October 13, 2019
Friday, October 18, 2019 UPDATE:
Greetings:
Sad news from Los Angeles this afternoon where a longtime newsman…who worked both in local news and network…has died.
Myers
CHRIS MYERS, who was the deputy bureau chief of the CBS News Bureau in Los Angeles, died yesterday. CBS News President SUSAN ZIRINSKY shared the news in this email.
Longtime Chicago TV writer ROBERT FEDER reported this morning that Chris was “in intensive care in Los Angeles with a life- threatening infection after reportedly injuring his hand.”
Chris had been with CBS in Los Angeles for the last two years. He’d earlier worked for two stations in Los Angeles and three in Chicago, including a stint as Assistant News Director for WFLD-TV and as an EP for WMAQ-TV.
As you’ll learn in the note above, a memorial service will be held next Friday in Los Angeles.
Our sympathy to his family, friends, and co-workers.
regards,
Rick Gevers
**** ***** ****
Greetings:
ONE major market news director was named this week, there’s ONE new medium market vacancy, and ONE small market ND job filled…but we don’t know who got that job yet.
Those changes leave our count of open news director jobs at 25.
Sadly, we have TWO obituaries, ONE of a three time news director and one for a GM who spent most of his career in his home town of Cincinnati.
A handfuls of news managers are getting new jobs, and we have TWO GM moves, both within Nexstar, as a veteran GM exits the company while another experienced GM joins the company.
Details below.
Newly Named News Directors:
Medalie
WOFL-TV, Orlando, FL…our UPDATE earlier this week told you that MELISSA MEDALIE has been promoted to VP/News Director for this FOX o-and-o. The Orlando Sentinel’s longtime TV writer HAL BOEDEKER has more. Melissa’s been the Assistant News Director there for two years, and joined the station as an EP in 2010. She began her career as a reporter, working in Elmira, Syracuse, and Harrisburg before joining Orlando based Ivanhoe Broadcast News as an executive producer. She replaces JEFF ZELLER who left the station in August after about ten years as ND.
And we have removed (from our list of open ND jobs at the end of this newsletter) the listing for KXXV-TV in Waco, TX. I’m told the next ND there has been hired but won’t be announced for a few days.
New News Director Opening:
WDBJ-TV, Roanoke, VA…DAVID HUGHES is leaving this Gray Television owned CBS affiliate. but I haven’t been able to reach him to confirm his next job. David’s been the ND here for three plus years, coming from WFLA-TV in Tampa where he was an EP. He’s also worked in Raleigh and Macon, GA. More on him in his profile on the WDBJ website.
Paid Help Wanted Ad:
Executive Producer, WBRC-TV, Birmingham, AL:
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*Write teases
*Call sources for new/updated information
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News Management Openings:
ASSISTANT NEWS DIRECTOR:
WISH-TV, Indianapolis, IN (listed 9/1/19)
KUSI-TV, San Diego, CA (relisted 9/8/19)
WHEC-TV, Rochester, NY (relisted 9/8/19)
WJAC-TV, Johnstown, PA (relisted 9/8/19)
KRCG-TV, Jefferson City, MO (listed 9/15/19)
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER:
KPRC-TV, Houston, TX (Special Projects EP, relisted 9/8/19)
KPIX-TV, San Francisco, CA (AM EP, listed 8/11/19)
WGCL-TV, Atlanta, GA (Dayside EP, listed 8/18/19)
KDVR/KWGN-TV, Denver, CO (AM EP, relisted 8/18/19)
WNCN-TV, Raleigh, NC (listed 10/6/19)
KFMB-TV, San Diego, CA (AM EP, listed 929/19)
WVIT-TV, Hartford, CT (Dayside EP, listing modified 9/15/19)
WBNS-TV, Columbus, OH (Senior EP, relisted 9/8/19)
WCMH-TV, Columbus, OH (relisted 9/29/19)
WISN-TV, Milwaukee, WI (AM EP, relisted 9/8/19)
WPBF-TV, West Palm Beach, FL (AM EP, new listing this week)
WSPA-TV, Spartanburg, SC (Digital Content EP, relisted 9/15/19)
WHTM-TV, Harrisburg, PA (Digital EP, relisted 9/8/19)
WBRC-TV, Birmingham, AL (relisted this week, see ad above!)
WVTM-TV, Birmingham, AL (PM EP, relisted 8/18/19)
WAVY-TV, Norfolk, VA (AM EP, relisted 9/8/19)
WBRE-TV, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, PA (Digital Content EP, relisted 9/8/19)
WDTN-TV, Dayton, OH (listed 10/6/19)
WNEM-TV, Saginaw, MI (AM EP, listed 9/8/19)
WCBD-TV, Charleston, SC (8/18/19)
WFXG-TV, Augusta, GA (relisted 8/18/19)
WTAJ-TV, Altoona, PA (Digital Executive Producer, relisted 9/1/19)
KERO-TV, Bakersfield, CA (new listing this week)
KSBY-TV, San Luis Obispo, CA (PM EP, relisted 8/18/19)
WVNS-TV, Beckley, WV (listed 9/15/19)
MANAGING EDITOR:
KNSD-TV, San Diego, CA (new listing this week)
Other News Management Openings:
New listing this week:
WTXL-TV, Tallahassee, FL (Content Manager)
Listed 9/15/19:
WTMJ-TV, Milwaukee, WI (Editorial Director)
Relisted 8/25/19:
Rocky Mountain PBS, Denver, CO (Investigative Producer)
Obituaries:
White
A memorial service will be held next Saturday (October 19th) for former ND KEN WHITE, who died this week after a five year battle with mantle cell lymphoma. Ken’s daughter posted details (along with suggestions for unusual attire for such an event) on Facebook. Ken most recently was ND for WWVA-TV in Bluefield, WV, a job he left in August for health reasons. The station remembers him here. He also was an ND in Charleston/Huntington, WV, Shreveport, was the initial ND for WCCB-TV in Charlotte, and worked in Pittsburgh. Ken also hosted sports talk radio!
Fee
BILL FEE, who spent most of his career at WCPO-TV in Cincinnati, including 12 years as GM, also died of cancer this week. He was born and raised there, and returned after serving (and being injured) in Vietnam. WCPO paid tribute to him here, and a more traditional obituary is available as well, where you can learn details about a memorial service this Friday.
Names in the News (and other items):
KPIX-TV, the CBS owned station in San Francisco, has promoted EMILY DICK to morning executive producer. She’s been there for two years, hired as an associate producer, then producer, and now EP. Emily has also worked in Norfolk.
CANDI LASTER has been promoted to morning evening executive producer at KSHB-TV in Kansas City. She’s been a producer there in her second tour of duty at this Scripps owned NBC affiliate. Candi also worked in Louisville, Little Rock, and Springfield, MO.
Finally, KRNV-TV in Reno has hired JASON PUMO as its next Assistant ND. He most recently worked in Columbus, OH, as a Senior EP for WBNS-TV and is a former ND in Jackson, MS. Jason’s resume also includes time in Portland, OR, and Evansville, IN.
General Manager News and Notes:
Aitken
JAMIE AITKEN is leaving his job as GM for Nexstar’s newly acquired WTTV/WXIN-TV (CBS/FOX) in Indianapolis at the end of the month. Jamie told me (in an exclusive interview during the intermission of a HUGH JACKMAN concert in Indianapolis Saturday night) 🙂 that he thought the time was right with the ownership change. He’s looking forward to spending more time with his teenage son before he leaves for college. Jamie’s a former GM for KDAF-TV in Dallas, KASW-TV in Phoenix, KREM-TV in Spokane, and was GM for the now defunct Texas Cable News. He’s began his career in print.
One Nexstar GM leaves (above) another joined the company as J.R. JACKSON has been named GM for KSEE/KGPE-TV (NBC/CBS) in Fresno. It’s a return to Fresno for J.R., who was the General Sales Manager for KMPH-TV there. He’s been the GM for KVAL-TV and KMTR-TV in Eugene, OR and has also worked in Sacramento.
Our Full List of Open ND Jobs:
Here’s our list of open ND jobs as of Sunday, October 13, 2019:
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
KTTV 1999 South Bundy Drive Los Angeles CA 90025
WFMZ-TV 300 E Rock Rd, Allentown, PA 18103
WUVG-TV 3350 Peachtree Road #1250, Atlanta, GA 30326 **
KCPQ-TV 1813 Westlake Ave. N. Seattle, WA 98109
KUVS-TV 1710 Arden Way, Sacramento CA 95815 **
KSHB-TV 4720 Oak St, Kansas City, MO 64112
WDAF-TV 3030 Summit St, Kansas City, MO 64108
WBNS-TV 770 Twin Rivers Dr, Columbus, OH 43215
WBIR-TV 1513 Bill Williams Ave. Knoxville, TN 37917
WFRV-TV 1181 E Mason Street Green Bay, WI 54301
WDBJ-TV 2807 Hershberger Rd NW, Roanoke, VA 24017
KGAN-TV 600 Old Marion Rd NE Cedar Rapids, IA 52402
WMBF-TV 918 Frontage Rd E, Myrtle Beach, SC 29577
KYTX-TV 2211 E SE Loop 323, Tyler, TX 75701
WLTZ-TV 6140 Buena Vista Rd. Columbus, GA 31907
WWAY-TV 1224 Magnolia Village Way, Leland, NC 28451
KRIS-TV 301 Artesian Street Corpus Christi, TX 78401
KVII-TV 1 Broadcast Center, Amarillo, TX 79101
KRCR-TV 755 Auditorium Dr. Redding, CA 96001
WJFW-TV 3217 County Rd G Rhinelander, WI 54501
KDRV-TV 1090 Knutson Ave, Medford, OR 97504
WBNG-TV 560 Columbia Dr. Johnson City, NY 13790
WVVA-TV 3052 Big Laurel Highway Bluefield WV 24701
WSIL-TV 1416 Country Aire Dr, Carterville, IL 62918
KAEF-TV 540 E St Eureka, California 95501
**: Spanish language station