June 19, 2009
Wednesday, June 25, UPDATE:
Tom Doerr
TOM DOERR has been named VP/News Director for KRIV-TV in Houston. Tom most recently was VP/Station Manager for WFOR-TV in Miami. He’s a veteran news director who’s held that role for six other stations. We’ll have more in our next complete edition.
Monday, June 22, UPDATE:
Dan Bradley
DAN BRADLEY has been named GM of WCMH-TV in Columbus, where he’s been Director of Digital Journalism since April. Dan’s a former ND in Tampa and spent eight years as VP/News of parent company Media General. Congrats to Dan. More on this in our next full edition of the newsletter.
Greetings:
ONE new opening and THREE new NDs highlight this week’s newsletter.
One of those three new NDs is a veteran newswoman returning to the ND chair in a top 25 market.
These changes reduce the number of open ND jobs to just 17.
We also have some ‘relisted’ news management openings, a few Names in the News, and an obituary for a past RTNDA President who was the first ND and anchor for a Florida TV station.
All that and more following this week’s changes:
NEW NEWS DIRECTOR OPENINGS:
Kevin Finch
WISH-TV, Indianapolis, IN…in a move we first alerted you to in an emailed UPDATE last Monday, KEVIN FINCH is leaving this LIN-owned CBS affiliate to return to working on documentaries. He’s joining Calamari Productions. The move reunites him with KAREN GRAU who heads the company: they’ve worked together in the past. Kevin was promoted to ND here in February, 2007.
NEW NEWS DIRECTORS NAMED:
Marren
KDKA-TV, Pittsburgh, PA…we emailed you about this move on Thursday: COLEEN MARREN will be the next ND for this CBS o-and-o. Coleen most recently was the ND for Hearst’s WCVB-TV in Boston, a job she left at the end of 2008. She’d been the ND there for eight years and had earlier served as an ND in Milwaukee and Hartford. She replaces JOHN VERRILLI who traveled the reverse path and headed to Boston as ND for a sister CBS o-and-o, WBZ-TV, earlier this year after four years as ND for KDKA.
WJAR-TV, Providence, RI…CHRIS LANNI has been named Content Brand Manager for this Media General owned NBC affiliate. He replaces longtime ‘JAR ND BETTY JO CUGINI who was laid off from the station last April after eight years as ND.
KGPE-TV, Fresno, CA…CHAD McCOLLUM has been promoted to ND for this Newport-owned CBS affiliate. He had been the Assistant ND here, and has previously worked in San Diego and Los Angeles. He replaces JIM HOLLAND who left the station last month after six years as ND. Jim returned to Texas as ND for KCEN-TV in Temple, TX.
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OTHER NEWS MANAGEMENT OPENINGS:
ASSISTANT NEWS DIRECTOR:
WMUR-TV, Manchester, NH (listed 4/25/09)
WNEM-TV, Saginaw, MI (relisted this week)
EXECUTIVE NEWS PRODUCER:
KIAH-TV, Houston, TX (PM EP, relisted 6/14/09)
WESH-TV, Orlando, FL (relisted 5/15/09)
KXTV, Sacramento, CA (Morning EP, relisted this week)
WDBJ-TV, Roanoke, VA (relisted this week)
WLTX-TV, Columbia, SC (listed 6/14/09)
WKOW-TV, Madison, WI (listed 6/5/09)
KRNV-TV, Reno, NV (listed 5/22/09)
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OBITUARY:
Baker
HAROLD BAKER, a longtime Jacksonville news director and anchor, and a past president of RTNDA, died this week at the age of 93. He was the first news director and anchor of what is now WTLV-TV in Jacksonville, and was president of RTNDA in 1956. You can learn more about his life and career by reading this obituary.
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NAMES in the NEWS:
Longtime NEW ENGLAND CABLE NEWS executive CHARLES KRAVETZ has left that operation as Comcast takes over as single owner of NECN. Kravetz was the first news director here and became President and GM in March, 2008. He was replaced by BILL BRIDGEN who is the VP/GM of Comcast SportsNet New England.
SUNNY HAMPTON moves across Tennessee to become the new Executive Producer for WZTV-TV in Nashville. She has been the Nightside EP at WHBQ-TV in Memphis.
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Here’s a complete list of all stations that I believe have a current ND opening, as of Friday, June 19, 2009. If you know of any updates, corrections, or additions to this list, please let me know via email at: rick@rickgevers.com
WNBC-TV 30 Rockefeller Plaza New York NY 10012
WDIV-TV 550 W. Lafayette Blvd Detroit MI 48231
KRIV-TV 4261 Southwest Freeway Houston TX 77027
WTVJ-TV 15000 SW 27th Ave. Miramar FL 33027
WISH-TV 1950 N. Meridian St. Indianapolis IN 46202
WZZM-TV 645 Three Mile Road NW Grand Rapids MI 49504
WGNO-TV One Galleria Blvd, #850 Metairie, LA 70001
WKRG-TV 555 Broadcast Dr. Mobile AL 36606
WAND-TV 904 South Side Dr. Decatur IL 62525
WFFF-TV 298 Mountain View Dr. Colchester VT 05446
WLNS-TV 2820 E. Saginaw St. Lansing MI 48912
WNCT-TV 3221 S. Evans St. Greenville NC 27834
WPBN/WTOM-TV 8518 M 72 West Traverse City MI 49684
WMGT-TV PO Box 4328 Macon GA 31208
KTEN-TV 10 HighPoint Circle Denison TX 75020
KAVU-TV 3808 N. Navarro Victoria TX 77901
KSAX-TV PO Box 189 Alexandria MN 56308
(BOLD indicates new opening this week)
Rick Gevers
Rick Gevers & Associates
PO Box 577
Zionsville IN 46077
317-769-7900 (phone)
317-769-7910 (fax)
rick@rickgevers.com
www.rickgevers.com