January 19, 2009
Greetings:
It’s been a busy week with a lot of ND changes to share with you.
There are TWO new openings this week (one in a top 35 market) and FOUR new NDs to tell you about. One of those new NDs returns to a newsroom after eight years away. (And we expect to have two new NDs whose hires will be announced early next week in our next edition.)
That means my count of open ND positions now stands at 22.
Also this week, we’ve updated our list of news management openings.
There’s also an obituary for an Ohio Assignment Desk Editor, a very rare national award for a Texas station, and a lot of Names in the News.
All that comes after this week’s changes:
NEW NEWS DIRECTOR OPENINGS:
WSYX/WTTE, Columbus, OH…LYN TOLAN will be leaving this Sinclair-owned ABC/Fox duopoly, where she’s been the ND for the last two years. She’s a former ND in Grand Rapids, MI, Cincinnati, Orlando, and Hartford. Lyn tells me she’s going to explore the next chapter in her life in Columbus, where her husband is an attorney.
WTAJ-TV, Altoona, PA…TONY DEGOL has left this Nexstar owned CBS affiliate. He had been the ND there since 2004 and had served as the EP there before that.
NEW NEWS DIRECTORS NAMED:
KDVR/KWGN-TV, Denver, CO…CAROLYN KANE returns to a newsroom as VP/Content for this LocalTV/Tribune owned Fox/CW duopoly. Carolyn was ND for KOLD-TV until December, 2000, when she left to take a job with TechTV in San Francisco. She most recently has been President and EP of SPC Productions in San Francisco, where, according to an article in The Denver Post: “…she produced reality based original content and ‘infotainment’ for TV and the Web.” Carolyn replaces BRAD REMINGTON who left the stations to become Executive News Director for KTVK-TV in Phoenix.
WEYI-TV, Clio (Flint/Saginaw) MI…JEFF REINARZ has been promoted to ND for this Barrington Broadcasting owned NBC affiliate, replacing LINDSAY MOORE who left the station in November after seven months as ND. Jeff has been the Creative Services Director here.
KMID-TV, Midland, TX…KARL RUNDGREN has been promoted to ND for this Nexstar owned ABC affiliate. Karl has been the interim ND since MEL HUDMAN left the station last summer. He (Karl, that is) is a former anchor and Managing Editor for WUPW-TV, the Fox affiliate in Toledo.
KRCG-TV, Jefferson City, MO…weekend anchor LADD EGAN has been promoted to ND for this Barrington Broadcasting owned CBS affiliate. He’ll replace GREGG PALERMO who left the station in November after two years as ND.
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OTHER NEWS MANAGEMENT OPENINGS:
ASSISTANT NEWS DIRECTOR:
WEWS-TV, Cleveland, OH (listed 1/11/09)
WREG-TV, Memphis, TN (relisted this week)
WTEN-TV, Albany, NY (listed 1/11/09)
EXECUTIVE NEWS PRODUCER:
WGCL-TV, Atlanta, GA (listed 12/28/08)
WFOR-TV, Miami, FL (Morning EP, listing revised 12/19/08)
KXTV, Sacramento, CA (Morning EP, listed 12/19/08)
WCNC-TV, Charlotte, NC (Nightside EP, listed 12/12/08)
WSOC-TV, Charlotte, NC (Nightside EP, relisted this week)
WXII-TV, Winston-Salem, NC (Dayside EP, relisted 12/12/08)
WDBJ-TV, Roanoke, VA (relisted this week)
MANAGING EDITOR:
KSLA-TV, Shreveport, LA (relisted 11/21/08)
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OBITUARY
A memorial service will be held next week in Columbus (OH) for WBNS-TV Assignment Desk Editor STEVE BROCK who died earlier this week of an enlarged heart. Steve had worked at WBNS for just over a year, and had earlier worked at two other stations in the market. He was a graduate of Ohio State University. Funeral arrangements are pending.
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NAMES in the NEWS:
Congratulations to WFAA-TV in Dallas for being the first local station to be given the DuPont Award’s Gold Baton, the highest honor given, for the station’s continuing commitment to outstanding investigative reporting. Two other local stations, WLJA-TV in Washington and WTVT-TV in Tampa, also received DuPont awards. Read more on the awards by clicking here.
TROY McGUIRE has been named VP/GM of Fisher Interactive Network. Troy’s a former ND for KPTV in Portland, OR, and KTVN-TV in Reno. He most recently has been GM for Fisher’s KBAX/KBFX-TV in Bakersfield. Troy will continue to serve as the company’s VP/News, as well.
One-time Atlanta (WGCL-TV) and Norfolk (WTKR-TV) news director JEFF PARSONS has joined the Associated Press as Director of Online Operations with a focus on video products. He’s held several jobs with Internet Broadcasting since leaving WTRK in January, 2007. Friends can touch base with him via email at: jxparsons@ap.org
Staying within the Hearst family, PAIGE HARRISON has been named Assistant ND for the company’s KOCO-TV in Oklahoma City. Paige has been the dayside EP for WESH-TV in Orlando, and previously worked at CityTV in Toronto.
After three years as the Assistant ND for KREM-TV in Spokane, CHRIS DANIELLE is headed for Seattle and a job with Microsoft’s msn.com, where the job involves working with content management on MSN’s video homepage. Chris is a former ND for KVEW-TV in Kennewick, WA.
JULIE STEIGERWALD heads south to become the new Morning Show EP for Tucson’s KOLD-TV. She has been the 6 & 11 producer for WKBT-TV in LaCrosse, WI. She’s also produced the morning newscast there.
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Here’s a complete list of all stations that I believe have a current ND opening, as of Friday, January 16, 2009. If you know of any updates, corrections, or additions to this list, please let me know via email at: rick@rickgevers.com
KTLA-TV 5800 Sunset Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90028
CLTV News 2000 York, Suite 114 Oak Brook IL 60523
WCVB-TV 5 TV Place Needham MA 02194
WWSB-TV 1477 10th St. Sarasota FL 34236
KDKA-TV One Gateway Center Pittsburgh PA 15222
WTAE-TV 400 Ardmore Blvd. Pittsburgh PA 15221
WXIN-TV 6910 Network Place Indianapolis IN 46278
KGTV 4600 Air Way San Diego CA 92102
WSYX/WTTE-TV 1261 Dublin Rd. Columbus OH 43215
KUTV 299 S. Main St. #150 Salt Lake City UT 84111
KLUZ-TV 2725 F. Broadbent Parkway NE Albuquerque NM 87107 *
WKBW-TV 7 Broadcast Plaza Buffalo NY 14202
KMPH-TV 5111 E. McKinley Ave. Fresno CA 93727
WFTX-TV 621 SW Pine Island Rd. Cape Coral FL 33991
WFFF-TV 298 Mountain View Dr. Colchester VT 05446
WTAJ-TV 5000 6th Ave. Altoona PA 16603
KDBC-TV 2201 E. Wyoming Ave. El Paso TX 79903
WTXL-TV 1620 Commerce Blvd. Midway FL 32343
KION/KCBA-TV 1550 Moffett St. Salinas CA 93905
WMGT-TV PO Box 4328 Macon GA 31208
WTVA-TV PO Box 350 Tupelo MS 38802
KNOE-TV 1400 Oliver Rd. Monroe LA 71211
* Spanish language station
Rick Gevers
Rick Gevers & Associates
PO Box 577
Zionsville IN 46077
317-769-7900 (phone)
317-769-7910 (fax)
rick@rickgevers.com
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