March 27, 2016

Greetings:

THREE new news director openings.

TWO newly named news directors.

And a total of 22 news director openings on our entire list.

ONE of those openings is featured among THREE paid help wanted ads this week.

There’s also an obituary for a former Michigan news director, a departure from IRE, and links to TWO fun stories involving veteran news directors.

All this…and more below.

One note. Travel may delay next week’s report.

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New News Director Opening:

Kilgore

Kilgore

WINK-TV, Ft. Myers, FL…though the station has not announced a change, there are multiple media reports that RUSS KILGORE has left this locally owned CBS affiliate. Russ has been the ND here since the summer of 2008. He’s also been an ND in Orlando, Baton Rouge and Palm Desert, CA. My attempts to reach Russ have been unsuccessful.

Queen

Queen

WIS-TV, Columbia, SC…Friday was BRYAN QUEEN‘s last day as news director for this Raycom owned NBC affiliate. He’s been the ND here since September, 2013 and sent this memo to this staff telling them he was leaving. Bryan served as the ND for WROC-TV in Rochester, NY, for the previous two years. He also worked as a news manager for News 14 Carolina, at NBC News Channel in Charlotte, and for WXII-TV in Winston-Salem. He’s also worked for MSNBC.

WTVY-TV, Dothan, AL…KIM ALLEN is headed north to become the Morning EP for WDTN-TV in Dayton. ND DENISE ECK tells me Kim is from the area. He was graduated from Ohio Univeristy. He’s been the ND for this Gray TV owned CBS affiliate for almost 3 years. Previously he spent 13 years in sports for both WTVY and WDHN-TV in Dothan and also worked in Florida.

Baron Full Gif-3-13-16

Newly Named News Directors:

Brady

Brady

XETV, San Diego, CA…JON BRADY returns to Southern California as news director for this CW affiliate. It’s owned by Bay City Television. Jon’s been the morning EP for KING-TV in Seattle for the last two years. Before that, he worked at Seattle’s FOX affiliate, KCPQ-TV, first as News Director and then as Director of Content and News Programming. Jon spent 14 years at the Fox News Channel bureau in Los Angeles, the last seven as bureau chief. He’s also worked in Miami and Washington, and, according to his Linkedin page, spent 2+ years as a comic book writer! At XETV, he replaces DON SHAFER who left in December after two years as ND here.

Henning

Henning

WPEC-TV, West Palm Beach, FL…ADAM HENNING will be the next news director at this Sinclair owned CBS affiliate. He’s spent the last seven years as the ND for Raycom’s WAFF-TV in Huntsville, AL: we told you last January that he’d be leaving that post. The move is a return to Florida for Adam, an alum of the University of Florida who once was an ND in Gainesville. He’s also been an ND in Greenville and Wilmington, and also worked in Mobile and Raleigh. At WPEC, he replaces MIKE McCORMICK who is being upped to Regional News Director for Sinclair.

Paid Help Wanted Ads:

Whec Logo

News Director, WHEC-TV, Rochester, NY:

WHEC-TV (News10NBC), Rochester, NY a Hubbard Broadcasting station, is seeking a dynamic News Director who is a strong leader with a clear vision and the ability to communicate that vision to the staff. You must be passionate, realizing we make a HUGE difference every day in our community, and you must have a strong desire to teach, lead and learn with our award winning News Team.

Our TEAM has won many awards including several regional Murrow awards and a national Murrow Award over the past several years. We have built a team that is driven by excellence in journalism across all platforms.

We produce 5 hours of news each weekday and quarterly hour-long specials tackling issues which are vital to the welfare of our community. We are an advocate for the community and we look to hold those that abuse their powers accountable. We have a top notch digital team that has consistently ranked #1 in viewer engagement due to the strong story-telling we produce every day.

Our culture is one of service; service to our community and to one-another. You should know how to listen, learn, assess challenges and opportunities, collaborate to find solutions, and implement change. You should be open to finding new solutions and taking risks. You must be good with multitasking and prioritization in order to meet deadlines. On our side, we will work very hard as a station and company to help you grow as a person and news professional.

To view the detailed posting and apply, click here:

No phone calls please. EOE

Wxix Logo

Assistant News Director, WXIX-TV, Cincinnati, OH:

WXIX Fox 19 Now in Cincinnati is looking for our next great leader! We are searching for an aggressive and creative Assistant News Director who will be a main editorial driver, overseeing the content and logistics of the newsgathering process. The Assistant News Director will work with the News Director to guide our staff to make strategic editorial decisions, prioritize digital efforts, and execute high quality compelling newscasts.

– Qualified candidates will be experts in website and social media strategy.
– Minimum 5 years experience as a newsroom manager.
– Executive Producer and producing background preferable.
– Ability to mentor and guide reporting staff.
– Possess a clear understanding of journalistic ethics and guidelines.
– Understand basic technology of newsgathering equipment, including cameras, edit gear, and live shot gear.
– Participate in hiring, training, and performance evaluations.
– Qualified candidates will show strong potential to grow into a News Director role.

If qualified, applications, cover letters, and resumes can be submitted by clicking here:

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

Executive Producer, WCTI-TV, New Bern, NC:

News Channel 12 (ABC and FOX) in eastern North Carolina is looking for an Executive Producer to help manage our dynamic newsroom. This is a great opportunity to earn your management stripes. You will work closely with the News Director and Assistant News Director in running all aspects of the News Department.

Duties include: day-to-day supervision of our news staff, training and coaching our producers and managing our newscast content. The Executive Producer will work closely with reporters in shaping well told stories. Our Executive Producer is instrumental in helping to build and execute our annual strategic plan across our broadcast, online and mobile platforms. Our key images are “Alerting You to Severe Weather Danger” and “Getting the Facts Right.” During breaking news and severe weather the Executive Producer takes over producing responsibilities in the control room. The winning candidate will be an energetic leader with strong motivation and editorial skills and a sense of urgency.

Experience: Preference will be given to candidates who have at least three years of producing experience.

Requirements: Qualified candidates must be savvy with web posting and social media.

Contact Details: Send resume to:

Scott Nichols
News Director
WCTI-TV
225 Glenburnie Drive
New Bern, NC 28560

or e-mail to: snichols@wcti12.com

Additional Information: Eastern North Carolina Broadcasting, a part of Bonten Media Group, is an Equal Opportunity Employer and participates in E-Verify.

Other News Management Openings:

ASSISTANT NEWS DIRECTOR:

KING-TV, Seattle, WA (listed 3/6/16)
KGW-TV, Portland, OR (listed 3/6/16)
KMBC-TV, Kansas City, MO (relisted this week)
KSHB-TV, Kansas City, MO (relisted 3/20/16)
WXIX-TV, Cincinnati, OH (relisted this week, see ad above!)
KTNV, Las Vegas, NV (new listing this week)

WJXT-TV, Jacksonville, FL (listed 3/13/16)
KOB-TV, Albuquerque, NM (listed 2/7/16)
WRIC-TV, Richmond, VA (listed 2/21/16)
WVLT-TV, Knoxville, TN (listed 3/6/16)
WCSC-TV, Charleston, SC (listed 2/14/16)
WCYB-TV, Tri-Cities, TN (relisted 2/28/16)
KTIV-TV, Sioux City, IA (relisted 3/13/16)

EXECUTIVE NEWS PRODUCER:

KOMO-TV, Seattle, WA (Digital EP, relisted this week)
KXTV, Sacramento, CA (PM EP, relisted 3/20/16)
WTNH-TV, New Haven, CT (PM EP, listed 2/21/16)
WBNS-TV, Columbus, OH (PM EP, relisted 3/13/16)
WCPO-TV, Cincinnati, OH (AM EP, Dayside EP, listed 2/28/16)
WOWK-TV, Charleston/Huntington, WV (listed 2/28/16)
KGUN-TV, Tucson, AZ (Morning EP, listed 2/7/16)
WAAY-TV, Huntsville, AL (PM EP, relisted 2/21/16)
KOAA-TV, Colorado Springs, CO (Dayside EP, relisted this week)
WJCL-TV, Savannah, GA (relisted 3/20/16)
WTOC-TV, Savannah, GA (listed 3/4/11)
WCTI-TV, New Bern, NC (listed 3/20/16, see ad above!)
KRNV-TV, Reno, NV (AM EP, relisted this week)

WLTZ-TV, Columbus, GA (listed 2/21/16)
KTTC-TV, Rochester, MN (listed 3/4/11)

MANAGING EDITOR:

WHIO-TV, Dayton, OH (relisted 2/21/16)

Obituary:

DICK FABIAN died March 19 at the age of 81. He’s a former news director for WEYI-TV in Clio, MI, but spent 20 years as an anchor and meteorologist for WNEM-TV in Saginaw. More here.

Names in the News:

Horvit

Horvit

MARK HORVIT is stepping down as executive director of Investigative Reporters and Editors, Inc. (IRE). He’s been running the organization for more than eight years. But he’s not going far: he’s taking a new position with the University of Missouri School of Journalism which has hosted IRE for more than 40 years. Mark told me he’ll continue to work with IRE on several ongoing projects. More in this post from IRE President SARAH COHEN. Your note of congratulations to Mark can be sent to: mhorvit@ire.org

Univision has named CHRIS PENA as Senior VP of Local Media Television News. He’s been an EP at MSNBC. And the company named LOURDES TORRES as Senior VP of Political Coverage & Special Projects. More details in this press release.

I stumbled across two links of note that you might enjoy.

WCRA-AM in Effingham, IL, posted this interview with former WGN-TV (Chicago) and WLVI-TV (Boston) news director PAUL DAVIS. Paul’s mother served for more than 30 years as the ND here: naturally that’s how Paul got his start. (Never heard of Effingham? It’s where Interstates I-70 and I-57 cross: one of the convenience stores there offers T-shirts with the inscription “Welcome to Illinois, where our governors make our license plates!”)

And WTVC-TV in Chattanooga posted a 1976 air-check on its website. I found it noteworthy because the first block featured two reporters who would go on to become major market news directors, DON NORTH and GARY WORDLAW.

General Manager News:

After 17 years, PATTI SMITH is stepping down as General Manager of Austin’s KVUE-TV. She told the local newspaper in this story that she’s ready to hit the pause button, that it was the ‘end of a chapter’ but not the ‘end of the book’. She earlier served as GM for KVEO-TV in Brownsville.

Our Full List of Open ND Jobs:

Here is my list of stations with open ND jobs, as of Sunday, March 27, 2016.

If you know of any additions/deletions/updates, please email me at: rick@rickgevers.com

WFLD-TV 205 N Michigan Ave, Chicago, IL 60611
WBZ-TV 1170 Soldiers Field Rd. Boston MA 02134
WWSB-TV 1477 10th St, Sarasota, FL 34236 (Tampa market)
KPNX-TV 200 E Van Buren St, Phoenix, AZ 85004
KCEC-TV 777 Grant St. #110 Denver CO 80203 *
WJZY/WMYT-TV 3501 Performance Road Charlotte, NC 28214
KSL-TV 55 North 300 West Salt Lake City, UT 84110
WCPO-TV 1720 Gilbert Ave, Cincinnati, OH 45202
WKRN-TV 441 Murfreesboro Rd. Nashville TN 37210
WPTV 1100 Banyan Blvd. W. Palm Beach, FL 33401
KTUL-TV 3333 S 29th W Ave, Tulsa, OK 74107
WINK-TV 2824 Palm Beach Blvd. Ft. Myers, FL 33916
WHEC-TV 191 East Avenue Rochester, NY 14604 (see ad above!)
WIS-TV 1111 Bull St. Columbia, SC 29201

WAFF-TV 1414 N Memorial Parkway Huntsville, Al 35801
KIMA/KEPR-TV 2801 Terrace Heights Dr. Yakima,WA 98901
KSBY-TV 1772 Calle Joaquin San Luis Obispo, CA 93405
KBAK-TV1901 Westward Drive Bakersfield, CA 93301
KMID/KPEJ-TV 3200 LaForce Boulevard Midland, TX 79711
KAUZ/KSWO-TV 3601 Seymour Highway Wichita Falls, TX 76309
KTIV-TV 3135 Floyd Blvd. Sioux City, IA 51108
WTVY-TV 285 N Foster St, Dothan, AL 36303

* Spanish language station

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