November 18, 2018
Monday, November 19, 2018 UPDATE:
Greetings:
A number of items for you as we head into the holiday.
Stucky
First, WAGA-TV, the FOX o-and-o in Atlanta, filled its open News Director job by promoting SCOTT STUCKY. A 22 year station veteran, he’s been the Senior Executive Producer there most recently. Scott replaces MIKE McCLAIN who held the job for eight years before his recent promotion to GM for the FOX o-and-o in Charlotte.
Harris
MEAGAN HARRIS is leaving Tegna’s Jacksonville, FL, duopoly, WTLV/WJXX-TV, for a new job which she described on her Facebook page:
….an incredible opportunity with NBC Universal. I’ll be overseeing the editorial content on a new product that NBC will be launching in the coming months. It’s all about innovation and creative storytelling.
She’s been in Jacksonville for four years and worked for WFAA-TV in Dallas for eight years before that.
Ballew
Finally, sorry to report that funeral services were held today for TONY BALLEW. Tony died last week at the age of 70. During a 40 year TV career, he was an ND in Cleveland (twice), Norfolk, Buffalo, and Palm Desert. He was also very open about his struggles with alcoholism, as you’ll see in this 2011 column. Tony later worked as a counselor in the field.
More later…
regards,
gevers
**** ***** ****
Greetings:
Let’s start by offering wishes for a safe holiday for you and yours…be careful if you’re traveling over the Thanksgiving weekend.
We’ve got just ONE newly hired news director in this week’s report, with TWO new openings, one in a top ten market.
So our count of open news director jobs increases slightly to 32.
TWO of those open ND jobs are featured in Paid Help Wanted Ads.
Lots of news managers on the move this week, and in some large markets…Phoenix, Orlando, and Indianapolis among others. And we’ll report on the retirement of a longtime GM who’s run stations in Chicago, Minneapolis, and other markets.
All that’s below!
Newly Named News Directors:
Fitzgerald
KJRH-TV, Tulsa, OK…SCOTT FITZGERALD heads across the country to become ND for this Scripps owned NBC affiliate. Scott is currently the ND for KRNV/KRXI-TV, a FOX/NBC duopoly in Reno, NV, a job he’s held for about two years. He replaces WARREN STEWART who left in September after about 18 months here.
New News Director Openings:
Jacob
WJLA-TV, Washington, DC…we reported in a Tuesday update that MITCH JACOB was leaving this Sinclair Broadcasting owned ABC affiliate. In fact, his last day was Friday. He outlined his reasons for leaving in this email. Mitch was ND here for more than four years, became Station Manager/ND last year, and previously was an ND in Columbus and Toledo, OH, as well as in Phoenix.
KRNV/KRXI-TV, Reno, NV…as noted above, SCOTT FITZGERALD is leaving ‘the Biggest Little City in the World’ to go to Tulsa as ND for Scripps’ KJRH-TV. This is an NBC/FOX duopoly owned by Cunningham Broadcasting but operated by Sinclair. He’s been ND here just over two years.
One update from last week: We were a little thin on details about YVE JONES’s departure from WAPT-TV in Jackson, MS. She is leaving this Hearst owned ABC, but not until December.
Paid Help Wanted Ads:
News Director, WJTV/WHLT-TV, Jackson/Hattiesburg, MS
WJTV and WJTV.com in Jackson, Mississippi (Market 92) and WHLT and WHLT.com in Hattiesburg, Mississippi (Market 168) is seeking an experienced News Director who is an innovative and dynamic leader, possessing excellent news judgment, strong digital news initiative, and a passion to be the best. As Mississippi’s capital city, the Jackson market has a growing local economy that leans heavily on medical, agriculture, manufacturing, arts and entertainment.
Jackson and Hattiesburg markets both have a large and engaged SEC fan base with nearby colleges including Ole Miss, MS State, University of Southern MS, Jackson State and many more! There are plenty of opportunities for kids and adults alike making Central MS an ideal place to raise a growing family.
You can find out more about this job and apply by clicking here.
News Director, WTVA-TV, Tupelo, MS:
Small market News Directors, are you tired of chasing #1 with little to no resources? Are you ready to work for a dominant station and experience what winning BIG feels like? Mid-Market middle managers, are you ready for your first News Director gig with a serious news station?
WTVA, the Heartland Media owned NBC and ABC affiliate in Tupelo-Columbus, MS (133), will take your career to a big market experience fast. Heartland Media is a company that believes in and invests in live, local news (more than 9 hours of live coverage each weekday). WTVA has received 4 Emmys in the last 3 years!
Does your current employer invest in your career with training and consulting as if you were a network O & O? Heartland does, and you could soon be working with Magid consultants who partner with us to evolve our winning strategy. We may be market 133, but we play like the big leagues. You must be energetic, positive, passionate, competitive, possess strong motivational skills and exceed in recruiting and training across generations.
We live in a cultural hotbed for internationally recognized music, art, and literature. Elvis was born here. BB King played in the joints. Tennesse Williams, Faulkner, Grisham. 90 minutes from Memphis, 4 hours from Nashville; near competitive SEC universities (Alabama, Ole Miss and Mississippi State). The cost of living is low, and your generous compensation plan will give you more bang for your buck.
Click here to learn more and apply.
EOE
News Management Openings:
ASSISTANT NEWS DIRECTOR:
WSNS-TV, Chicago, IL (relisted 10/21/18)
KXAS-TV, Dallas/Ft. Worth, TX (new listing this week)
WBTS-TV, Boston, IL (listed 10/28/18)
New England Cable News (listed 10/28/18)
KGW-TV, Portland, OR (listed 10/14/18)
Spectrum News Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI (listed 10/7/18)
KTNV-TV, Las Vegas, NV (relisted 11/11/18)
WHAS-TV, Louisville, KY (listed 9/9/18)
WRIC-TV, Richmond, VA (listed 10/21/18)
WBND-TV, South Bend, IN (listed 10/28/18)
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER:
KNBC-TV, Los Angeles, CA (AM EP, relisted 10/14/18)
WFAA-TV, Dallas/Ft. Worth, TX (listed 10/14/18)
WUSA-TV, Washington, DC (Dayside EP, listed 9/9/18)
KPRC-TV, Houston, TX (Special Projects EP, listed 11/4/18)
KGO-TV, San Francisco, CA (Dayside EP, listed 11/11/18)
KPNX-TV, Phoenix, AZ (AM EP, relisted 9/9/18)
KOMO-TV, Seattle, WA (PM EP, relisted this week)
KUSA-TV, Denver, CO (listed 10/14/18)
WSMV-TV, Nashville, TN (PM EP, listed 10/7/18)
KCTV, Kansas City, MO (AM EP, relisted 9/23/18)
WPTV, West Palm Beach, FL (TWO openings, AM & PM, relisted this week)
KTNV-TV, Las Vegas, NV (Dayside EP, listed 11/4/18)
KVVU-TV, Las Vegas, NV (AM EP, listing modified 10/21/18)
KOB-TV, Albuquerque, NM (relisted 9/23/18)
WINK-TV, Ft. Myers, FL (TWO EP openings, listing revised 9/9/18)
WTLV/WJXX-TV, Jacksonville, FL (listed 10/14/18)
WIS-TV, Columbia, SC (relisted 10/21/18)
KREM-TV, Spokane, WA (relisted 10/14/18)
KIVI-TV, Boise, ID (AM EP, listed 10/28/18)
WCTV, Tallahassee, FL (relisted 10/14/18)
MANAGING EDITOR:
WMAQ-TV, Chicago, IL (relisted 10/21/18)
KXAS-TV, Dallas/Ft. Worth (new listing this week)
WFTX-TV, Ft. Myers, FL (listed 10/21/18)
OTHER NEWS MANAGEMENT OPENINGS:
Re-listed 11/11/18:
WCPO-TV, Cincinnati, OH (Senior Manager of Editorial Content)
Listed 10/21/18:
WFTX-TV, Ft. Myers, FL (AM Content Manager)
Listed 10/14/18:
KXTV, Sacramento, CA (Content Manager)
WTMJ-TV, Milwaukee, WI (Broadcast Director)
Listed 10/7/18:
Spectrum News Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI (Assignment/Planning Manager)
Names in the News (and other items):
Roberts
MARK CASEY continues to build his management team at Scripps’ KNXV-TV (ABC) in Phoenix, adding STACEY ROBERTS as Assistant News Director. She’s spent the last 17 years at KPNX-TV in Phoenix, which means that she worked with Mark when he was the ND & Station Manager there.
At another Scripps station, BRITTANY MENENDEZ will be the PM Content Manager at WRTV (ABC) in Indianapolis. She’s been a Senior Producer at WTSP-TV in Tampa. She’s also worked in Gainesville.
Sawyer
Cox Media Group has promoted KAITLYN SAWYER to become an executive producer at the company’s Orlando station, WFTV. She’s the current morning EP at the CMG station in Memphis, WHBQ-TV. She’s also worked in Cleveland and Rochester, NY.
JOE GACCIONE gets what his news director, TOM BELL, calls a ‘well deserved promotion’ as he becomes the morning executive producer for Meredith’s Las Vegas FOX affiliate, KVVU-TV. Joe’s been a producer there.
CHRIS PANTALEO joins WLNS-TV (Nexstar/CBS) as its next Assistant News Director. News Director JAM SARDAR fills in the blanks in this email, which also contains news of the retirement of veteran newsman NORM STANGLAND.
Kobos
Veteran Houston newsman DON KOBOS is profiled in this article which covers his induction into the Lone Star Emmy Silver Circle. Don was a reporter and news manager in Texas for 32 years during a 40 year career. And you’ll learn that he was recently diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease but has trained his labrador retriever to be a therapy dog.
General Manager News and Notes:
Price
Veteran broadcaster HANK PRICE is retiring at the end of the year after more than four decades in TV. He’s currently GM for Hearst’s WVTM-TV in Birmingham but his career has included GM jobs in markets as large as Chicago and Minneapolis, and even a stint as a consultant for Magid. This news release fills in all the details.
BRUCE COMINGS is adding additional duties as general manager for KIII-TV, the Tegna station in Corpus Christi, TX. He’ll be a busy guy as he already oversees several other Tegna stations in Texas.
Our Full List of Open ND Jobs:
Here’s our list of open ND jobs as of Sunday, November 18, 2018:
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
Verizon Fios 1 News 800 Westchester Avenue, Rye Brook, NY 10573
WJLA-TV 1100 Wilson Blvd. , 6th Fl. Arlington, VA 22209
WUSA-TV 4100 Wisconsin Ave NW Washington, DC 20016
WAGA-TV 1551 Briarcliff Rd NE, Atlanta, GA 30306
WUVG-TV 3350 Peachtree Road #1250, Atlanta, GA 30326 **
KIRO-TV 2807 Third Ave., Seattle WA 98121
KUVS-TV 1710 Arden Way, Sacramento CA 95815 **
WTHR-TV 1000 N. Meridian Street Indianapolis, IN 46204
WTTV/WXIN-TV 6910 Network Pl, Indianapolis, IN 46278
WATE-TV 1306 North Broadway Knoxville, TN 37917
WHIO-TV 1611 S Main St, Dayton, OH 45409
WFRV-TV 1181 E Mason Street. Green Bay, WI 54301
KMTV 10714 Mockingbird Dr, Omaha, NE 68127
KOLR-TV 2650 E Division St, Springfield, MO 65803
KHQ-TV 1201 W. Sprague Ave. Spokane, WA 99201
WHEC-TV 191 East Avenue, Rochester, NY 14604
KTSM-TV 3801-D Constitution El Paso, TX 79922
KKTV 520 E. Colorado Colorado Springs, CO 80903
WAPT-TV 7616 Channel 16 Way Jackson, MS 39209
WJTV 1820 TV Road Jackson MS 39204 (see ad above!)
KYTX-TV 2211 ESE Loop 323 Tyler, TX 75701
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
WRBL-TV 1350 13th Ave. Columbus, GA 31901
KIII-TV 5002 South Padre Island Dr. Corpus Christi, TX 78411
KHSL/KNVN-TV 3460 Silverbell Rd. Chico, CA 95973
WTVA-TV P.O. Box 320 Tupelo, MS 38802 (see ad above!)
KRCG-TV, 10188 Old Highway 54 North. New Bloomfield, MO 65063
WTWO-TV PO Box 9268 Terre Haute, IN 47808
KPVI-TV 902 E Sherman St, Pocatello, ID 83201
KMVT-TV 1100 Blue Lakes Blvd N. Twin Falls, ID 83301
**: Spanish language station