May 15, 2016
Greetings:
Welcome to your weekly free report on news director, news management, and general management moves around the TV business.
This week’s report finds TWO newspeople getting their first ND jobs, while ONE news director moves within her company to take an Assistant ND job. Those changes leave our count of open ND jobs at 27.
TWO of those jobs (both in top 30 markets) are featured among our THREE Paid Help Wanted ads.
Also this week, a handful of management moves, including one in Chicago. And we have news of some upper level management changes at Tegna, a former ND gets his second GM job, and a retirement after 26 years as GM for a Louisiana exec.
One more note: In our report last week on ANDREA CLENNEY‘s return to FLorida, we told you she was headed back to Tallahassee. That was wrong. She’s returning to Gainesville where she used to be ND for WCJB-TV and will now be ND at WGFL-TV. Apologies for the error.
Read on for all the latest!
New News Director Openings:
Ospina
KTAZ-TV, Phoenix, AZ…Media Moves reports that ANDREA OSPINA is headed to Houston as the Assistant ND for sister Telemundo station KTMD-TV. She’s been the ND here since December 2011. She’s also worked in Dallas and Miami.
And while it’s not a new opening (we told you last week that ELBERT TUCKER was leaving to become ND for WKRN-TV in Nashville), please note the new ad below for his former job at WISH-TV in Indianapolis.
Newly Named News Director:
Dobson
WVIT-TV, Hartford/New Haven, CT…BEN DOBSON returns to this NBC o-and-o as its next News Director. Ben was the Managing Editor here for just over two years before leaving for NECN in Boston in January, 2014,, first as Editorial Manager and later Assistant News Director. He also worked on the assignment desk for two other Boston stations and began his career as a reporter for a cable newscast serving Worcester, MA. Here’s the news release from the station. Ben replaces MATT PIACENTE who left in April after two years as ND to return to Chicago as ND for WFLD-TV there.
Bliven
KTIV-TV, Sioux City, IA…this Quincy owned NBC affiliate has hired KEITH BLIVEN to fill its news director vacancy. Keith most recently was an Executive Producer for WDSU-TV in New Orleans, in his second stint there. He’s also worked in Jackson, MS (twice), Tupelo, and Mobile. At KTIV, he replaces DEANA DAY who left last September after less than a year on the job to be closer to family.
Paid Help Wanted Ads:
News Director, WISH-TV, Indianapolis, IN:
WISH-TV, located in Indianapolis, IN has an immediate opening for an experienced, aggressive, innovative News Director. WISH-TV and sister station, WNDY air 9.5 hours of local news each weekday, and we produce content 24/7 on our digital platform. The ideal candidate will be a highly experienced journalist with well-developed leadership skills that can create and lead strategic plans to grow our audience and better serve our community. We need a true champion of aggressive broadcast and digital news gathering, as well as someone who can execute strategic, focused breaking news coverage. Our forward-thinking newsroom provides an outstanding opportunity for the right individual to lead an award winning news team.
Key duties:
- Create & implement strategic plans to grow our audience across all platforms
Ability to adapt current resources to emerging technology
Lead newsroom with a consistent vision
Manage newsroom staff and provide regular feedback and yearly performance reviews
Prepare and manage a news operational budget
Perform other duties as assigned
Education & Experience:
- College degree
5 years multi-platform newsroom management experience
Apply to: http://wishtv.com/category/jobs-at-wish/
Equal Opportunity Employer Minorities/Women/Protected Veterans/Disabled
Managing Editor, KPRC-TV, Houston, TX:
KPRC Channel 2, the Graham Media Group owned/NBC affiliate in Houston is seeking a Managing Editor for the News Department. We are looking for a manager who is aggressive, competitive, and wants to win.
Houston is a growing city and we need a Managing Editor who can help develop stories that are compelling to our diverse audience. We need someone who can showcase stories, has good story ideas, knows how to leverage web and social media to help drive ratings, and gets the importance of engaging storytelling, standups and live shots.
Our Managing Editor needs to react to breaking news and weather quickly and be willing to scrap stories the team has been working on all day to get it covered.
You will organize and coordinate assignment desk staff, reporters, photographers and multi-media journalists to facilitate daily news coverage for multiple platforms.
You will also be responsible for the generation of story ideas and will prepare and lead the daily editorial meetings. This position will work closely with the assistant news director and executive producers on coverage and journalistic balance of stories and assist with the work schedules of reporters and photographers. Additional responsibilities include supervising and scheduling the assignment desk personnel and taking an active role in planning in-depth series and special coverage on air and online.
To apply, please send resume to:
Rhonda LaVelle
News Director
KPRC-TV
8181 Southwest Freeway
Houston TX 77074
Or via email to: rlavelle@kprc.com
News Director, WXYZ-TV, Detroit, MI:
WXYZ 7 Action News in Detroit is looking for an experienced, aggressive, innovative News Director to lead a large, skilled team of journalists in one of America’s great news markets. WXYZ and sister station WMYD air 9.5 hours of local television news each weekday, and we produce content 24/7 on digital web, mobile and social channels as well. We have the experienced, locally-connected staff and the resources to win on all platforms. Our team wins awards for our journalism and our community outreach.
WXYZ is one of the oldest TV stations in the country, with deep roots and connections to Detroit and all of southeast Michigan. We serve our community through our Community Action Team and our Call for Action consumer team. We also produce Detroit2020, which is our initiative to unify and inspire change, and make Detroit a better place to live, work, and raise families. And as part of downtown Detroit’s resurgence and our commitment to our city, we’ve opened a brand-new downtown streetside studio.
WXYZ is proudly owned by The E. W. Scripps Company, one of America’s largest and most innovative local media companies.
Our next News Director will create and lead strategic plans, execute day-by-day coverage on all platforms, manage a large and talented staff, collaborate with station and company leadership, and grow our audience to better serve our community. We need a team leader who can inspire others to do their best work, every day.
Are you ready for this adventure? If so, click here and tell us!
Other News Management Openings:
ASSISTANT NEWS DIRECTOR:
KING-TV, Seattle, WA (relisted this week)
KGW-TV, Portland, OR (relisted this week)
KMBC-TV, Kansas City, MO (relisted 3/27/16)
WXIX-TV, Cincinnati, OH (relisted 3/27/16)
WPTV, West Palm Beach, FL (listed 4/16/16)
WJXT-TV, Jacksonville, FL (relisted 4/2/16)
WVLT-TV, Knoxville, TN (relisted 5/8/16)
KOB-TV, Albuquerque, NM (relisted this week)
WRIC-TV, Richmond, VA (relisted 4/24/16)
EXECUTIVE NEWS PRODUCER:
KIRO-TV, Seattle, WA (AM EP, listed 5/1/16)
KOMO-TV, Seattle, WA (Digital EP, relisted 3/27/16)
KXTV, Sacramento, CA (PM EP, relisted 3/20/16)
WRTV, Indianapolis, IN (AM EP, listed 4/16/16)
WBNS-TV, Columbus, OH (2 jobs, Dayside & Spec. Proj., listing modified this week)
WCPO-TV, Cincinnati, OH (two positions, AM EP, Dayside EP, relisted 5/1/16)
WXIX-TV, Cincinnati, OH (listed 5/1/16)
KOAT-TV, Albuquerque, NM (AM EP, listed 4/2/16)
KOKI-TV, Tulsa, OK (AM EP, listed 4/10/16)
WVLT-TV, Knoxville, TN (listed 4/2/16)
WOWK-TV, Charleston/Huntington, WV (relisted 5/1/16)
KGUN-TV, Tucson, AZ (Morning EP, relisted 5/8/16)
WAAY-TV, Huntsville, AL (PM EP, relisted 5/8/16)
KOAA-TV, Colorado Springs, CO (Dayside EP, relisted 3/27/16)
WJCL-TV, Savannah, GA (relisted 3/20/16)
WCTI-TV, New Bern, NC (listed 3/20/16)
KTTC-TV, Rochester, MN (relisted this week)
MANAGING EDITOR:
KPRC-TV, Houston, TX (listed 5/8/16, see ad above!)
WHIO-TV, Dayton, OH (relisted 4/24/16)
Names in the News:
Woolman
TODD WOOLMAN exits WMAQ-TV in Chicago to move a few blocks over to WFLD-TV as Assistant ND. He worked there before so he won’t have too much trouble finding the station. In fact, he knows where all the stations are, having also worked at WLS-TV, WGN-TV, and WBBM-TV in Chicago, as well as a number of other markets. The full story is here, which includes information about another interesting venture.
DELANO MASSEY is headed north to WEWS-TV in Cleveland, his hometown, to work with the Digital Content team there. He’s been a Digital EP at WKYT-TV in Lexington. His background is a little different, as you’ll see here.
MARK PHILLIPS returns to Louisiana as the Investigative EP at WBRZ-TV. He’s spent the last 19 years at KPNX-TV in Phoenix, but earlier worked in New Orleans and Alexandra, LA. He’s also worked in Chicago.
KTIV-TV in Sioux City (in addition to filling its ND opening as reported above) has hired ALEXANDRA (LEXI) KRULA as its new News Content Manager. She’s a Sioux City native who’s been working for the Dakota County Star newspaper.
Two EP moves at WTOC-TV in Savannah, GA. PRIA ABRAHAM has been promoted to Dayside EP. She had been the morning EP there. Inheriting her wakeup call as morning EP is VICTORIA JEFFCOAT who’s been a producer at sister Raycom station WCSC-TV in Charleston, SC.
General Manager News:
Some management moves at Tegna results in a new General Manager at KUSA-TV in Denver. STEVE CARTER takes over 9News in the Mile High City, leaving the same job at WCSH-TV in Portland, ME. Steve replaces MARK CORNETTA who moves to executive vice president of TEGNA Media, replacing LYNN BEALL who has been named COO and EVP of Tegna Media. Read all about it here.
The GM shuffle at Hearst continues as one-time news director KYLE GRIMES moves from the company’s WPTZ/WNNE-TV in Plattsburgh, NY, to WGAL-TV in Lancaster, PA. Earlier in his career, he was an ND at WPTZ/WNNE and WPBF-TV in West Palm Beach.
Serra
After a remarkable 34 year run at the station, 26 as GM, JIM SERRA is retiring at KPLC-TV in Lake Charles, LA. You can put your resume away, as GSM JOHN WARE will replace him. More in this note from Raycom VP SANDY BRELAND. Full disclosure: Jim, his wife DEBBIE, and I were college classmates at Missouri and Jim and I later worked together in St. Louis. After Missouri, Jim worked in news at KPLC, and in Shreveport, Louisville, Miami, and St. Louis before returning to Lake Charles in sales before becoming GM in 1990.
Our Full List of Open ND Jobs:
Here is my list of stations with open ND jobs, as of Sunday, May 15, 2016.
If you know of any additions/deletions/updates, please email me at: rick@rickgevers.com
WWSB-TV 1477 10th St, Sarasota, FL 34236 (Tampa market)
KRIV-TV 4261 Southwest Fwy, Houston, TX 77027
KPNX-TV 200 E Van Buren St, Phoenix, AZ 85004
KTAZ-TV 4625 S 33rd Pl, Phoenix, AZ 85040
WXYZ-TV 20777 West 10 Mile Road Southfield, MI 48037 (see ad above!)
WISH-TV 1950 N. Meridian St. Indianapolis IN 46202 (see ad above!)
KSL-TV 55 North 300 West Salt Lake City, UT 84110
WCPO-TV 1720 Gilbert Ave, Cincinnati, OH 45202
KVUE-TV 3201 Steck Ave. Austin, TX 78757
WGBA-TV 1391 North Rd, Green Bay, WI 54313
WDBJ-TV 2807 Hershberger Road Roanoke, VA 24017
WHEC-TV 191 East Avenue Rochester, NY 14604
KFVS-TV 310 Broadway Cape Girardeau MO 63701
WCIA-TV 509 S Neil St. Champaign, IL 61820
WVNY/WFFF 298 Mountain View Dr. Colchester, VT 05446
KRNV-TV 1790 Vassar St. Reno, NV 89502
KBOI-TV 140 N 16th St, Boise, ID 83702
WWTV/WWUP 22320 130th Ave, Tustin, MI 49688
KIMA/KEPR-TV 2801 Terrace Heights Dr. Yakima,WA 98901
WLTZ-TV 6140 Buena Vista Rd, Columbus, GA 31907
KIII-TV 5002 S Padre Island Dr. Corpus Christi, TX 78411
KMID/KPEJ-TV 3200 LaForce Boulevard Midland, TX 79711
KAUZ/KSWO-TV 3601 Seymour Highway Wichita Falls, TX 76309
KPVI-TV 902 E Sherman St, Pocatello, ID 83201
WTVY-TV 285 N Foster St, Dothan, AL 36303
KYOU-TV 820 W Second St. Ottumwa IA 52501
KQTV 4000 Faraon St. Joseph, MO 64506
* Spanish language station