Rick Gevers & Associates

March 10, 2019

Thursday, March 14, 2019 UPDATE #2:

Greetings:

As promised, our second UPDATE of the day brings happier news…and updates a story we first told you about yesterday.

Varner

KIRK VARNER heads north to become the next news director for Hubbard Broadcasting’s KSTP-TV (ABC) in Minneapolis. Here’s the news release distributed moments ago by the station.

We told you yesterday that Kirk was leaving his current job as ND for WSPA/WYCW-TV, Nexstar’s duopoly in the Greenville-Spartanburg-Asheville-Anderson market. He’s been there 3 1/2 years.

He’s been an ND in a number of other markets and held executive jobs with several cable operations and you’ll learn in his detailed Linkedin page.

Anne W.

At KSTP, he replaces ANNE WITTENBORG who announced last December she would leave in a few months. Her next destination is unknown but she told me then she was looking for a new challenge and excited about the future. Anne worked here twice, in this stint for ten years, the last three as ND.

More in our full newsletter later this weekend.

regards,

Rick Gevers

Thursday, March 14, 2019 UPDATE:

Greetings:

I’m sorry to report the passing of a multi time news director who died last week.

Hirsch

STEW HIRSCH was just 53 years old when he died last Friday in a Ft. Wayne hospital after what this obituary called a short illness.

His most recent news director job was at WFFT-TV, the FOX affiliate in Ft. Wayne. He left there last September and worked briefly as a salesman for a local Honda dealer.

Stew had held a variety of jobs both in and out of the business…you can learn more on his Linkedin page.

He’s survived by four children, his mother, and a sister. A celebration of his life will be held this Sunday in a suburb of Columbus, OH, where Stew had worked in three different newsrooms. (Details in the obituary above.)

Our sympathy to his family, friends, and former co-workers.

We anticipate another UPDATE this afternoon with much happier news.

regards,

Rick Gevers

Wednesday, March 13, 2019 UPDATE:

Greetings:

A veteran news director announces his departure but says his new gig won’t be ready to announce for a few days.

Varner

KIRK VARNER has announced that he is stepping down as news director of Nexstar’s WSPA/WYCW-TV in the multi-hyphenated Greenville-Spartanburg-Asheville-Anderson market.

Kirk has been with the stations since August, 2015, after a four and half year stint as ND for WKRC-TV in Cincinnati.

He told the staff that he was very happy at WSPA, but an opportunity had come along that he couldn’t pass up, adding that he couldn’t give out the particulars on his new job quite yet, but expected to be able to announce the details “within a few days.”

Kirk’s also been a news director in Hartford/New Haven, CT and Buffalo, NY, as well as at ESPN in the network’s first decade. He was also Time Warner Cable’s VP of Local News and the force behind the launch of ten 24-hour local news channels for the cable operator in the late 90s including Bay News 9, Central Florida News 13, and News 8 Austin.

Kirk has promised to share his new job with me when he can, and we’ll let you know what it is when he does.

regards,

Rick Gevers

**** ***** ****
Greetings:

The hits just keep on coming (as radio DJ’s use to scream…dating myself here, I know) this week as we have THREE new news directors, including ONE in the number one market. And we have TWO new ND openings to tell you about.

That brings our count of open ND jobs to 27. ONE of those jobs…in a pretty great place to live, by all accounts, is featured among our FOUR paid help wants ads.

In names in the news, just ONE move but we have FOUR other stories, including a New York state news manager updating his battle against MS, and tips on what to tell unhappy viewers when they call you comparing about severe weather interruptions.

And there’s ONE store about a GM turned corporate executive who’s retiring at the end of the month.

Read on!

Newly Named News Directors: 

WPIX-TV, New York, NY…VICKIE BURNS has been named ND for this Tribune owned (for now) CW affiliate. Vickie’s done some consulting work for Tribune since running newsrooms at NBC owned stations in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, and Washington. She replaces AMY WALDMAN who spent eleven years there, the last four as ND. GM BART FEDER praised her passion for the station and for the kind of journalism that makes a difference in announcing the change.

WHNT-TV, Huntsville, AL…another ND hire at another Tribune station leaves PAUL CARON in charge at this CBS affiliate. Details here. He’s been the Assistant ND here since 2017 and came her from WGCL-TV in Atlanta where he was managing editor. Paul spent almost 30 years at CNN, including some time as a reporter in Miami. He replaces DENISE VICKERS who left to become a GM at WFXG-TV in Albany, GA.

KREX-TV, Grand Junction, CO…JOHN KIRBY is the new news director for this Nexstar/CBS station. John has what you could easily call a non-traditional background for a news director. He replaces GEOFF ROTH who left earlier this year after 18 months as ND and moved to KMTV in Omaha as news director there.

New News Director Openings: 

Elwood

KFMB-TV, San Diego, CA…we told you earlier this week that news director DEAN ELWOOD is leaving this Tegna owned CBS station after spending his entire 23 + year career there.  General Manager ALBERTO MIER Y TERAN told the staff via this email. Dean’s been the ND since 2008 and, as you can imagine, has held many other jobs during his time there.

Schillinger

WQOW-TV, Eau Claire, WI…DAN SCHILLINGER is retiring after a long career, the last five years of which were spent at this Quincy owned station. He filled in some of the details in this email to me earlier this week, including his plans to continue to do some work for Quincy on a part-time basis. Congratulations, Dan!

Also, please note the ad just below for the open news director job at KIRO-TV in Seattle, WA, the CBS affiliate there.

Paid Help Wanted Ads:

News Director, KIRO-TV, Seattle, WA:

KIRO-TV in Seattle seeks a dynamic leader with solid news judgment to oversee all aspects of daily news and digital content. The News Director will be responsible for leading an experienced news team of 115+ in the execution of top quality newscasts while growing audience ratings and our digital products. This station broadcasts 5.5 hours of local news each day.

As a part of Cox Media Group, KIRO 7 News is dedicated to straightforward breaking news coverage and informing the community in Western Washington. Our team at Cox Media Group is creating innovative ways to deliver news and information, tell entertaining stories and hold the powerful accountable.

The News Director will provide strategic and tactical direction for day-to-day news coverage, breaking news, special projects, investigative reporting, special event coverage for all distribution channels, including creating content for OTT channels.
You will supervise executive producers, producers, and managing editor in carrying out the organization’s policies and goals, and you’ll work collaboratively to integrate digital platform into everything we create. You’ll have the opportunity to grow and develop a diverse staff, to include identifying, recruiting and retaining top talent from a wide variety of sources.

Click here and apply to join our team, and help us build the future of media together.

Executive Producer, WJAR-TV, Providence, RI:

WJAR, Southern New England’s News Leader, and one of America’s most successful NBC stations, has a rare opening for an energetic and creative Executive Producer.

The successful candidate will be responsible for overseeing the production of relevant, compelling newscasts with high production value.

Strong news judgment, communication, and leadership skills are a must.

Rhode Island is a small state, but we play big, often competing with Boston on big stories. If you are looking to dive into management, or move to a bigger market, you can’t ask for a better shop.

Our team is experienced, hard-working, and driven to stay on top. We’ve been #1 for 70 years – we’re looking for someone to help keep us there.

As an added bonus, you’ll get to enjoy a spectacular restaurant scene, oceanfront views, and some of the best beaches in America. (P.S. We hear the football team that’s 20 minutes from our front door is pretty good, too!)

To learn more or apply, please click on this link:

Newscast Producer (Weekend), KNTV, San Jose, CA:

KNTV is looking for a highly motivated Weekend Newscast Producer with outstanding news judgment and digital skills, a sense of good production value, and the ability to pitch great stories for a highly competitive, high pressure newsroom.

The Producer will be responsible for producing a newscasts in conjunction with the Executive Producer, Assignment Editors, Reporters, Anchors, Writers and other Producers. They will desktop edit, write and produce news content for broadcast, digital and web platforms. Successful candidates will be active on social media and understand how to leverage those platforms for all stories in the show.

Qualifications/Requirements:

Basic Qualifications:

* A degree in Broadcasting, Journalism or related field
* A minimum of 3 years’ experience producing in a broadcast or cable news environment in a middle-to-major news market.

Desired Characteristics:

* Strong news writing skills and the ability to write, edit, produce and gather content under heavy deadline pressure, without compromising accuracy or credibility
* Must be a team player and work well with Reporters, Assignment Editors, Writers and other Producers
* Must be active on social media and understand how to leverage those platforms for all stories
* Passion to develop and present story ideas
* Invested and engaged in the local community and authentically understands and represents the local viewer
* Knowledge and understanding of various media platforms, including broadcast, web and mobile
* Strong computer skills, with basic understanding of multi-media file formats
* A pioneering spirit with the desire the learn emerging technologies

Click here to apply.

Chief Content Officer, Rocky Mountain Public Media, Denver CO:

Rocky Mountain Public Media located in Denver, Colorado, home to Rocky Mountain PBS and KUVO Radio, is the largest statewide, member-supported, multi-media network in Colorado.

Rocky Mountain Public Media’s mission is to strengthen the civic fabric of the state by engaging audiences across platforms with high-quality, trusted content. To further this mission and to help this public institution transition into the Digital Age, Rocky Mountain Public Media seeks a full-time Chief Content Officer to lead its duPont-Columbia Award-winning team.

As a key member of the senior leadership team, the Chief Content Officer works directly with the CEO and other organizational and community leaders to create relevant content engagement for Rocky Mountain Public Media’s current and future members. The Chief Content Officer oversees the Content team, including Television, Radio, Digital, and Programming. In addition, the Chief Content Officer works alongside the Development and Marketing team to ensure content is ultimately member-supported and that audience engagement and responsiveness is a pervasive value governing the work.

For more information, or to apply now, please visit this website.

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 (listed 2/3/19)
WESH-TV, Orlando, FL (new listing this week)
KUSI-TV, San Diego, CA (relisted 3/3/19)
WCMH-TV, Columbus, OH (relisted 3/3/19)
KSTU-TV, Salt Lake City, UT (listed 2/3/19)
WBND-TV, South Bend, IN (relisted this week)
WJAC-TV, Johnstown, PA (listed 1/6/19)
KDLT-TV, Sioux Falls, SD (listed 1/13/19)

EXECUTIVE PRODUCER:

WFAA-TV, Dallas, TX (relisted 1/20/19)
KPRC-TV, Houston, TX (Special Projects EP, relisted 1/6/19)
KGO-TV, San Francisco, CA (Dayside EP, relisted 1/13/19)
WXIA-TV, Atlanta, GA (relisted 1/20/19)
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 this week)
KLAS-TV, Las Vegas, NV (Digital EP, new listing this week)
WOOD-TV, Grand Rapids, MI (listed 3/3/19)
WJAR-TV, Providence, RI (relisted this week, see ad above!)
WINK-TV, Ft. Myers, FL (TWO EP openings, relisted 1/27/19)
WKRG-TV, Mobile, AL (listed 3/3/19)
KJRH-TV, Tulsa, OK (PM EP, listed 1/27/19)
KXRM-TV, Colorado Springs, CO (Digital EP, relisted this week)
WCTV, Tallahassee, FL (relisted 12/30/18)

MANAGING EDITOR:

OTHER NEWS MANAGEMENT OPENINGS:

New listings this week:

KOIN-TV, Portland, OR (Digital Director)
WRKG, 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) See Ad Above!
KLAS-TV, Las Vegas, NV Digital Executive Producer)
KXRM-TV, Colorado Springs, CO (Digital Executive Producer)

Relisted 2/10/17:

WCPO-TV, Cincinnati, OH (Senior Manager of Editorial Content)
E.W. Scripps, Denver, CO (National Executive Producer)
WTOC-TV, Savannah, GA (Digital Content Manager)

Names in the News (and other items):

Bonfils

DARCY BONFILS has joined WNYT-TV in Albany, NY, as its assistant news director. She’s worked in New York City, most recently as an EP for Spectrum NY1. She’s also worked at WABC-TV, WGCL-TV in Atlanta, and at the Weather Channel.

It’s Multiple Sclerosis Month and DAVE LONGLEY, chief meteorologist turned assistant news director at WSYR-TV in Syracuse, gave viewers of that ABC station an update on his battle against the disease.

KABC-TV in Los Angeles is celebrating its 50th anniversary as Eyewitness News. That celebration took a long trip down memory lane with this story.

VINCE SADUSKY, now in charge of Univsion, shared his plans for that company. You may remember him from his time with LIN Media and Media General…and Telemundo before that.

Finally, are you tired of dealing with unhappy viewers because you’re covering their favorite shows with live tornado warning coverage? Forbes Magazines gives you some material for those conversations.

General Manager News and Notes:

Richards

DON RICHARDS, whose last job in our business was as a group Vice President for Raycom Media, has announced his retirement at the end of the month. He ran stations in several markets for several owners before ascending to the executive position with Raycom.

Our Full List of Open ND Jobs:

Here’s our list of open ND jobs as of Sunday, March 10, 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
News 12 The Bronx 930 Soundview Avenue Bronx, NY 10473
Verizon Fios 1 News 800 Westchester Avenue, Rye Brook, NY 10573
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 (see ad above!)
KSTP-TV 3415 University Ave W Saint Paul, MN 55114
KUVS-TV 1710 Arden Way, Sacramento CA 95815 **
KSDK-TV 1000 Market St. St. Louis MO 63101
KFMB-TV 7677 Engineer Road San Diego, CA 92111
KTNV-TV 3355 S. Valley View Blvd. Las Vegas, NV 89102
WHBQ-TV 485 S. Highland. Memphis, TN 38111
KSEE/KGPE-TV 5035 E McKinley Ave, Fresno, CA 93727
KARK-TV 1401 West Capitol Avenue, # 104 Little Rock, AR 72201
WLEX-TV P.O. Box 1457 Lexington, KY 40588-1457
KHQ-TV 1201 W. Sprague Ave. Spokane, WA 99201
WHEC-TV 191 East Avenue, Rochester, NY 14604
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
KVII-TV 1 Broadcast Center, Amarillo, TX 79101
WQOW-TV 5545 WI-93 Trunk, Eau Claire, WI 54701
KMBT-TV 525 Interstate 10 South, Beaumont, TX 77701
KAAL-TV 1320 Salem Rd SW, Rochester, MN 55902
WBNG-TV 560 Columbia Dr. Johnson City, NY 13790
WOAY-TV P.O. BOX 3001 Oak Hill, WV 25901

**: Spanish language station

March 3, 2019

Tuesday, March 5, 2019 UPDATE:

Another day, still another departure of a large market news director. But today it’s Tribune, not Tegna, and it’s the number one market.

Burns

VICKIE BURNS has been named news director for Tribune’s WPIX-TV (CW) in New York City. According to her Linkedin page, she worked as a consultant for Tribune from 2013-2015.

Vickie’s run newsrooms for NBC owned stations in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, and Washington. Her last of those jobs was at KNBC-TV in Los Angeles. When she left in 2012, she said she wanted to live east of the Mississippi.

Waldman

At WPIX, she replaces AMY WALDMAN, an eleven year veteran of ‘PIX 11, as the station is branded. She was promoted to news director in 2015 after a one year stint as Senior Executive Producer. She’s also worked at Court TV, CNBC, and Fox News Channel, as well as in Buffalo and Erie, PA. Her last day at the station will be March 15th.

Feder

Also, of note…Tribune’s SVP of News BART FEDER is now serving as GM of WPIX, after the departure of CHRIS WAYLAND. He left last month to become VP/Station Manager of the NBC operations in Boston.

The way things are going, it’s possible you’ll hear from me again before our full newsletter this weekend. (No, I don’t know of anything, but it’s been a steady stream of changes.)

regards,

Rick Gevers

Monday, March 4, 2019 UPDATE:

Greetings:

Another day, another departure of a Tegna news director in a top 30 market.

Elwood

Today’s it’s DEAN ELWOOD, the VP/News for Tegna’s KFMB-TV, the CBS affiliate in San Diego. Here’s the memo from General Manager ALBERTO MIER Y TERAN.

Dean’s been the ND since 2008, and also oversees the KFMB radio stations. If I’m not mistaken, he’s spent his entire career here. His bio from the station’s website has more.

More on this story in our full newsletter later this week.

regards,

Rick Gevers

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

Greetings:

Another busy week with FOUR newly named news directors, and TWO new openings. Our count of stations looking for an ND stands at 27.

ONE of those open positions is one of THREE paid help wanted ads.

LOTS of interesting items (well, I think they’re interesting, why else would I include them) in Names in the News, including a few news managers on the move, items about TWO former news directors and the books they’re written, a profile of a former ND turned ESPN talent recruiter, turned theatre board president, and details about the retirement of a former Kentucky news director.

And we have TWO new general mangers to tell you about.

All that and more below!

Newly Named News Directors: 

Rosetti

WTHR-TV, Indianapolis, IN…JEFF ROSETTI moves up to ND for this Dispatch Broadcast Group owned NBC affiliate. Here’s the news release. He’s been the Assistant ND since 2011 and replaces KATHY HOSTETTER who left last year to become ND for KDKA-TV in Pittsburgh. Jeff’s worked for CNN, and for local stations in Washington, Tampa, Raleigh, and Jacksonville, FL.

Jacob

WSMV-TV, Nashville, TN…DENISE ECK is out and MITCH JACOB is in at this Meredith owned NBC affiliate. We have the news release on this switch, too. Mitch was most recently the ND for Sinclair’s WJLA-TV in Washington: he left there in November to ‘take a break’ from daily news. He’s also been an ND in Phoenix, Columbus, OH, Toledo, Wichita, and Harlingen, TX. Denise was ND here for almost two years.

Sullivan

KGBT-TV, Harlingen, TX…AMY SULLIVAN will be the next news director for this Sinclair owned CBS affiliate. She is currently ND for KVII-TV in Amarillo, TX, also a Sinclair station. Amy’s also worked in Tulsa, Wichita, and Alexandria, LA. At KGBT, she replaces ZOLTAN CSANYI-SALCEDO who left earlier this year to become news director for KYTX-TV, the Tegna owned CBS affiliate in Tyler, TX.

Greg S.

KRNV-TV, Reno, NV…GREG SCHIEFERSTEIN started Friday as the news director for this owned by Cunningham but operated by Sinclair NBC-FOX duopoly. Here’s the email from GM AMIE CHAPMAN. Greg most recently was the ND for KPVI-TV in Pocatello, ID, a job he left last year. He’s also been an ND in Peoria, Augusta, GA, and Missoula, MT, and has worked in Seattle, Toledo, and Rockford, IL. He replaces SCOTT FITZGERALD who left in November after two years to become ND for KJRH-TV in Tulsa.

New News Director Openings: 

Lupenski

KSDK-TV, St. Louis, MO…this Tegna owned NBC affiliate is looking for its third news director in four years after Friday’s resignation of TIFFANI LUPENSKI. GM ALICIA ELSNER sent this email to the staff Friday afternoon. Tiffani spent less than a year and a half there, is a former ND in San Diego and Portland, OR, held management jobs in Seattle and Denver. She began her career on-air, working in Lake Charles, LA, and Birmingham. Tiffani also worked for CNN and for radio stations in Atlanta and San Antonio.

KVII-TV, Amarillo, TX…AMY SULLIVAN is leaving to become ND for KGBT-TV in Harlingen, TX, as noted above.

Also, please note the ad for the open news director job at WFFT-TV in Ft. Wayne, the Fox affiliate there. That’s just below.

Paid Help Wanted Ads:

Chief Content Officer, Rocky Mountain Public Media, Denver CO:

Rocky Mountain Public Media located in Denver, Colorado, home to Rocky Mountain PBS and KUVO Radio, is the largest statewide, member-supported, multi-media network in Colorado.

Rocky Mountain Public Media’s mission is to strengthen the civic fabric of the state by engaging audiences across platforms with high-quality, trusted content. To further this mission and to help this public institution transition into the Digital Age, Rocky Mountain Public Media seeks a full-time Chief Content Officer to lead its duPont-Columbia Award-winning team.

As a key member of the senior leadership team, the Chief Content Officer works directly with the CEO and other organizational and community leaders to create relevant content engagement for Rocky Mountain Public Media’s current and future members. The Chief Content Officer oversees the Content team, including Television, Radio, Digital, and Programming. In addition, the Chief Content Officer works alongside the Development and Marketing team to ensure content is ultimately member-supported and that audience engagement and responsiveness is a pervasive value governing the work.

For more information, or to apply now, please visit this website.

News Director, WFFT-TV, Fort Wayne, IN:

If you are an experienced broadcast journalist with newsroom management and leadership experience, then we are interested in speaking with you. This is an excellent opportunity for someone to join and lead a highly competitive and accomplished newscast that has earned four Emmy nominations and twice awarded Best Newscast.

The successful candidate must have an ability to coach reporters to be enterprising with their story generation, as well as compelling and relevant with their content. This is a unique opportunity to take an award-winning product to the next level. Solid news judgment, great communication skills and exceptional leadership are a requirement.

The Fort Wayne market is an extraordinary place to live and work, offering affordable living and an active lifestyle. Fort Wayne has been honored with several awards for quality of life and is a multiple winner of the All-American City Award.

Please send resumes and support materials to: Newsdirector@wfft.com

WFFT is an equal opportunity employer.

Executive Producer, Spectrum News, Charlotte, NC:

Want to live in one of the fastest growing cities in the country? Want to be part of a great team and work in a brand new, beautiful newsroom?

Spectrum News in Charlotte has an immediate opening for a creative Executive Producer with solid showcasing skills . We’re looking for someone with several years of line experience who wants to help us use our gorgeous new news studios to their fullest. If you are passionate about producing accurate, timely, and interesting newscasts we want to talk with you.

Spectrum Networks is a series of 27 hyper-local news and 9 regional sports networks owned and operated by Charter Communications, Inc. We are in markets ranging from the 160s to the top ten so we are a company you can grow with.

To learn more about this opportunity and to apply, please click here.

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 (listed 2/3/19)
KUSI-TV, San Diego, CA (relisted this week)
WCMH-TV, Columbus, OH (new listing this week)
KSTU-TV, Salt Lake City, UT (listed 2/3/19)
WSLS-TV, Roanoke, VA (listed 1/20/19)
WBND-TV, South Bend, IN (relisted 12/30/18)
WJAC-TV, Johnstown, PA (listed 1/6/19)
KDLT-TV, Sioux Falls, SD (listed 1/13/19)

EXECUTIVE PRODUCER:

WFAA-TV, Dallas, TX (relisted 1/20/19)
KPRC-TV, Houston, TX (Special Projects EP, relisted 1/6/19)
KGO-TV, San Francisco, CA (Dayside EP, relisted 1/13/19)
WXIA-TV, Atlanta, GA (relisted 1/20/19)
Spectrum News, Charlotte, NC (listed 2/24/19, see ad above!)
WSMV-TV, Nashville, TN (PM EP, relisted 2/10/19)
WBNS-TV, Columbus, OH (Senior EP, listed 1/6/19)
WXIX-TV, Cincinnati, OH (listed 2/10/19)
WOOD-TV, Grand Rapids, MI (new listing this week)
WIVB-TV, Buffalo, NY (relisted this week)
WJAR-TV, Providence, RI (listed 2/17/19)
WINK-TV, Ft. Myers, FL (TWO EP openings, relisted 1/27/19)
WKRG-TV, Mobile, AL (new listing this week)
WATE-TV, Knoxville, TN (TWO openings, listed 12/30/18)
KJRH-TV, Tulsa, OK (PM EP, listed 1/27/19)
WCTV, Tallahassee, FL (relisted 12/30/18)

MANAGING EDITOR:

OTHER NEWS MANAGEMENT OPENINGS:

Listed this week:

Rocky Mountain Public Media, Denver, CO (Chief Content Officer) See Ad Above!
WIAT-TV, Birmingham, AL (Digital Executive Producer)
KLAS-TV, Las Vegas, NV Digital Executive Producer)
KXRM-TV, Colorado Springs, CO (Digital Executive Producer)

Relisted 2/10/17:

WCPO-TV, Cincinnati, OH (Senior Manager of Editorial Content)
E.W. Scripps, Denver, CO (National Executive Producer)
WTOC-TV, Savannah, GA (Digital Content Manager)

Names in the News (and other items):

Gratias

KNBC-TV has filled its morning executive producer opening by luring VALERIE GRATIAS from cross-town rival KTLA-TV. She’s been the AM EP for the last two years and worked there as a producer for four years before that. Valerie has also worked as a writer/producer for KABC-TV in Los Angeles and has worked in Monterey, CA, and Augusta, GA.

Levy

SCOTT LEVY is headed back to a newsroom as the Assistant News Director for WSYX/WTTE-TV in Columbus, OH. That’s the Sinclair owned ABC/FOX duopoly. News Director JAMIE JUSTICE sent this email to her staff. Scott’s a former ND in Kansas City, Buffalo, Altoona, PA, and Elmira, NY.

WHAS-TV’s (Louisville/Tegna/ABC) General Manager CHRISTY MORENO and news director JULIE WOLFE were profiled in this story from a Louisville weekly.

Here are two stories about former news directors turned authors.

Washingtonian Magazine interviews BILL LORD about what it calls his ‘poignant memoir’ about his service in Vietnam. Bill’s a former ND in Washington, Los Angeles, Seattle and Nashville.

And former Toledo news director LOU HEBERT has written Hidden History of Toledo about the city where he’s worked several times at several stations. The local newspaper talked with Lou about the book.

Jaffe

AL JAFFE, a former news director who may be better known for his long stint as a talent recruiter for ESPN, hasn’t written a book (as far as I know) but is keeping busy in retirement. Al was just named president of Board of Trustees of the Ivoryton Playhouse. You can learn more in this profile.

Finally, congratulations to former Lexington, KY, (WLEX-TV) news director JIM ALLISON who is retiring as Assistant Vice President of Communications of Georgetown College. Click here to learn what he did there to earn the nickname “The Voice of Georgetown College.”

General Manager News and Notes:

Gray Television has named new general managers at two of its stations. ERIC KREBS will run WWNY-TV  in Watertown, NY, while ED WOLOSZYN has been tapped to lead KEYC-TV in Mankato, MN.

Our Full List of Open ND Jobs:

Here’s our list of open ND jobs as of Sunday, March 3, 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
News 12 The Bronx 930 Soundview Avenue Bronx, NY 10473
Verizon Fios 1 News 800 Westchester Avenue, Rye Brook, NY 10573
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
KSTP-TV 3415 University Ave W Saint Paul, MN 55114
KUVS-TV 1710 Arden Way, Sacramento CA 95815 **
KSDK-TV 1000 Market St. St. Louis MO 63101
KTNV-TV 3355 S. Valley View Blvd. Las Vegas, NV 89102
WHBQ-TV 485 S. Highland. Memphis, TN 38111
KSEE/KGPE-TV 5035 E McKinley Ave, Fresno, CA 93727
KARK-TV 1401 West Capitol Avenue, # 104 Little Rock, AR 72201
WLEX-TV P.O. Box 1457 Lexington, KY 40588-1457
KHQ-TV 1201 W. Sprague Ave. Spokane, WA 99201
WHNT-TV 200 Holmes Avenue, Huntsville, AL 35801
WHEC-TV 191 East Avenue, Rochester, NY 14604
WGME-TV 81 Northport Drive. Portland, ME 04103
WFFT-TV 3707 Hillegas RD Ft. Wayne IN 46807 (see ad above!)
WLTZ-TV 6140 Buena Vista Rd. Columbus, GA 31907
KIII-TV 5002 South Padre Island Dr. Corpus Christi, TX 78411
KVII-TV 1 Broadcast Center, Amarillo, TX 79101
KMBT-TV 525 Interstate 10 South, Beaumont, TX 77701
KAAL-TV 1320 Salem Rd SW, Rochester, MN 55902
WBNG-TV 560 Columbia Dr. Johnson City, NY 13790
WOAY-TV P.O. BOX 3001 Oak Hill, WV 25901
KREX-TV 345 Hillcrest Drive Grand Junction, CO 81501

**: Spanish language station

February 24, 2019

Friday, March 1, 2019 UPDATE #2:

The first evening of March brings the second UPDATE of the month (and the day)…and details of a news director opening in St. Louis.

Lupenski

TIFFANI LUPENSKI has parted ways with Tegna’s KSDK-TV, the NBC affiliate there. She was ND here for less than a year and a half. Her replacement will be the THIRD news director in just FOUR years since MIKE SHIPLEY ended a 15 year run as ND in 2015.

Tiffani’s a former ND in San Diego, Portland, OR, and has held news management jobs in Seattle and Denver (where she worked for Tegna.) She began her career on air as a reporter/anchor in Lake Charles, LA, and Birmingham, worked for CNN and for radio stations in Atlanta and San Antonio.

There’s lots of news this week…we’ll see you Sunday with a full report.

regards,

Rick Gevers

Friday, March 1, 2019 UPDATE:

The first day of March brings the first UPDATE of the month…and it brings news of a new news director in Indianapolis.

Rosetti

JEFF ROSETTI has been promoted to the top job at Dispatch Broadcast Group’s WTHR-TV, the NBC affiliate. He’s been the assistant ND since 2011, and has been the interim ND since KATHY HOSTETTER left last year to become the ND for KDKA-TV in Pittsburgh.

More in the station’s news release.

Jeff’s worked for CNN, and for local stations in Washington, Tampa, Raleigh, and Jacksonville, FL.

We’ll be back with a pretty full newsletter this weekend.

regards,

Rick Gevers

Tuesday, February 26, 2019 UPDATE:

Jacob

A surprise today from Nashville where MITCH JACOB has been named news director for Meredith’s WSMV-TV (NBC).

He started today.

It’s a return to Meredith for Mitch who worked for the company in Phoenix earlier in his career.

Details in this news release.

Mitch most recently was Station Manager and News Director for Sinclair’s WJLA-TV (ABC) in Washington, DC. He left that job in November, saying he wanted to take a break from daily news for a while.

Mitch was at WJLA for about four years. Had previously worked for Sinclair as an ND in Columbus, OH, and has also been an ND in Phoenix, Toledo, Wichita, and Harlingen, TX.

Eck

At WSMV, he replaces DENISE ECK who leaves the station after not quite two years as ND.

More in our full newsletter this weekend.

regards,

Rick Gevers

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

Greetings:

A flurry of news director hirings this week, with THREE positions filled and just ONE new opening. Our always unofficial count of open ND jobs drops to 28.

TWO of those open positions are among our THREE paid help wanted ads this week.

We have a number of managers on the move, just ONE obituary (that for a former longtime Cap Cities/ABC manager) and NO items involving general managers.

We do, however, have TWO self-serving items. You’ll find ’em sprinkled throughout. 🙂

Read on!

Newly Named News Directors: 

Rick M.

WAPT-TV, Jackson, MS…a promotion within Hearst sends RICK McLAUGHLIN to this ABC affiliate as its next news director. Details are here. For the last four years, he’s been the Assistant News Director Hearst’s WESH-TV (NBC) in Orlando. He first joined the company in 2010 as the AND for WLWT-TV (also NBC) in Cincinnati. Rick’s also worked in Boston, St. Louis, Milwaukee, and for another Cincinnati station. He replaces YVE JONES who left late last year after almost two years as ND.

Jamie M.

WCTI/WYDP-TV, New Bern, NC…JAMIE McCUTCHEON has been promoted to news director for this Sinclair Broadcasting Group owned operation. She’s been the interim ND there since ERIC OLSEN left to become ND for WTKR-TV in Norfolk. Jamie first joined the station as the 10:00 anchor before leaving the desk to become the Assistant ND. She’s also worked in Omaha, NE, Macon, GA, and Sioux Falls, SD.

Zamora

WTVA-TV, Tupelo, MS…a long search ends with the hiring of LIZ ZAMORA as the next news director for this Heartland Media owned NBC/ABC operation. Liz most recently was the Assistant ND for KRNV-TV in Reno. She’s worked both on-air and in a number of markets as you’ll learn in this news release. Liz replaces MICHAEL RAFFAELE who left in September after two years and is now ND for WACH-TV in Columbia, SC. (Self serving item #1: GM JERRY JONES was kind to tell me: “And, of course, she saw the job post on your newsletter.”

New News Director Opening: 

McKinney

KTNV-TV, Las Vegas, NV…TRACIE McKINNEY is out after six months as ND for this Scripps/ABC affiliate. She was the interim ND for three months, filling in after MIKE DELLO STRITTO left to return to Sacramento as ND for KOVR/KMAX-TV. Tracie’s been an Assistant ND in Detroit, Tampa, and Norfolk, worked as an EP for two St. Louis stations, and began her career as a reporter for stations in Virginia and West Virginia.

Also, please note the ad for the open news director job at WFFT-TV in Ft. Wayne, the Fox affiliate there. That’s just below.

Paid Help Wanted Ads:

News Director, WFFT-TV, Fort Wayne, IN:

If you are an experienced broadcast journalist with newsroom management and leadership experience, then we are interested in speaking with you. This is an excellent opportunity for someone to join and lead a highly competitive and accomplished newscast that has earned four Emmy nominations and twice awarded Best Newscast.

The successful candidate must have an ability to coach reporters to be enterprising with their story generation, as well as compelling and relevant with their content. This is a unique opportunity to take an award-winning product to the next level. Solid news judgment, great communication skills and exceptional leadership are a requirement.

The Fort Wayne market is an extraordinary place to live and work, offering affordable living and an active lifestyle. Fort Wayne has been honored with several awards for quality of life and is a multiple winner of the All-American City Award.

Please send resumes and support materials to: Newsdirector@wfft.com

WFFT is an equal opportunity employer.

Executive Producer, Spectrum News, Charlotte, NC:

Want to live in one of the fastest growing cities in the country? Want to be part of a great team and work in a brand new, beautiful newsroom?

Spectrum News in Charlotte has an immediate opening for a creative Executive Producer with solid showcasing skills . We’re looking for someone with several years of line experience who wants to help us use our gorgeous new news studios to their fullest. If you are passionate about producing accurate, timely, and interesting newscasts we want to talk with you.

Spectrum Networks is a series of 27 hyper-local news and 9 regional sports networks owned and operated by Charter Communications, Inc. We are in markets ranging from the 160s to the top ten so we are a company you can grow with.

To learn more about this opportunity and to apply, please click here.

News Director, WBNG-TV, Binghamton, NY:

WBNG-TV in Binghamton, NY seeks a dynamic News Director to help guide our news department to new heights of journalistic and ratings success. This is an exciting opportunity to join a great team in one of New York’s most beautiful places to live.

The successful candidate will be responsible for establishing and maintaining market leading
standards for newsroom operations and content. Other duties include hiring, coaching, supervising and evaluating news personnel, as well as preparation and administration of newsroom budgets and capital requests. The News Director is expected to work closely with other department managers to achieve the company’s overall performance goals.

A minimum of 4 years television news management experience and a college degree in broadcast journalism preferred. Must be able to demonstrate strong working knowledge of community issues and sound journalistic principles. Must have the ability to make fast, accurate journalistic and logistical judgments.

If you have a passion for excellence, and a desire to lead the best local broadcast news operation in Binghamton, NY, we want to hear from you.

Please send your resume and cover letter to: rkrummenacker@wbng.com

Bob Krummenacker
General Manager
WBNG-TV
560 Columbia Dr.
Johnson City, NY 13790

NO PHONE CALLS PLEASE

WBNG is part of Quincy Media, a family owned company with television stations in 9 states. Throughout Quincy, positions are available for candidates with all levels of experience and the advancement you are seeking. Visit www.quincymediacareers.com for links to all stations and opportunities.

WBNG-TV is an Equal Opportunity Employer

News Management Openings:

ASSISTANT NEWS DIRECTOR:

KTVT-TV, Dallas/Ft. Worth, TX (listed 2/10/19)
KXAS-TV, Dallas/Ft. Worth, TX (relisted 2/3/10)
KGO-TV, San Francisco, CA (listed 2/3/10)
KUSI-TV, San Diego, CA (listed 12/30/18)
KSTU-TV, Salt Lake City, UT (listed 2/3/10)
WSLS-TV, Roanoke, VA (listed 1/20/19)
WBND-TV, South Bend, IN (relisted 12/30/18)
WJHL-TV, Johnson City, TN (listed 12/23/18)
WJAC-TV, Johnstown, PA (listed 1/6/19)
KDLT-TV, Sioux Falls, SD (listed 1/13/19)

EXECUTIVE PRODUCER:

WFAA-TV, Dallas, TX (relisted 1/20/17)
KPRC-TV, Houston, TX (Special Projects EP, relisted 1/6/19)
KGO-TV, San Francisco, CA (Dayside EP, relisted 1/13/19)
WXIA-TV, Atlanta, GA (relisted 1/20/19)
WCCO-TV, Minneapolis, MN (AM EP, listed 12/23/18)
Spectrum News, Charlotte, NC (new listing this week, see ad above!)
WSMV-TV, Nashville, TN (PM EP, relisted 2/10/19)
WBNS-TV, Columbus, OH (Senior EP, listed 1/6/19)
WXIX-TV, Cincinnati, OH (listed 2/10/19)
WIVB-TV, Buffalo, NY (listed 12/30/18)
WJAR-TV, Providence, RI (listed 2/17/19)
WINK-TV, Ft. Myers, FL (TWO EP openings, relisted 1/27/19)
WATE-TV, Knoxville, TN (TWO openings, listed 12/30/18)
KJRH-TV, Tulsa, OK (PM EP, listed 1/27/19)
WCTV, Tallahassee, FL (relisted 12/30/18)
KXAS-TV, Dallas/Ft. Worth (relisted 1/27/19)

OTHER NEWS MANAGEMENT OPENINGS:

Relisted 2/10/17:

WCPO-TV, Cincinnati, OH (Senior Manager of Editorial Content)
E.W. Scripps, Denver, CO (National Executive Producer)
WTOC-TV, Savannah, GA (Digital Content Manager)

Obituaries:

Edwards

MARC EDWARDS (real name: ARNOLD FREEMAN), a longtime general manager for KFSN-TV in Fresno, died earlier this month. He was 87. He began his career as a newspaper reporter, moved to radio, then on to television, working most of his career for Cap Cities (which, of course, eventually morphed into ABC and the Walt Disney Company). Details about a long and interesting career are here.

Names in the News (and other items):

Azocar

COLS AZOCAR leaves NBC News (where she worked as a digital video producer) for WXTV, the Univision station in New York. Media Moves reports that she also produced at MSNBC, the News 12 Networks, and worked as a writer for CBS News.

WEWS-TV in Cleveland (Scripps/ABC) has hired JOSH VOIGHT as its new executive producer. He’s been working for the Tribune duopoly (WTTV/WXIN-TV) in Indianapolis for the past four years as a producer and EP. He’s also worked in Louisville and for two stations in Huntsville.

MATT CAMPBELL moves to Meredith’s KCTV in Kansas City as the new morning executive producer. He’s been at WZZM-TV (Tegna/ABC) in Grand Rapids, MI, for almost 14 years, finishing there as Senior News Producer. He’s also worked in Las Vegas, Louisville, and for two stations in Memphis.

Kreger

Once again, you can go home again. Latest example: MARGARET KREGER who returns to Roanoke as the new Assistant News Director for Graham Media’s WSLS-TV. She’s been a producer for WAGA-TV in Atlanta, has been an EP in Greensboro, and a producer in Augusta, GA. (Self serving note #2: ND RICK MOLL kindly noted that she learned of the vacancy via the station’s paid ad in this newsletter.)

General Manager News and Notes:

I have no items to report this week. A reminder that we always welcome your tips to rick@rickgevers.com.

Our Full List of Open ND Jobs:

Here’s our list of open ND jobs as of Sunday, February 24, 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
News 12 The Bronx 930 Soundview Avenue Bronx, NY 10473
Verizon Fios 1 News 800 Westchester Avenue, Rye Brook, NY 10573
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
KSTP-TV 3415 University Ave W Saint Paul, MN 55114
KUVS-TV 1710 Arden Way, Sacramento CA 95815 **
WTHR-TV 1000 N. Meridian Street Indianapolis, IN 46204
KTNV-TV 3355 S. Valley View Blvd. Las Vegas, NV 89102
WHBQ-TV 485 S. Highland. Memphis, TN 38111
KSEE/KGPE-TV 5035 E McKinley Ave, Fresno, CA 93727
KARK-TV 1401 West Capitol Avenue, # 104 Little Rock, AR 72201
WLEX-TV P.O. Box 1457 Lexington, KY 40588-1457
KHQ-TV 1201 W. Sprague Ave. Spokane, WA 99201
KGBT-TV 9201 West Expressway 83. Harlingen, TX 78552
WHNT-TV 200 Holmes Avenue, Huntsville, AL 35801
WHEC-TV 191 East Avenue, Rochester, NY 14604
WGME-TV 81 Northport Drive. Portland, ME 04103
WFFT-TV 3707 Hillegas RD Ft. Wayne IN 46807 (see ad above!)
KRNV-TV 1790 Vassar St. Reno, NV 89502
WLTZ-TV 6140 Buena Vista Rd. Columbus, GA 31907
KIII-TV 5002 South Padre Island Dr. Corpus Christi, TX 78411
KMBT-TV 525 Interstate 10 South, Beaumont, TX 77701
KAAL-TV 1320 Salem Rd SW, Rochester, MN 55902
WBNG-TV 560 Columbia Dr. Johnson City, NY 13790 (see ad above!)
WOAY-TV P.O. BOX 3001 Oak Hill, WV 25901
KREX-TV 345 Hillcrest Drive Grand Junction, CO 81501

February 17, 2019

Wednesday, February 20, 2019 UPDATE:

Greetings:

Patti M.

A memorial service for PATTI McGETTIGAN will be held this Saturday, February 23, 2019 from noon-3:00 PM at the National Civil Rights Museum at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis.  (If you don’t know the Lorraine Motel, shame on you.)

We told you this weekend that Patti, a former news director in Memphis, Indianapolis and Grand Rapids, had lost her battle with breast cancer.  She was just 53 years old and leaves a daughter and son.

In our newsletter, we shared with you online obits from two of her former stations, WOOD-TV and WISH-TV.

WHBQ-TV in Memphis (where Patti had been ND until illness forced a medical retirement last December) also shared this tribute.

Plans for a memorial service in Grand Rapids are pending.

regards,

Rick Gevers

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

ONE newly named news director.

ONE new ND opening.

And both moves involves the same person. We’ll fill you in below.

That means our list of stations looking for a news director stays at 30.

There are FOUR paid help wanted ads this week, including ONE for that new opening.

Sadly we have FOUR obituaries, including one for a three time ND who just left her last job on a medical retirement in December. And there’s an obit for the mother of a longtime CBS News marketing executive who many of you know.

TWO items in our General Manager section…including a new GM in St. Louis. In Names in the News, a promotion for a Meredith newsman and several news managers on the move.

All that and more below.

Newly Named News Director: 

Laughrin

WGBA-TV, Green Bay, WI…JOHN LAUGHRIN proves you CAN go home again as he returns to his native Green Bay as ND for this Scripps’ owned NBC affiliate. He’s been the ND for WBNG-TV in Binghamton (more on that below) but earlier in his career was the ND for WAOW-TV in Wausau, WI. John now completes the Green Bay hat trick, having served as a former EP and sports producer for WLUK-TV and as a producer for WFRV-TV. At WGBA, he replaces JULIE MORAVCHIK who left late last year to become the Assistant ND for the new Spectrum News operation in Milwaukee.

New News Director Opening: 

WBNG-TV, Binghamton, NY…you read just about that JOHN LAUGHRIN is leaving this Quincy Media owned CBS affiliate to return to his native Wisconsin as ND for Scripps’ WGBA-TV. He’s been here since 2016. You can learn more about this opening by checking out the Paid Help Wanted ad just below.

Paid Help Wanted Ads:

News Director, WBNG-TV, Binghamton, NY:

WBNG-TV in Binghamton, NY seeks a dynamic News Director to help guide our news department to new heights of journalistic and ratings success. This is an exciting opportunity to join a great team in one of New York’s most beautiful places to live.

The successful candidate will be responsible for establishing and maintaining market leading
standards for newsroom operations and content. Other duties include hiring, coaching, supervising and evaluating news personnel, as well as preparation and administration of newsroom budgets and capital requests. The News Director is expected to work closely with other department managers to achieve the company’s overall performance goals.

A minimum of 4 years television news management experience and a college degree in broadcast journalism preferred. Must be able to demonstrate strong working knowledge of community issues and sound journalistic principles. Must have the ability to make fast, accurate journalistic and logistical judgments.

If you have a passion for excellence, and a desire to lead the best local broadcast news operation in Binghamton, NY, we want to hear from you.

Please send your resume and cover letter to: rkrummenacker@wbng.com

Bob Krummenacker
General Manager
WBNG-TV
560 Columbia Dr.
Johnson City, NY 13790

NO PHONE CALLS PLEASE

WBNG is part of Quincy Media, a family owned company with television stations in 9 states. Throughout Quincy, positions are available for candidates with all levels of experience and the advancement you are seeking. Visit www.quincymediacareers.com for links to all stations and opportunities.

WBNG-TV is an Equal Opportunity Employer

Assistant News Director, KTVT-TV, Dallas/Ft. Worth, TX:

Everything is bigger in Texas! CBS O/O in Dallas is looking for an Assistant News Director with a big personality to help lead a vibrant and seasoned team of journalists.

Must be collaborative, creative and an effective communicator. Must hate the phrase “we’ve always done it this way”. We are not ambulance chasers. We focus on hyper local, enterprise story-telling with an emphasis on long form investigative content. Weather is a priority.

Ideal candidate must be able to identify engaging content and guide the daily editorial conversation with respect and consideration. You must play nice in the sandbox. If this is YOU, we want you to join our winning team!

Responsibilities & Qualifications:

Bachelor’s degree in broadcast journalism, management or related field OR comparable television management work experience preferred. The candidate must have a proven ability to lead, coach, motivate and solve problems. Applicants should have a minimum 8 years of experience in a medium/large television market or network, with at least three years in management. A flexible schedule is required.

Click here to apply!

Senior Manager of Editorial Operations, WCPO-TV, Cincinnati, OH:

Hey Gevers friends,

I’m looking for a rare breed of journalist/leader; someone who has the skills and experience to run the middle of our newsroom in the middle of the day, and at the same time the digital chops to manage the people, platforms and processes that give life to our perennially-award-winning digital content.

We’re WCPO in Cincinnati, Scripps’ hometown station, and we’re the most decorated shop in the market for journalistic quality and innovation on every platform. In addition to 7 hours of weekday newscasts, we produce digital-only enterprise stories, podcasts, comics, documentaries and tireless investigations. We have the market’s only news helicopter, a significant advantage in breaking news. We have all the resources we need to win. What we need now is an experienced newsroom leader who works collaboratively with others to put it all in motion every day. We need someone with fire in the belly to move the newsroom quickly and accurately when news breaks.

This position is one of four co-equal senior managers who, with me, share overall responsibility for the entire newsroom. This position is perfect for someone who has significant experience in both television and digital, with breaking news and enterprise content. This position is perfect for someone with senior leadership experience and the ambition to be a news director in the near future.

You can read our more formal job posting here. If you have questions, don’t hesitate to reach out to me directly.

Chip Mahaney
News Director
WCPO / Scripps / Cincinnati
chip@wcpo.com
513-852-4040

Executive Producer, WXIX-TV, Cincinnati, OH:

A great station in a great town!

Cincinnati’s #1 news station has an immediate opening for a dynamic, creative, and bold Executive Producer. WXIX is seeking someone who is not afraid to take the reins, with the ability to use 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 must possess solid people/management skills.

Qualified applicants, please apply online by clicking here and attach your resume and link to your most recent work.

No phone calls please. EOE-M/F/D/V

News Management Openings:

ASSISTANT NEWS DIRECTOR:

KTVT-TV, Dallas/Ft. Worth, TX (listed 2/10/19, see ad above!)
KXAS-TV, Dallas/Ft. Worth, TX (relisted 2/3/10)
KGO-TV, San Francisco, CA (listed 2/3/10)
KUSI-TV, San Diego, CA (listed 12/30/18)
KSTU-TV, Salt Lake City, UT (listed 2/3/10)
WSLS-TV, Roanoke, VA (listed 1/20/19)
WBND-TV, South Bend, IN (relisted 12/30/18)
WJHL-TV, Johnson City, TN (listed 12/23/18)
WJAC-TV, Johnstown, PA (listed 1/6/19)
KDLT-TV, Sioux Falls, SD (listed 1/13/19)

EXECUTIVE PRODUCER:

KNBC-TV, Los Angeles, CA (AM EP, relisted 12/16/18)
WFAA-TV, Dallas, TX (relisted 1/20/17)
KPRC-TV, Houston, TX (Special Projects EP, relisted 1/6/19)
KGO-TV, San Francisco, CA (Dayside EP, relisted 1/13/19)
WXIA-TV, Atlanta, GA (relisted 1/20/19)
WCCO-TV, Minneapolis, MN (AM EP, listed 12/23/18)
WEWS-TV, Cleveland, OH (listed 12/23/18)
WSMV-TV, Nashville, TN (PM EP, relisted 2/10/19)
KCTV, Kansas City, MO (AM EP, relisted 12/2/18)
WBNS-TV, Columbus, OH (Senior EP, listed 1/6/19)
WXIX-TV, Cincinnati, OH (listed 2/10/19, see ad above!)
WIVB-TV, Buffalo, NY (listed 12/30/18)
WJAR-TV, Providence, RI (new listing this week)
WINK-TV, Ft. Myers, FL (TWO EP openings, relisted 1/27/19)
WATE-TV, Knoxville, TN (TWO openings, listed 12/30/18)
KJRH-TV, Tulsa, OK (PM EP, listed 1/27/19)
WIS-TV, Columbia, SC (relisted 12/9/18)
WCTV, Tallahassee, FL (relisted 12/30/18)

MANAGING EDITOR:

KXAS-TV, Dallas/Ft. Worth (relisted 1/27/19)

OTHER NEWS MANAGEMENT OPENINGS:

Relisted 2/10/17:

WCPO-TV, Cincinnati, OH (Senior Manager of Editorial Content) See ad above!
E.W. Scripps, Denver, CO (National Executive Producer)
WTOC-TV, Savannah, GA (Digital Content Manager)

Obituaries:

Patti M.

We have more information on the passing of PATTI McGETTIGAN, who died yesterday in Memphis of cancer at the age of 53. Patti was a three-time news director who left her last job at WHBQ-TV in Memphis last December on what she told me was a medical retirement.

Patti fought breast cancer three times over the last 14 years and also suffered a heart attack last fall.

She’d also been an ND at WOOD-TV in Grand Rapids, MI, and WISH-TV here in Indianapolis, and worked in Pittsburgh and Columbus, OH. WOOD-TV and WISH-TV posted tributes on their websites: Here’s WOOD’s, and here’s WISH’s.

(Update:  After this week’s newsletter was published I found this obituary from WHBQ.)

Patti is survived by her 20 year old daughter, MOLLIE, and an 18 year old son, WILLIAM, and two sisters. Services are pending but most likely will be held in her home state of Michigan. I’ll add that to this website when it’s available.

Hennes

We also have more information on the passing of longtime KCEN-TV (Temple, TX) news director and anchor TONY HENNES. We told you earlier this week that Tony died on Monday of an apparent heart attack. We told just a few weeks ago that he was running for City Council in Texas. More details on his life and career…and post-TV career…in this obituary.

Howell

HANEY HOWELL, a former CBS Vietnam war correspondent who later taught for many years at Winthrop University, died Monday at the age of 75. He spent more than 20 years at Winthrop after a long broadcasting career that took him to Texas, Alabama, Tennessee and Georgia. You can learn more about his life…and the book he wrote about covering Vietnam…by clicking here.

Finally, GLORIA SEHRT, mother of former CBS News marketing executive THERESE DUKE, died last night after a long illness. She was 91. In addition to Therese, she is survived by five other children, eleven grandchildren, and six great-grand children. Mrs. Sehrt lost her husband of 63 years, FRANK, in 2015. Many of you know Therese, who spent more than ten years at CBS working with affiliates with her husband JOE DUKE. She also worked at WWL-TV in New Orleans. A nice note will reach Therese at: trezzyduke@gmail.com.

Names in the News (and other items):

Brown

GARY BROWN gets a promotion at Meredith, less than a year after he returned to the company as Vice President of News and Marketing. His new title is Senior Vice President of Content. Details in this memo from Meredith’s Local Media Group President PATRICK McCREERY. Gary’s a former ND in San Diego, Hartford, Providence, Toledo, and Steubenville, served as VP of News for Newport Television, and spent five years as an agent.

Araiza

Speaking of Meredith, its Atlanta station, WGCL-TV, has a new Assistant News Director. KAREN ARAIZA has been working there on an interim basis since the first of the year helping with Super Bowl coverage. ND STEVE DOERR notified the staff via this email. It’s a reunion for Steve and Karen…they worked together at WCAU-TV in Philadelphia. She also served as an ND in Portland, ME.

KATHY STONE heads south to become the new Assistant News Director at WKRN-TV in Nashville. She’s spent the last 20 years at WLEX-TV in Lexington, most recently as the Assistant ND.

GARRETT WEINDORF has been promoted to Assistant ND at Scripps’ KJRH-TV in Tulsa. He had been an EP for this NBC affiliate and earlier spent ten years at another Tulsa station.

Finch

Triton, the latest documentary from Washington & Lee Assistant Professor of Journalism KEVIN FINCH, will be shown later this month on the W & L campus. Triton is a nuclear-powered radar picket submarine that completed the first completely submerged circumnavigation of the Earth almost 60 years ago. Triton spent spent 60 days, 21 hours under water. Kevin’s a longtime Indianapolis newsman turned educator who served as ND for both WISH-TV and WRTV.

General Manager News and Notes:

Krueger

Tribune Broadcasting has promoted KURT KRUEGER to be GM of its St. Louis duopoly, KTVI/KPLR-TV (FOX/CW). He’s been the Station Manager since 2016 and has worked there since 1998 in a number of sales positions. More from the station’s website.

MARK CONTRERAS moves from Dean of School of Communications at Quinnipiac University to become CEO of Connecticut Public Broadcasting.

Our Full List of Open ND Jobs:

Here’s our list of open ND jobs as of Sunday, February 17, 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
News 12 The Bronx 930 Soundview Avenue Bronx, NY 10473
Verizon Fios 1 News 800 Westchester Avenue, Rye Brook, NY 10573
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
KSTP-TV 3415 University Ave W Saint Paul, MN 55114
KUVS-TV 1710 Arden Way, Sacramento CA 95815 **
WTHR-TV 1000 N. Meridian Street Indianapolis, IN 46204
WHBQ-TV 485 S. Highland. Memphis, TN 38111
KSEE/KGPE-TV 5035 E McKinley Ave, Fresno, CA 93727
KARK-TV 1401 West Capitol Avenue, # 104 Little Rock, AR 72201
WLEX-TV P.O. Box 1457 Lexington, KY 40588-1457
KHQ-TV 1201 W. Sprague Ave. Spokane, WA 99201
KGBT-TV 9201 West Expressway 83. Harlingen, TX 78552
WHNT-TV 200 Holmes Avenue, Huntsville, AL 35801
WHEC-TV 191 East Avenue, Rochester, NY 14604
WGME-TV 81 Northport Drive. Portland, ME 04103
WAPT-TV 7616 Channel 16 Way Jackson, MS 39209
WFFT-TV 3707 Hillegas RD Ft. Wayne IN 46807
WCTI-TV 225 Glenburnie Dr. New Bern, NC 28560
KRNV-TV 1790 Vassar St. Reno, NV 89502
WLTZ-TV 6140 Buena Vista Rd. Columbus, GA 31907
KIII-TV 5002 South Padre Island Dr. Corpus Christi, TX 78411
WTVA-TV P.O. Box 320 Tupelo, MS 38802
KMBT-TV 525 Interstate 10 South, Beaumont, TX 77701
KAAL-TV 1320 Salem Rd SW, Rochester, MN 55902
WBNG-TV 560 Columbia Dr. Johnson City, NY 13790 (see ad above!)
WOAY-TV P.O. BOX 3001 Oak Hill, WV 25901
KREX-TV 345 Hillcrest Drive Grand Junction, CO 81501