June 13, 2021
Friday, June 18, 2021 UPDATE:
Greetings:
A veteran ND moves to his second top 15 market in today’s UPDATE.
Bruce
PHIL BRUCE, who’s currently the news director for Sinclair’s KTUL-TV (ABC) in Tulsa, moves within Sinclair to take over the newsroom at KOMO-TV (ABC) in Seattle. He posted this to his Linkedin account.
Phil’s been the ND at KTUL for five years. He grew up in nearby Arkansas. Before that he spent five years as ND for KHOU-TV (CBS) in Houston. Phil started as a reporter in Ft. Smith and held a wide range of jobs as his Linkedin page will tell you.
In Seattle, he replaces BILL DALLMAN who left at the end of May to become GM at Tegna’s KARE-TV (NBC) in his hometown of Minneapolis.
We’ll have a very full newsletter for you this weekend!
regards,
Rick Gevers
Thursday, June 17, 2021 UPDATE:
Greetings:
It’s our favorite kind of UPDATE…the one where we share the news that a news director in a large market is moving into the GM’s quarters.
Davey
Today it’s MARIAN (MIM) DAVEY, who’s been bumped upstairs at KMSP/WTTC-TV in Minneapolis/St. Paul. She’s been the news director there since 2013 and succeeds SHEILA OLIVER, who was promoted to GM for FOX’s KCPQ-TV in Seattle. More in this story.
Mim’s a 20 year veteran of the station, and worked for 14 years at WCCO-TV (CBS) in Minneapolis.
A certain irony here: When Mim was promoted to ND in 2013, she replaced BILL DALLMAN, who moved to California to become ND for Fox Sports 1. Now she will compete against Bill, who joined KARE-TV (Tegna/NBC) in Minneapolis earlier this month as General Manager.
While there may well be others, this is one of TWO top 15 markets with former news directors as GMs, the other being New York, where ex-newsies ERIC LERNER (WNBC-TV) and CHAD MATTHEWS (WABC-TV) run stations.
Back this weekend with a full newsletter.
regards,
Rick Gevers
Monday, June 14, 2021 UPDATE:
Greetings:
TWO stories in today’s UPDATE: both involve new news directors at Scripps stations, and ONE involves a cross-market move which we haven’t seen in a while.
Jacob
First, the question of where MITCH JACOB‘s next job would be has been answered with the news today that he will be the next ND for Scripps’ KNXV-TV (ABC) in Phoenix. We told you last week that Mitch was leaving Meredith’s-about-to-be-Gray’s WSMV-TV (NBC) in Nashville after two years. It’s a return to Phoenix for Mitch, who earlier in his career was the ND for KPHO-TV (CBS) there.
He replaces MARK CASEY who left in March after 2+ years as news director.
Boers
And the rare cross market move involves DAN BOERS who is leaving Nexstar’s WOOD-TV (NBC) in Grand Rapids, and going across town to Scripps’ WXMI-TV (FOX). WXMI GM KIM KRAUSE alerted the staff via this note. Dan’s been the ND at WOOD for 6+ years. He actually began at WOOD, left for year to work in Lansing, and returned in 1997, working his way up to the ND job.
At WXMI, he replaces BROOKS BLANTON who left last April (after 7+ years) to become ND for WCCB-TV (CW) in Charlotte.
Barring further updates, we’ll see you next weekend.
regards,
Rick Gevers
**** ***** ****
Greetings:
Almost!
Almost 40 news director openings, for those of you who wager on such things.
39 is the actual total, with news this week of FIVE new openings and just TWO jobs filled. ALL of the openings are in top 76 markets, and TWO of them are featured in our THREE Paid Help Wanted ads.
Always grateful when we have no obituaries which is the case this week.
We do have news of the retirement of a 20 year Denver general manager, and a FIVE time news director makes a family move from market 16 to market 38.
That and more in Names in the News.
Stay cool this week!
Newly Named News Directors:
Cox
WGXA/WFXL-TV, Macon/Albany, GA…Chief Meteorologist JEFF COX is moving from the weather office to the ND office for this Sinclair owned operation. He’s been here since 2009 in his second stint at the stations. More in this story. He’s also worked for The Weather Channel radio network. Jeff won’t be doing double duty: the search is on for this replacement as chief meteorologist. He replaces MALLORY HUFF who left in April after eight months as ND and nine years at the station.
Flannigan
KMIZ-TV, Columbia, MO…SCOTT FLANNIGAN landed quickly as the new ND for this News Press and Gazette ABC affiliate. GM CURTIS VARNS (a former ND at KMIZ) sent me this note about the hire. Scott left KCTV (Meredith, but about to be Gray/CBS) in Kansas City in April after seven months on the job. He’s a former ND in Mobile, Charleston, SC, and Lake Charles. Scott replaces CURTIS HANCOCK who left KMIZ in April after six years as ND.
New News Director Openings:
Harrison
WCVB-TV, Boston, MA…PAIGE HARRISON is moving up to be VP/News for Hearst, reporting to Senior VP/News BARB MAUSHARD. It’s the second time she’s replaced ANDREW VREES, first four years ago as ND at WCVB, and now in the corporate gig. Andrew was named GM for Hearst’s WMUR-TV in Manchester, NH. Paige was ND for Hearst’s WPBF-TV in W. Palm Beach, FL, and worked in Orlando, Pittsburgh, and Oklahoma City, as well as in her native Canada. More here.
Jacob
WSMV-TV, Nashville, TN…our Wednesday UPDATE told you that MITCH JACOB is leaving this Meredith (for now) owned NBC affiliate. His new job should be announced this week. He’s been the ND for this soon to be owned by Gray station for a little more than two years. Mitch is a former ND in Washington, Phoenix, Columbus, Wichita, Toledo and Harlingen, TX.
Kurtz
WAVY-TV, Norfolk, VA…that same UPDATE told you that MARK KURTZ is moving from this Nexstar/NBC affiliate to the GM job at Lockwood’s WCAV/WVAW-TV in Charlottesville, VA. The stations are affiliated with ABC, CBS, and FOX. Mark’s been at WAVY for nine years and was promoted to ND in August, 2015. GM CAROL WARD told the staff in this email. Mark’s a former ND in Midland-Odessa and has worked in Waco and Corpus Christi. Learn more about this opportunity in the Paid Help Wanted ad below.
Hensley
WYMT-TV, Hazard, KY (Lexington, KY market)…this Gray television owned CBS affiliate has a job posting for a new news director on its website. My records show STEVE HENSLEY has been the ND there since at least 2014. You’ll learn in his online bio that he joined the station shortly after graduating from college in 1999, and, of course, has held many jobs there.
Malyn
WHAM-TV, Rochester, NY…after an eleven year run as ND, MATT MALYN is retiring from this Deerfield owned but operated by Sinclair ABC affiliate. He shared this note detailing his background AND his future plans. He’s also been an ND in Tucson and has worked in many other markets as his note details.
Paid Help Wanted Ads:
News Director, WAVY-TV, Norfolk, VA:
Nexstar seeks its next News Director for its Norfolk, Virginia duopoly of WAVY-TV (NBC) and WVBT FOX43, one of the strongest local newsrooms in the country.
The ideal candidate will be a highly experienced News Director with well-developed leadership skills who is an innovative and dynamic leader. We seek a true champion of aggressive broadcast and digital news gathering with a proven track record of strategic, focused breaking news coverage. The candidate must possess excellent writing skills, news and ethical judgement, strong digital content understanding, community development and a passion to be the very best. A competitive, clear communicator who genuinely enjoys staff development and team building will stand out.
The News Director leads and supervises all aspects of news, weather, traffic and sports programming.
• Manages all aspects of the News Department (other than Production)
• Plans and manages staffing, training, and performance evaluations for the News Department.
• Makes decisions regarding hiring, evaluation, promotion and termination of employees.
• Develops news coverage strategy for the station and its website.
• Critiques newscasts daily to correct errors, improve coverage and provide mentoring feedback to news staff.
• Assigns projects to staff and verifies that deadlines are being communicated and met.
• Ensures achievement of viewer rating goals.
• Determines programming and evaluation of equipment needs to produce quality programming.
• Responds to coverage questions.
• Works with other senior station leaders to establish and reach station goals.
• Performs other duties as assigned.
Click here to learn more and apply.
Executive Producer, WXIX-TV, Cincinnati, OH:
The biggest news station in the Midwest is searching for its next leader!
WXIX-TV in Cincinnati has an immediate opening for a dynamic, creative, and bold Executive Producer. We deliver 11+ hours of news each day, 60+ hours of news each week. Fox19 is #1 all morning, #1 in the afternoon, and #1 at night!
Cincinnati is a vibrant, booming town with amazing entertainment, culture, and food. We have 3 professional sports teams, top colleges, and unique, thriving communities.
We are seeking someone who is not afraid to take the reins of a newscast, using showcasing skills and production tools to make the newscast sizzle. 5+ years of line producing experience is required.
Executive Producer experience is preferred.
Must be a news geek and have the ability to find and dig for stories. Qualified candidates will have experience working closely with digital team to create content on all platforms. Must be strong at multi-tasking and attentive to the details but also possesses solid people/management skills. Must be creative, a great writer and can enterprise beyond the news of the day.
Qualified applicants, please apply online by clicking here.
Drug screen required. No phone calls please. EOE-M/F/D/V
Other News Management Openings:
ASSISTANT NEWS DIRECTOR:
KUSI-TV, San Diego, CA (relisted this week)
WBRC-TV, Birmingham, AL (listed 5/31/21)
KTHV-TV, Little Rock, AR (listed 5/9/21)
KEZI-TV, Eugene, OR (listed 4/25/21)
HOI-ABC, Peoria, IL (listing modified 5/16/21)
KIII-TV, Corpus Christi, TX (relisted 3/28/21)
KWES-TV, Midland, TX (listed 5/9/21)
KTTC-TV, Rochester, MN (listed 4/25/21)
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER:
News Nation, Chicago, IL (listed 5/16/21)
WHDH-TV, Boston, MA (EP/Investigations, listed 5/16/21)
WGCL-TV, Atlanta, GA (relisted 5/9/12)
KDVR-TV, Denver, CO (AM EP, listed 5/16/21)
WOIO/WUAB-TV, Cleveland, OH (AM EP, listed 5/23/21)
WTTV/WXIN-TV, Indianapolis, IN (listing revised 5/2/21)
WNCN-TV, Raleigh, NC (PM EP, relisted this week)
KFMB-TV, San Diego, CA (PM EP, listed 3/28/21)
KSHB-TV, Kansas City, MO (listed 5/31/21)
WDAF-TV, Kansas City, MO (Lifestyle show, relisted 5/9/21)
WCMH-TV, Columbus, OH (new listing this week)
WXIX-TV, Cincinnati, OH (listed 5/31/21, see ad above!)
WSPA-TV, Spartanburg, SC (EP/Digital Content, listed 5/23/21)
KLAS-TV, Las Vegas, NV (new listing this week)
KXAN-TV, Austin, TX (Digital EP, listed 5/23/21)
WXMI-TV, Grand Rapids, MI (listing revised 5/9/21)
WIVB-TV, Buffalo, NY (listed 5/31/21)
KSEE/KGPE-TV, Fresno, CA (listed 5/2/21)
WKRG-TV, Mobile, AL (listed 6/6/21)
KARK/KLRT-TV, Little Rock, AR (listed 6/6/21)
WHNT/WHDF-TV, Huntsville, AL (new listing this week)
KVEO-TV, Brownsville, TX (Digital EP, new listing this week)
WSAV-TV, Savannah, GA (listed 4/18/21)
KTSM-TV, El Paso, TX (relisted 4/25/21)
WJTV, Jackson, MS (listed 5/2/21)
WJHL-TV, Johnson City, TN (Digital EP, relisted this week)
KLKN-TV, Lincoln, NE (AM EP, relisted 5/16/21)
KRIS-TV, Corpus Christi, TX (listed 4/11/21)
KAAL-TV, Rochester, MN (listed 4/18/21)
More News Management Openings:
Relisted 6/6/21:
WKRG-TV, Mobile, AL (Digital Content Manager)
Listed 5/23/21:
WKOW-TV, Madison, WI, (Content Manager)
KOLR-TV, Springfield, MO (Digital Content Manager)
WSYR-TV, Syracuse, NY (Digital Content Manager)
Listed 5/16/21:
News Nation, Chicago, IL (Social Media Manager)
Listed 4/25/21:
Spectrum Networks NY1 Senior Manager, News and Content
Names in the News:
Phillip
PEGGY PHILLIP is making a move for family reasons, and that move takes her from Managing Editor at Miami’s WPLG-TV (ABC) to the assignment desk at Hearst’s WYFF-TV in Greenville, SC, where her son lives. Peggy sent me this delightful note recapping her career, which began as a photographer in Aberdeen, SD, and included a number of ND stops (Tulsa, Memphis, Syracuse, Baltimore and Kansas City.)
Congratulation to Indiana University professor (and former ND) MIKE CONWAY and his colleagues who scored a grant to help Mike with his new project. The grant, which could be more than $20,000, will help create the Indiana Broadcast History Archive. Mike points out that too many stations are discarding valuable film, tape, and other archival material, which are historic in nature. He’s been in touch with several Indiana stations to acquire that material. More on the grant here.
General Manager News and Notes:
DeHaven
After 40 years in the business, 34 with CBS/Viacom, and almost 20 years as general manager for KCNC-TV in Denver, WALT DeHAVEN will retire and the end of July. He alerted the staff via this emailed note last Tuesday. He’s a former GM in many markets, including two years running WBBM-TV, the CBS owned station in Chicago before moving to Denver in 2002.
Our Full List of Open ND Jobs:
Here’s our list of open ND jobs as of Sunday, June 13, 2021:
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
WCBS-TV 530 W. 57th St., New York, NY 10019
KTRK-TV 3310 Bissonnet, Houston TX 77005
WCVB-TV 5 TV Place Needham, MA 02494
KNXV-TV 515 North 44th St., Phoenix, AZ 85008
KOMO-TV 140 4th Ave. N. Seattle, WA 98109
WBFF/WNUV-TV 2000 W 41st St., Baltimore, MD 21211
WSMV-TV 5700 Knob Road, Nashville, TN, 37209
KUTV 299 South Main St. # 150, Salt Lake City, UT 84111 (see ad above!)
WHNS-TV 21 Interstate Court Greenville, SC 29615
WFOX/WJAX-TV 11700 Central Pkwy., Suite 2 | Jacksonville, FL 32224
WAVY-TV 300 WAVY Street Portsmouth, VA 23704 (see ad above!)
WTKR-TV 720 Boush Street Norfolk VA 23510
WXMI-TV 3117 Plaza Drive NE, Grand Rapids, MI 49525
WNEP-TV 16 Montage Mountain Rd, Moosic, PA 18507
WHAS-TV 520 West Chestnut Street Louisville, KY 40202
WYMT-TV 199 Black Gold Blvd. Hazard, KY 41701
WCHS-TV 1301 Piedmont Rd.. Charleston, WV 25301
WHAM-TV 4225 West Henrietta Rd., Rochester NY 14623
KNVO-TV, 801 North Jackson Rd., McAllen TX 78501 **
WCIA-TV 509 S. Neil St., Champaign, IL 61820
WVLA/WGMB-TV 10,000 Perkins Road Baton Rouge, LA 70810
WFFF/WVNV-TV 298 Mountain View Dr, Colchester, VT 05446
WHBF-TV 231 18th St., Rock Island, IL 61201
WFXG-TV 3933 Washington Rd., Augusta, GA 30907
KYTX-TV 2211 E SE Loop 323, Tyler, TX 75701
WWTV/WWUP-TV P.O. Box 627, Cadillac Michigan 49601
KRIS-TV 301 Artesian Street Corpus Christi, TX 78401
WKBT-TV 141 South 6th St., La Crosse, WI 54601
WLTZ-TV 6140 Buena Vista Rd.. Columbus, GA 31907
WRBL-TV 1350 13th Avenue, Columbus, GA 31901
KBJR-TV 246 South Lake Ave., Duluth MN 55802
WDIO-TV 10 Observation Rd., Duluth, MN 55811
KBMT-TV 525 Interstate 10 South, Beaumont, TX 77701
KTXS-TV 4420 N. Clack, Abilene, TX 79602
KTVQ-TV 3203 3rd Avenue North, Billings, MT 59101
KULR-TV 2045 Overland Ave. Billings, MT 59102
WDTV 5 Television Drive. Bridgeport, WV 26330
WBKO-TV 2727 Russellville Rd., Bowling Green, KY 42101
KSAN/KSLT-TV 2800 Armstrong St., San Angelo, TX 76903
**: Spanish language station
WFFF/WVNY-TV, Burlington, VT…this Nexstar owned duopoly (FOX/ABC) is looking for a new news director. BOB ROCKSTROH is leaving. He’s been the ND here since 2018, when he transferred from Nexstar sister station WETM-TV in Elmira, NY. Bob’s a former ND in Providence, Hartford, and Ft. Wayne and has worked in New York, San Francisco, Minneapolis, and San Diego.
