Rick Gevers & Associates

March 30, 2009

Greetings:

Some may call it March Madness, but it’s pretty quiet on the news director and news management movement front. We have just TWO new moves to report to you this week. And both those moves involve corporate VPs who are assuming roles at one of their company’s stations.

That drops the list of open news director positions to just 18 by my count.

And it’s also slow on the Names in the News department. We’re always interested in items for that popular part of this weekly newsletter. Send ’em via email to: rick@rickgevers.com

Here are this week’s changes:

NEW NEWS DIRECTOR OPENINGS:

None that I know of.

NEW NEWS DIRECTORS NAMED:

WCMH-TV, Columbus, OH…DAN BRADLEY returns to Ohio to become Director of Digital Journalism for this Media General owned NBC affiliate. Dan will remain VP/News for Media General, and will work closely with Content Brand Manager IKE WALKER who has day to day responsibility for news coverage. Dan went to Ohio State so the move to Columbus is a homecoming for him. The move also reunites Dan with WCMH General Manager RICK ROGALA. They worked in similar roles at WFLA-TV. STAN SANDERS had been the ND here. He left in January after 10 years.

WOI-TV, Des Moines, IA…in a similar move to the one reported above, AL SANDUBRAE will become News Director for this Citadel owned ABC affiliate while remaining as VP/News for Citadel. He’ll replace SCOTT FREDERICK who will leave the station in June when his contract expires.

**** ***** ****

OTHER NEWS MANAGEMENT OPENINGS:

ASSISTANT NEWS DIRECTOR:

WTVJ-TV, Miami, FL (listed 1/30/09)
WEWS-TV, Cleveland, OH (listed 1/11/09)
WREG-TV, Memphis, TN (relisted 1/16/09)
WNEM-TV, Saginaw, MI (listed 3/8/09)

EXECUTIVE NEWS PRODUCER:

KIAH-TV, Houston, TX (PM EP, listed 2/13/09)
WFOR-TV, Miami, FL (Morning EP, relisted 1/23/09)
WTVJ-TV, Miami, FL (listed 1/30/09)
WESH-TV, Orlando, FL (listed 1/30/09)
KXTV, Sacramento, CA (Morning EP, listed 1/30/09)
WCNC-TV, Charlotte, NC (Nightside EP, listed 12/12/08)
WZTV, Nashville, TN (relisted 1/23/09)
WDBJ-TV, Roanoke, VA (relisted 1/16/09)
KITV, Honolulu, HI (listed 2/27/09)

OPERATIONS MANAGER:

WTVJ-TV, Miami, FL (listed 1/30/09)

SENIOR WEB PRODUCER:

WFLD-TV, Chicago, IL (listed 3/20/09)

**** ***** ****

Here’s a complete list of all stations that I believe have a current ND opening, as of Friday, March 27, 2009. If you know of any updates, corrections, or additions to this list, please let me know via email at: rick@rickgevers.com

KTLA-TV   5800 Sunset Blvd.               Los Angeles, CA 90028
WMUR-TV   100 South Commercial St.        Manchester NH 03101
KRIV-TV   4261 Southwest Freeway          Houston TX 77027
KPRC-TV   8181 SW Freeway                 Houston TX 77074
KXTV      400 Broadway                    Sacramento CA 95818
KDKA-TV   One Gateway Center              Pittsburgh PA 15222
KPTV/KPDX 14975 NW Greenbrier Parkway     Beaverton OR 97006
KSHB-TV   4720 Oak Street                 Kansas City MO 64112
WSYX/WTTE-TV 1261 Dublin Rd.              Columbus OH 43215
KUTV      299 S. Main St. #150            Salt Lake City UT 84111
WSPA-TV   250 International Drive         Spartanburg SC 29301
WFMY-TV   1615 Phillips Avenue            Greensboro NC 27405
KWQC-TV   805 Brady St.                   Davenport IA 52803
WFFF-TV   298 Mountain View Dr.           Colchester VT 05446
WMGT-TV   PO Box 4328                     Macon GA 31208
KNOE-TV   1400 Oliver Rd.                 Monroe LA 71211
KTVE/KARD-TV 200 Pavilion Rd.             West Monroe LA 71292
KSAX-TV   PO Box 189                      Alexandria MN 56308

Rick Gevers
Rick Gevers & Associates
PO Box 577
Zionsville IN 46077
317-769-7900
317-769-7910 (fax)
rick@rickgevers.com
www.rickgevers.com

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March 23, 2009

Greetings:

Welcome to the full disclosure edition of your regular weekly newsletter covering the comings and goings of news directors and news managers. (Read on: you’ll figure it out).

This week we have ONE new opening, and ONE new ND to report. That keeps our list of stations with ND openings at 19.

Of note: that one new opening is in Houston, and leaves two of the “Big Four” stations there without a news director.

We have one new management job listed, and two items in Names in the News: one a new job for a former Dallas and KC ND, and the other an obituary for the mother of a veteran Michigan news director.

Since we have few items in Names in the News this week, let me remind you that we welcome your submissions. Send ’em via email to: rick@rickgevers.com

Here are this week’s changes:

NEW NEWS DIRECTOR OPENINGS:

KPRC-TV, Houston, TX…SKIP VALET has been promoted within parent company Post-Newsweek to be GM for the company’s Orlando station, WKMG-TV. Skip was ND at WKMG before taking over the same job at KPRC in 2006. He’s a Florida native who first joined PNS at WJXT-TV in Jacksonville, where he worked his way up from production assistant to ND. Full disclosure: Skip and I worked together at WJXT.

NEW NEWS DIRECTORS NAMED:

WWSB-TV, Sarasota, FL…JASON WILDENSTEIN is now the ND for this Calkins-Media owned ABC affiliate. He had been the Director of Operations. Jason replaces KAY MATHERS (MILLER) who left the station last August to join a local non-profit. Kay was ND here for seven years.

**** ***** ****

OTHER NEWS MANAGEMENT OPENINGS:

ASSISTANT NEWS DIRECTOR:

WTVJ-TV, Miami, FL (listed 1/30/09)
WEWS-TV, Cleveland, OH (listed 1/11/09)
WREG-TV, Memphis, TN (relisted 1/16/09)
WNEM-TV, Saginaw, MI (listed 3/8/09)

EXECUTIVE NEWS PRODUCER:

KIAH-TV, Houston, TX (PM EP, listed 2/13/09)
WFOR-TV, Miami, FL (Morning EP, relisted 1/23/09)
WTVJ-TV, Miami, FL (listed 1/30/09)
WESH-TV, Orlando, FL (listed 1/30/09)
KXTV, Sacramento, CA (Morning EP, listed 1/30/09)
WCNC-TV, Charlotte, NC (Nightside EP, listed 12/12/08)
WSOC-TV, Charlotte, NC (Nightside EP, relisted 1/16/09)
WZTV, Nashville, TN (relisted 1/23/09)
WDBJ-TV, Roanoke, VA (relisted 1/16/09)
KITV, Honolulu, HI (listed 2/27/09)

OPERATIONS MANAGER:

WTVJ-TV, Miami, FL (listed 1/30/09)

SENIOR WEB PRODUCER:

WFLD-TV, Chicago, IL (new listing this week)

**** ***** ****

NAMES in the NEWS:

Former Kansas City (KCTV) and Dallas-Ft. Worth (KTVT-TV) ND REGENT DUCAS has joined Dallas-based Talent Dynamics as Director of Business Development/Sports. He’ll be trying to grow the firm’s business in coaching and media training for professional athletes. Since leaving KTVT in August, 2007, Regent has been an interim ND for WLNE-TV in Providence and served as an adjunct professor for University of Texas-Arlington.

Our sympathy to WXMI-TV (Grand Rapids, MI) News Director TIM DYE on the loss of his mother, PATRICIA ‘PAT’ DYE, who passed away March 9th after complications from surgery. She was 81, and is survived by her husband Jim and three other children. A memorial service will be held Saturday, March 21, in Saginaw. You can read the obituary here: Full disclosure: Tim and I worked together at WOOD-TV in Grand Rapids. You can send Tim your condolences at: tdye@tribune.com

**** ***** ****

Here’s a complete list of all stations that I believe have a current ND opening, as of Friday, March 20, 2009. If you know of any updates, corrections, or additions to this list, please let me know via email at: rick@rickgevers.com

KTLA-TV   5800 Sunset Blvd.               Los Angeles, CA 90028
WMUR-TV   100 South Commerical St.        Manchester NH 03101
KRIV-TV   4261 Southwest Freeway          Houston TX 77027
KPRC-TV   8181 SW Freeway                 Houston TX 77074
KXTV      400 Broadway                    Sacramento CA 95818
KDKA-TV   One Gateway Center              Pittsburgh PA 15222
KPTV/KPDX 14975 NW Greenbrier Parkway     Beaverton OR 97006
KSHB-TV   4720 Oak Street                 Kansas City MO 64112
WCMH-TV   3165 Olentangy River Rd.        Columbus OH 43202
WSYX/WTTE-TV 1261 Dublin Rd.              Columbus OH 43215
KUTV      299 S. Main St. #150            Salt Lake City UT 84111
WSPA-TV   250 International Drive         Spartanburg SC 29301
WFMY-TV   1615 Phillips Avenue            Greensboro NC 27405
KWQC-TV   805 Brady St.                   Davenport IA 52803
WFFF-TV   298 Mountain View Dr.           Colchester VT 05446
WMGT-TV   PO Box 4328                     Macon GA 31208
KNOE-TV   1400 Oliver Rd.                 Monroe LA 71211
KTVE/KARD-TV 200 Pavilion Rd.             West Monroe LA 71292
KSAX-TV   PO Box 189                      Alexandria MN 56308

Rick Gevers
Rick Gevers & Associates
PO Box 577
Zionsville IN 46077
317-769-7900
317-769-7910 (fax)
rick@rickgevers.com
www.rickgevers.com

Make a Small Loan, Make a Big Difference!
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March 16, 2009

Greetings:

THREE new openings, two in top 40 markets, lead this slightly delayed version of our weekly newsletter.

We told you about two of those openings in an emailed UPDATE earlier this week. And an opening at an Illinois station makes three. To the best of our knowledge, no new news directors were named this week.

We’ve did two stations that were listed as having open ND jobs, and explain that move below.

All those changes leave our count at 19 stations looking for a new ND.

Since we have no Names in the News this week, let me remind you that we welcome your items. Send ’em via email to: rick@rickgevers.com

Here are this week’s changes:

NEW NEWS DIRECTOR OPENINGS:

KRIV-TV, Houston, TX…KATHY WILLIAMS has left this FOX o-and-o after seven years as ND. Kathy’s a former news director at WKYC-TV and WJW-TV in Cleveland. She’s also worked in Washington and Chicago, as well as in Houston earlier in her career.

KSHB-TV, Kansas City, MO…Citing personal reasons, RICK ILER resigned this week as news director of this Scripps’ owned NBC affiliate. Rick’s been ND here since August, 2007. Before moving to KC, Rick had been the Assistant ND at KPHO-TV in Phoenix. He’s also a former ND at KARK-TV in Little Rock.

KWQC-TV, Davenport, IA…MIKE WRIGHT has left this Young Broadcasting owned NBC affiliate after almost a year as ND/Station Manager. Before moving to Davenport, Mike had been the Assistant ND for sister Young station WKRN-TV in Nashville.

We’re also removing, at least for now, the listings for both KMPH-TV in Fresno and KDBC-TV in El Paso, TX. DESIREE HILL, the VP of News for Pappas Broadcasting, owner of KMPH and KDBC, says both stations have strong interim news managers or interim NDs running the shops, and that the search is on hold pending completion of some financial matters following Pappas’ bankruptcy filing.

NEW NEWS DIRECTORS NAMED:

None that I know of.

**** ***** ****

OTHER NEWS MANAGEMENT OPENINGS:

ASSISTANT NEWS DIRECTOR:

WTVJ-TV, Miami, FL (listed 1/30/09)
WEWS-TV, Cleveland, OH (listed 1/11/09)
WREG-TV, Memphis, TN (relisted 1/16/09)
WNEM-TV, Saginaw, MI (listed 3/8/09)

EXECUTIVE NEWS PRODUCER:

KIAH-TV, Houston, TX (PM EP, listed 2/13/09)
WFOR-TV, Miami, FL (Morning EP, relisted 1/23/09)
WTVJ-TV, Miami, FL (listed 1/30/09)
WESH-TV, Orlando, FL (listed 1/30/09)
KXTV, Sacramento, CA (Morning EP, listed 1/30/09)
WCNC-TV, Charlotte, NC (Nightside EP, listed 12/12/08)
WSOC-TV, Charlotte, NC (Nightside EP, relisted 1/16/09)
WZTV, Nashville, TN (relisted 1/23/09)
WXII-TV, Winston-Salem, NC (Dayside EP, relisted 12/12/08)
WDBJ-TV, Roanoke, VA (relisted 1/16/09)
KITV, Honolulu, HI (listed 2/27/09)

OPERATIONS MANAGER:

WTVJ-TV, Miami, FL (listed 1/30/09)

**** ***** ****

Here’s a complete list of all stations that I believe have a current ND opening, as of Saturday, March 14, 2009. If you know of any updates, corrections, or additions to this list, please let me know via email at: rick@rickgevers.com

KTLA-TV   5800 Sunset Blvd.               Los Angeles, CA 90028
WMUR-TV   100 South Commerical St.        Manchester NH 03101
KRIV-TV   4261 Southwest Freeway          Houston TX 77027
WWSB-TV   1477 10th St.                   Sarasota FL 34236
KXTV      400 Broadway                    Sacramento CA 95818
KDKA-TV   One Gateway Center              Pittsburgh PA 15222
KPTV/KPDX 14975 NW Greenbrier Parkway     Beaverton OR 97006
KSHB-TV   4720 Oak Street                 Kansas City MO 64112
WCMH-TV   3165 Olentangy River Rd.        Columbus OH 43202
WSYX/WTTE-TV 1261 Dublin Rd.              Columbus OH 43215
KUTV      299 S. Main St. #150            Salt Lake City UT 84111
WSPA-TV   250 International Drive         Spartanburg SC 29301
WFMY-TV   1615 Phillips Avenue            Greensboro NC 27405
KWQC-TV   805 Brady St.                   Davenport IA 52803
WFFF-TV   298 Mountain View Dr.           Colchester VT 05446
WMGT-TV   PO Box 4328                     Macon GA 31208
KNOE-TV   1400 Oliver Rd.                 Monroe LA 71211
KTVE/KARD-TV 200 Pavilion Rd.             West Monroe LA 71292
KSAX-TV   PO Box 189                      Alexandria MN 56308

Rick Gevers
Rick Gevers & Associates
PO Box 577
Zionsville IN 46077
317-769-7900
317-769-7910 (fax)
rick@rickgevers.com
www.rickgevers.com

Make a Small Loan, Make a Big Difference!
Check out Kiva.org to Learn How

March 9, 2009

Greetings:

A promotion within the Hearst chain fills ONE open ND spot this week and creates ONE new opening this week. With the elimination of an open ND spot in Peoria (more on that below) our list of open ND positions now stands at just 18.

We have one new news management opening added to our list of open management positions.

And we have LOTS of Names in the News, including a new baby for a Connecticut ND, a big anniversary for a veteran newsman, and the first steps on the road to recover following heart surgery for another longtime newsie.

That and more after this week’s changes:

NEW NEWS DIRECTOR OPENINGS:

WMUR-TV, Manchester, NH…we reported to you in an emailed UPDATE earlier this week that ANDREW VREES is leaving this Hearst-owned ABC affiliate to become ND for sister-Hearst ABC affiliate WCVB-TV in Boston. More on that move below.

NEW NEWS DIRECTORS NAMED:

WCVB-TV, Boston, MA…ANDREW VREES will be the next ND for this Hearst-owned ABC affiliate. We told you above that Andrew has been the ND at Hearst’s WMUR-TV in nearby Manchester, NH, for the past five years, and worked as an Assistant ND in Albuquerque and Toledo before that. He replaces COLEEN MARREN who left WCVB at the end of 2008 after eight years as ND there.

Please also note that we’re removing the open ND listing for WHOI-TV in Peoria, IL, after this week’s announcement of the arrangement under which Granite’s WEEK-TV will produce news for WHOI. DON SHAFER, currently ND for WEEK-TV, will be the ND for both stations. The same type of arrangement will take place in Syracuse, where Barrington Broadcasting will produce news for Granite’s WTVH-TV.

**** ***** ****

OTHER NEWS MANAGEMENT OPENINGS:

ASSISTANT NEWS DIRECTOR:

WTVJ-TV, Miami, FL (listed 1/30/09)
WEWS-TV, Cleveland, OH (listed 1/11/09)
WREG-TV, Memphis, TN (relisted 1/16/09)
WNEM-TV, Saginaw, MI (new listing this week)

EXECUTIVE NEWS PRODUCER:

KIAH-TV, Houston, TX (PM EP, listed 2/13/09)
WFOR-TV, Miami, FL (Morning EP, relisted 1/23/09)
WTVJ-TV, Miami, FL (listed 1/30/09)
WESH-TV, Orlando, FL (listed 1/30/09)
KXTV, Sacramento, CA (Morning EP, listed 1/30/09)
WCNC-TV, Charlotte, NC (Nightside EP, listed 12/12/08)
WSOC-TV, Charlotte, NC (Nightside EP, relisted 1/16/09)
WZTV, Nashville, TN (relisted 1/23/09)
WXII-TV, Winston-Salem, NC (Dayside EP, relisted 12/12/08)
WDBJ-TV, Roanoke, VA (relisted 1/16/09)
KITV, Honolulu, HI (listed 2/27/09)

OPERATIONS MANAGER:

WTVJ-TV, Miami, FL (listed 1/30/09)

**** ***** ****

NAMES in the NEWS:

WFSB-TV (Hartford, CT) News Director DANA NEVES is back on the job after giving birth last November to a son named WILLIAM HENRY. William joins three year old Jack in the Neves’ family.

Raycom’s KSLA-TV in Shreveport has a new Managing Editor: SONJI ALEXANDER joins the station. She’s previously worked in Dallas and Amarillo.

One-time ND MARCI BURDICK has been named to the NAB Board of Directors. Marci was ND for Schurz’s KYTV in Springfield, MO. She’s now VP of Broadcast and Cable for the company, and is also a past RTNDA Chairman.

GARY WHITAKER’s publishing empire continues to expand. Gary, a former ND in Albany, NY, and St. Louis, now heads Whitaker Publishing, which produces 417 Magazine in Springfield, MO (417 is the area code), several other Springfield publications, and Wichita Magazine. Now the company is adding Branson Vacation Magazine aimed at prospective visitors to the area. Full disclosure: Gary and I were classmates at the University of Missouri.

One time Atlanta (WSB-TV) and Montgomery, AL, (WSFA-TV) ND SKIP HALEY is on the mend after successful open heart surgery to replace his aortic valve. As long as they had him open, they did a bypass on an artery as well. Skip’s currently at WBRZ-TV in Baton Rouge as Director of Information Services. The surgery didn’t impact his sense of humor…he writes that his prognosis is that he’ll live long enough to stand in any number of unemployment lines before he’s done. If you liked that line, send Skip your joke at: skip@wbrz.com

Congratulations to veteran newsman LOU PRATO and his long-suffering wife CAROLE as they celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary. Lou’s a former ND in Dayton and Detroit but may likely best known to you as either the longtime RTNDA treasurer, or as head of Northwestern University’s Medill DC program. Around here, he’s also known as a big Indy 500 fan who joins us each year in May for The Greatest Spectacle in Racing. You can send Lou and Carole your anniversary wishes via email to: louprato@comcast.net

**** ***** ****

Here’s a complete list of all stations that I believe have a current ND opening, as of Sunday, March 8, 2009. If you know of any updates, corrections, or additions to this list, please let me know via email at: rick@rickgevers.com

KTLA-TV   5800 Sunset Blvd.               Los Angeles, CA 90028
WWSB-TV   1477 10th St.                   Sarasota FL 34236
KXTV      400 Broadway                    Sacramento CA 95818
KDKA-TV   One Gateway Center              Pittsburgh PA 15222
KPTV      14975 NW Greenbrier Parkway     Beaverton OR 97006
WCMH-TV   3165 Olentangy River Rd.        Columbus OH 43202
WSYX/WTTE-TV 1261 Dublin Rd.              Columbus OH 43215
KUTV      299 S. Main St. #150            Salt Lake City UT 84111
WSPA-TV   250 International Drive         Spartanburg SC 29301
WFMY-TV   1615 Phillips Avenue            Greensboro NC 27405
KMPH-TV   5111 E. McKinley Ave.           Fresno CA 93727
WFFF-TV   298 Mountain View Dr.           Colchester VT 05446
KDBC-TV   2201 E. Wyoming Ave.            El Paso TX 79903
WHOI-TV   500 N. Stewart St.              Creve Coeur IL 61601
WMGT-TV   PO Box 4328                     Macon GA 31208
KNOE-TV   1400 Oliver Rd.                 Monroe LA 71211
KTVE/KARD-TV 200 Pavilion Rd.             West Monroe LA 71292
KSAX-TV   PO Box 189                      Alexandria MN 56308

Rick Gevers
Rick Gevers & Associates
PO Box 577
Zionsville IN 46077
317-769-7900 (phone)
317-769-7910 (fax)
rick@rickgevers.com
www.rickgevers.com

Make a Small Loan, Make a Big Difference!
Check out Kiva.org to Learn How