June 8, 2009
Greetings:
Let’s all raise a toast to the good people at KOBI-TV in Medford, OR, where a new news director was hired this week. Without that hire, I would have had NO new ND moves to report, for the first time in the 13+ years I’ve generated this report.
Fortunately I’ve been spared that indignity, and you’ve been spared me whining about it.
That one move reduces the number of open ND jobs to just 17 which regular readers will know is about the smallest number ever.
But there’s much more!
We have lots of names in the news this week, including new jobs for a former Chicago ND and a former Florida news director.
If you’re looking for a new job, we’ll tell you about a Wisconsin station looking for a new EP. And there are a few other items in Names in the News, as well.
Sadly, we also have two obituaries: one for the Executive Director of a national journalism organization, the other for the father of a Kentucky ND.
All that and more following this week’s change:
NEW NEWS DIRECTOR OPENINGS:
None that I know of.
NEW NEWS DIRECTORS NAMED:
KOBI-TV, Medford, OR…JULIE AKINS returns to Medford as the next ND for this NBC affiliate. Earlier in her career she was the ND at KDRV-TV in Medford. She’s also been an ND in Las Vegas and Fresno At KOBI, she replaces BILL KELLY who left the station earlier this year to resume his career as an on-air meteorologist.
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OTHER NEWS MANAGEMENT OPENINGS:
ASSISTANT NEWS DIRECTOR:
WMUR-TV, Manchester, NH (listed 4/25/09)
WBTV, Charlotte, NC (relisted 5/15/09)
WNEM-TV, Saginaw, MI (listed 3/8/09)
EXECUTIVE NEWS PRODUCER:
KIAH-TV, Houston, TX (PM EP, listed 2/13/09)
WESH-TV, Orlando, FL (relisted 5/15/09)
KXTV, Sacramento, CA (Morning EP, listed 1/30/09)
WZTV, Nashville, TN (relisted 1/23/09)
WDBJ-TV, Roanoke, VA (relisted 1/16/09)
WKOW-TV, Madison, WI (new listing this week)
KRNV-TV, Reno, NV (listed 5/22/09)
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OBITUARIES:
Terry Harper
The executive director of the Society of Professional Journalists, TERRY HARPER, died June 2nd after battling brain cancer. He was just 45 years old. You can learn more about Terry, including a link to a final blog he instructed his wife to post after he died, by going to the SPJ website.
And I’m sorry to tell you that BRYAN ELDRIDGE, father of WAVE-TV (Louisville) ND LEE ELDRIDGE, died last month at the age of 84. Mr. Eldridge suffered from Alzheimer’s. In addition to Lee, he is survived by his wife of more than 60 years, Virginia, and three other children. You can read more in this obituary. And your kind note of sympathy which reach Lee at: leldridge@wave3.com
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NAMES in the NEWS:
One time Chicago ND (WLS-TV) and veteran Los Angeles news Manager JIM HATTENDORF is joining MBI Media in Covina, CA, as VP of Operations. MBI Media is a strategic communications company.
John Emmert
JOHN EMMERT is moving north to become Managing Editor for WRTV, the ABC affiliate here in Indianapolis. John most recently was Director of Technology and Special Projects for WINK-TV in Ft. Myers, where earlier he had served two stints as News Director. He’s also been a news director in West Palm Beach, and has worked in New York, Detroit, Cleveland, Miami, and Waterloo, IA.
WSOC-TV in Charlotte has a new EP and 11:00 producer. It’s MIKE MACIEJEWSKI who has been working at WTXF-TV in Philadelphia. He’s also worked in Baltimore and Buffalo as a producer, and a reporter and photographer in Buffalo and Illinois.
TRAVIS GALLEY is the new EP for Sports for Griffin Communications, which owns the CBS affiliates in Oklahoma City and Tulsa. He had been the EP at Tribune’s Washington Bureau until it closed last March. Travis has also worked Dallas, Albuquerque, and El Paso. It’s a return for Travis on two fronts: the move brings him closer to his hometown of Dallas, and he also returns to sports where he began his career.
Finally, congratulations to News 12 Connecticut News Director and Anchor TOM APPLEBY on his 25th year in those roles. A release from the station says he’s the longest serving broadcaster with the same station in the state.
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Here’s a complete list of all stations that I believe have a current ND opening, as of Friday, June 5, 2009. If you know of any updates, corrections, or additions to this list, please let me know via email at: rick@rickgevers.com
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
KDKA-TV One Gateway Center Pittsburgh PA 15222
WZZM-TV 645 Three Mile Road NW Grand Rapids MI 49504
WGNO-TV One Galleria Blvd, #850 Metairie, LA 70001
WJAR-TV 23 Kenney Dr. Cranston RI 02920
KGPE-TV 4800 N. First St. Fresno CA 93726
WKRG-TV 555 Broadcast Dr. Mobile AL 36606
WAND-TV 904 South Side Dr. Decatur IL 62525
WAFF-TV 1414 N. Memorial Pkwy. Huntsville AL 35801
WFFF-TV 298 Mountain View Dr. Colchester VT 05446
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