management will face in getting shows on the air this fall, since three (COOPER, ALFONSI and VEGA) of the show’s seven correspondents have left, in addition to several key producers. (And what’s the over/under on how long correspondent SCOTT PELLEY will be around?) UPDATE: Gone before the ink on this post had dried!

The Variety story also offers some educated guesses on the salary ranges for some of the 60 Minutes staff and the cost of putting a story together.

As too many bad reporters have said, only time will tell.

See you this weekend.

Rick Gevers

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

Greetings:

For a short week, this is a long newsletter with lots of news.

THREE new news directors were named again this week, with TWO openings.

Our count of ND openings stands at 25.

We have FOUR ads this week, TWO of them new, and ONE for a terrific opportunity in Washington, DC. We also have ads for these positions:

• A news director job at a legacy midwest station.
• The GM job at the University of Missouri’s KOMU-TV.
• Director of News and Public Affairs at Arizona’s PBS

And BARRY NASH and TIM HELLER, who have supported our efforts for years, are back with ads. Please check them out below.

There are THREE obituaries, including ONE for a former San Francisco ND and ONE for a 20 year ABC News producer with an unusual distinction.

But wait! There’s more!

• Big changes at 60 Minutes and the network is talking a lot of fire for several different moves, including telling is morning ‘newscast’ to ignore news about the network.
• A new CEO at Tegna and several upper management departures as the company await a court ruling on the proposed Nexstar acquisition.
• It’s awards week, apparently, with both RTDNA and NATAS revealing winners.
• And Sinclair names a new GM in Iowa.

See you next week!

Newly Named News Directors:

Olsen

WCIA-TV, Champaign, IL…veteran news director ERIC OLSEN is moving here to be closer to family, leaving another Nexstar station, WHBF-TV in Rock Island, IL. He’s a former ND in Norfolk and New Bern, NC, and has worked in Greensboro, Boston, Toledo, Louisville, Dayton, and Peoria, and began as a photographer in Decatur. Eric replaces new mom MAGGIE GRINESTAFF who left last month to spend more time with her two kids.

Wagner

KHGI, KPTM, KFXL-TV, Lincoln, Hastings, Kearney, NE…CHRISTIAN WAGNER is being promoted to ND for these stations, owned by Sinclair and branded as NTV Nebraska. General Manager JOHN HANNON passed along this note with more about Christian’s background and his new role. He’s been the Assistant News Director here since 2017. He replaces ANDREW DONLEY who spent 3+ years as ND here.

Ducre

WXXV-TV, Gulfport, MS…CASEY DUCRE has been promoted to ND for this Morris Multimedia operation: FOX, NBC, CW, and MyNetwork. She’s a 12 year veteran here, starting as a production assistant, then director, then production supervisor. My records show RICK BOONE left here in early 2025 after a restructuring. I reached out to Casey, asking if there was someone in between, but have not heard back.

New News Director Openings:

Williams

KAKE-TV, Wichita, KS…DAVID WILLIAMS is leaving this Lockwood Broadcasting owned ABC affiliate for family reasons. He will leave later this summer after five years as ND here. Earlier David was the ND for Lockwood’s WFXG-TV in Augusta, GA, was an ND in Lubbock and Lake Charles, and worked in Montgomery and Huntsville. Learn more about this opportunity in the Paid Help Wanted ad below.

WHBF-TV, Rock Island, IL…you learned above that ERIC OLSEN is leaving this Nexstar station to be closer to family as the new ND for Nexstar’s WCIA-TV in Champaign, IL. He’s been at WHBF for five years.

Help Wanted Ads:

Market President, Hubbard DC, Washington, DC:

Hubbard DC, which includes WTOP, Federal News Network and 2060 Digital, is committed to reporting relevant news for the DC region. Through continuously evolving brands, we connect consumers with advertisers across a growing number of distribution platforms including radio, podcasts, social media, and websites. We do this with a commitment to our community…while growing our people and profits.

Hubbard DC is looking for a new Market President to take the reigns after the incumbent retires later this year after over 30 years with the station group. We are looking for someone who can:

• Lead the market as its senior executive
• Champion uncompromising news integrity and public trust
• Lead a high‑performing executive team
• Own the market’s strategic plan
• Drive sustained revenue and profitability
• Maintain full P&L and financial management responsibility
• Oversee integrated market operations
• Ensure regulatory compliance and risk management
• Serve as the senior market representative

This highly compensated role has a salary range of $300,000 to $600,000 plus bonuses based upon experience. To see the full job description including qualifications and to apply for this unique opportunity, please follow this link:

Market President Posting

To learn more about Hubbard Broadcasting, please follow this link:

Home – Hubbard Broadcasting

News Director, KAKE-TV, Wichita, KS:

KAKE and KAKE.com, Wichita’s legacy ABC affiliate, has an immediate opening for a News Director to lead a dedicated team of journalists and photojournalists in one of America’s most livable cities. Our current News Director is relocating this summer, creating this rare opportunity with a family-owned broadcast company.

KAKE produces 40+ hours of local television news each week and embraces a screen-agnostic approach to coverage through our website, two mobile apps, streaming video channels, broadcast television stations, and social media platforms and, as a result, enjoys a leadership position in the market with digital audience engagement.

The successful candidate will have a proven track record of audience growth and will understand how to best utilize our social media and digital platforms to that end.

We are committed to excellence in journalism. The primary responsibility of the News Director is to oversee all aspects of our news operation and ensure all KAKE journalists are timely, accurate, and unbiased in their reporting on all platforms. We seek someone who shares that expectation of excellence and can demonstrate their ability to lead strong teams.

You’ll lead efforts to build, train, inspire and retain a top-notch staff of diverse, competitive, driven high-performers. You’ll need to be aggressive in adjusting resources to meet the demand of a shifting local news marketplace.

Interested candidates can apply to:

Mark Kurtz
Corporate Director of News
Lockwood Broadcast Group
mkurtz@lockwoodbroadcast.com

No telephone calls please

General Manager, KOMU-TV, Columbia, MO:

Director of News and Public Affairs, Arizona PBS:

Arizona PBS is expanding its news and public affairs content offering to better serve the fast-growing Phoenix and greater Arizona markets.

To do that, we’re looking for an experienced, strategic, and innovative Director of News and Public Affairs to lead our newsroom and public affairs content efforts across broadcast, digital, and emerging platforms.

The ideal candidate is a mission-driven newsroom leader who understands the evolving role of journalism, particularly that played by non-profit newsrooms and public media.

This is not a “business-as-usual” news leadership role. Our ideal hire must be an exceptional journalist, collaborative leader, and forward-thinking media professional who can guide teams through an evolving media landscape while maintaining the highest standards of editorial integrity.

The Director of News and Public Affairs will work closely with the Senior Director of Content to define and execute a strong editorial vision while leading a team of reporters, producers, editors, hosts, and student workers/interns.

Key priorities include growing digital news audiences, working with the Senior Director of Content to develop platform-specific content strategies, as well as collaboration and innovation with other non-profit news providers in Arizona.

Click here to apply at this link below before June 6.

News Management Openings:

ASSISTANT NEWS DIRECTOR:

WFAA-TV, Dallas, TX (listed 5/25/26)
KGW-TV, Portland, OR (listed 5/25/26)
WCNC-TV, Charlotte, NC listed 5/25/26)
WVTM-TV, Birmingham, AL (relisted 5/17/26)
WMBD-TV, Peoria, IL (relisted 5/25/26)

EXECUTIVE PRODUCER:

WPIX-TV, New York, NY (Digital EP, listed 5/10/26)
WPHL-TV, Philadelphia, PA (Digital Content EP, listed 4/26/26)
KHOU-TV, Houston, TX (relisted 5/17/26)
WMUR-TV, Manchester, NH (Boston market) (listed 5/17/26)
KRON-TV, San Francisco, CA (listed 4/12/26)
WFTS-TV, Tampa, FL (listed 4/19/26)
KXTV, Sacramento, CA (relisted 5/17/26)
KSDK-TV, St. Louis, MO (relisted 5/17/26)
KSTU-TV, Salt Lake City, UT (listed 4/19/26)
WBAL-TV, Baltimore, MD (listed 5/17/26)
WCPO-TV, Cincinnati, OH (relisted 4/19/26)
WPBF-TV, W. Palm Beach, FL (listed 5/17/26)
WVEC-TV, Norfolk, VA (relisted 5/17/26)
KOCO-TV, Oklahoma City, OK (listed 5/17/26)
WWL-TV, New Orleans, LA (relisted 5/17/26)
WBBH-TV, Ft. Myers, FL (listed 5/17/26)
WGRZ-TV, Buffalo, NY (relisted 5/17/26)
KTHV-TV, Little Rock, AR (relisted 5/17/26)
KARK/KLRT-TV, Little Rock, AR (Morning EP, relisted 3/29/26)
KJRH-TV, Tulsa, OK (listed 4/19/26)
KCCI-TV, Des Moines, IA (listed 5/17/26)
WBTW-TV, Myrtle Beach, SC (Digital EP, listed 5/25/26)
KRIS-TV, Corpus Christi, TX (relisted 5/17/26)
KBMT-TV, Beaumont, TX (relisted 5/17/26)
WETM-TV, Elmira, NY (Digital EP, listed 5/2/26)

Other News Management Openings:

Listed 5/25/26:

KOMU-TV, Columbia, MO (General Manager, see ad above!)
Arizona PBS, Phoenix, AZ (Dir. of News & Public Affairs, see ad above!)

Listed 5/3/26:

WRAL-TV, Raleigh, NC (Senior Producer, Nighttime Newscast)
WRAL-TV, Raleigh, NC (Newscast Producer)

Relisted 4/19/26:

KMGH-TV, Denver, CO (Digital Director)
KXAN-TV, Austin, TX (Digital Director)

Listed 4/12/26:

University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK (GM of Student Broadcast Media and Instructor)

Obituaries:

Ramsey

DOUG RAMSEY, a one time news director and anchor, Senior VP of FACS, and an author who wrote widely about jazz (in addition to be a trumpeter himself) died May 19th at the age of 91. Doug had a long career in TV, working as a news director in San Francisco, New Orleans, and San Antonio. He also anchored in New York and several other large markets. His obituary has more about his life, and his very detailed Linkedin page tells all.

Kraus

KEVIN KRAUS, who spent more than 20 years as a producer for ABC News before retiring in 2023, died yesterday at the age of 66. He also worked for stations in Chicago, and for two stations in Miami. You’ll learn in his obituary that he was one of the world’s longest survivors of HIV/AIDS. He is survived by his husband, SCOTT STACHOWIAK, who also worked for ABC and CNN before moving into media relations.

LAWRENCE SMITH, a one-time news director for WCTV in Tallahassee, FL, died May 26th. He was 88 years old.

Names in the News (and other stuff):

Here’s the latest in what appears to be our new segment, “This Week in CBS”.

The company named a new EP for 60 Minutes, NICK BILTON. Like Editor-in-Chief BARI WEISS, he has no prior television experience. (If my parents were alive, they’d be asking why they sent me to college.)

Bilton’s hire meant the end of a 30 year 60 Minutes career for EP TANYA SIMON. Also shown the door, correspondents SHARON ALFONSI and CECELIA VEGA. More from Mediaite.

Alfonsi and Vega did not go quietly.

Even a high school student who was awarded a scholarship named for former 60 Minutes icon MIKE WALLACE opened fire with both barrels.

And the network has garnered negative publicity for ordering CBS Mornings to ignore STEPHEN COLBERT’s last show in its broadcast the morning after the finale. Thin skinned CBS brass were apparently unhappy with a ‘cold open’ Colbert did earlier, poking fun at CBS News’ failure to get anchor TONY DUKOUPIL a visa to China for the President’s summit there.

Miss that segment? Here it is.

It was a big week for award announcements.

NATAS handed out the National News and Documentary EMMYs. Here’s the full list. Please note TWO local stations were honored, Gray’s KMOV-TV in St. Louis and Hearst’s WDSU-TV in New Orleans. You have to go through 17 pages of national winners, to the very end of the list, to find the two local winners.

And RTDNA announced the winners of Regional EDWARD R. MURROW awards. The Regional winners now become eligible for national Murrow awards to be announced in August, with winners recognized at a gala in New York October 12th.

Labbe

Old friend (make that friend of long-standing) BLAISE LABBE is recovering from surgery that makes me shudder just reading about it. Many of you know Blaise, who’s a Group News Director for Sinclair Broadcasting. He’s been dealing with some back issues and underwent not one but two major surgeries. He detailed his situation in this note. You could return the favor with a kind note via email to Blaise.

Adams

STEPHEN ADAMS has left Tegna after more than ten years in a variety of roles. Most recently he was a Talent Acquisition Partner and Co-Lead of the company’s producer in residence and internship programs. He’s taking a job out of television with a company working on AI marketing. Stephen sent me this note outlining his new role and recapping his experiences at Tegna.

ANDREW EPPERSON has been promoted to Assistant ND for Nexstar’s WGMB/WVLA-TV in Baton Rouge, LA.

General Manager News and Notes:

Paolini

We told you earlier this week that PATRICK PAOLINI has left FOX to become CEO of Tegna. Here’s the news release from Tegna. Of note: it’s the first news release posted to its website in almost three months as the company is essentially in limbo while the courts decide the future of the attempted Nexstar acquisition. And this story from Deadline.com offers a little perspective.

Roark

The announcement of Paolini’s hire came just one day before another change in the Tegna executive ranks. Former ND and GM ADRIENNE ROARK, who’s been the Senior VP and Chief Content Officer for Tegna for the last 15 months of so, announced she’s leaving the company, putting the news in this Linkedin post. Also leaving: the CFO, the Chief Strategy Office, and the Chief Experience Officer.

Sinclair named KEVIN BEARD General Manager of KGAN/KFXA-TV in Cedar Rapids, IA,

Our List of Open News Director Jobs:

Here’s our list of open ND jobs as of Sunday, May 31, 2026:

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

WPVI-TV 4100 City Ave, Philadelphia, PA 19131
KIRO-TV 2807 Third Avenue Seattle, WA 98121
KMGH-TV 2323 Delgany St, Denver, CO 80203
KSDK-TV 1001 Highlands Plaza Dr. St. Louis, MO 63110
WKRN-TV 441 Murfreesboro Pike Nashville, TN 37210
WBFF-TV 2000 W 41st St Baltimore, MD 21211
KOKH/KOCB-TV 1228 E. Wilshire Blvd. Oklahoma City, OK 73111
WAVE-TV 725 S. Floyd St. Louisville KY 40203
WLKY-TV 1918 Mellwood Ave. Louisville, KY 40206
WGNO-TV 1 Galleria Blvd, Suite 850 Metairie LA 70001
KOKI-TV 2625 S Memorial Dr, Tulsa, OK 74129
KREM-TV 4103 S Regal St Spokane WA 99223
KAKE-TV 1500 N. West St. Wichita, KS 67203 (see ad above!)
KLEW-TV 2626 17th St, Lewiston, ID 83501
KNVO-TV, 801 North Jackson Rd., McAllen TX 78501 **
KCEN-TV 215 N. 3rd Street Temple, TX 76501
KKTV 3100 N Nevada Ave, Ste B, Colorado Springs, CO 80907
WSIL-TV 1416 Country Aire Drive Carterville, IL 62918
WHBF-TV 231 18th St. Rock Island, IL 61201
KNDU-TV 3312 W. Kennewick Ave. Kennewick, WA 99336
WCBI-TV 201 5th Street South Columbus, MS 39701
KRIS-TV 301 Artesian Street Corpus Christi, TX 78401
KBMT-TV 525 Interstate 10 South, Beaumont, TX 77701
KIFI-TV 1915 N Yellowstone Hwy Idaho Falls, ID 83401
KAVU-TV. 3808 N Navarro St. Victoria, TX 77901

**: Spanish language station