March 1, 2026
Tuesday, March 3, 2026 UPDATE:
Greetings:
We have more details…and need to fix some incorrect information…about our report on the passing of a veteran broadcaster.
Giesler
We now have the full obituary for JERRY GIESLER whose death we reported Sunday night. That’s here. However, in our story we told you that Jerry suffered from ALS and was in a nursing home. That was incorrect, and I apologize. Jerry was actually living in a retirement facility in Illinois, had successfully undergone knee replacement surgery last Friday, was released on Saturday, talked to friends Saturday night, but died overnight, apparently in his sleep.
Jerry was a news director in four markets and a GM in six. He also worked for Magid and for DrKoop.com.
Our sympathy to his son, family and friends.
We’ll see you this weekend, hopefully with happier news.
regards,
**** ***** ****
Greetings:
Some activity to share with you this week, with TWO new news director openings and TWO newly named NDs. Both the new NDs are returning to cities in which they had previously worked.
That means our list of open ND jobs remains at 23.
TWO apparently is the key number this week. We have TWO ads, one of which may be for one of the best ND jobs in the country.
Sadly, we have TWO obituaries for former news directors, one of whom had also been a large market GM and Magid consultant. And the other is for someone I worked with years ago. That’s below.
And just TWO item in Names in the News…a new contract for a former assignment editor turned President and CEO of a big broadcast group and Nexstar axes a lot of veteran talent at the three biggest stations it operates.
Read on for more.
Newly Named News Directors:
Dobilas
WTVC-TV, Chattanooga, TN…BILL DOBILAS returns to a Chattanooga newsroom as ND as he takes over at this Sinclair Broadcasting owned ABC affiliate. He’s a former ND at WDSI-TV in Chattanooga (1999-2004) and has held a series of jobs since them, many in Atlanta. Details on his Linkedin page. At WTVC, Bill replaces PHIL BUEHLER who left late last year for a job outside of TV. Phil was here for four years.
Toomey
KALB-TV, Alexandria, LA…DEREK TOOMEY will be the next news director for this NBC/CBS affiliate owned by Gray Media. He sent me this note who which provides the explanation of WHY he chose Alexandria (hint: it’s his hometown) AND details his background. He replaces CARLI LUCA who left in December for the news director job at Scripps’ WXMI-TV (FOX) in Grand Rapids, MI.
New News Director Openings:
KWTV, Oklahoma City, OK…a great opportunity here as the station is searching for a new Director of Content. VP/Content ANDY MILLER says current Director of Content (I believe that’s NATHAN ELLIOTT) will move to a role overseeing statewide content. Learn more about this opportunity in the Paid Help Wanted ad just below this section. KWTV is a CBS affiliate locally owned by Griffin Media.
Wordlaw
WNDU-TV, South Bend, IN… GARY WORDLAW has had enough of the cold and is leaving this Gray media owned NBC affiliate. Here’s the note he sent me: Not sure I want to call it retirement for good but I can’t take another Michiana winter! Leaving on the best of terms, just the right time for my wife and me. Bring on some Florida sun! Gary’s a former ND in Washington, Baltimore and Baton Rouge, and served as a GM in Seattle, New Orleans, Syracuse and Tallahassee.
Help Wanted Ads:
Director of Local Content, KWTV, Oklahoma City, OK:
The best News Director job in America has just opened.
Griffin Media is seeking a Director of Local Content for KWTV News 9 in Oklahoma City.
KWTV is one of the most ambitious newsrooms in the country, with unmatched resources, a deeply engaged audience, polished talent, and local ownership that believes in the power of local journalism. We invest in content and expect to lead on every platform.
The Director of Local Content will lead our newsroom across broadcast, digital, streaming, and social. This role demands both strategic vision and strong daily execution. You will build and drive a long-term content strategy that strengthens our Oklahoma’s Own brand, grows audience everywhere, and upholds the highest journalistic standards. You will shape culture, develop leaders, and set the tone for excellence.
Weather isn’t a segment here; it’s a mission. As a legacy weather pioneer in the heart of Tornado Alley, we treat every forecast as consequential and every storm as breaking news. Our coverage is powered by an experienced team of meteorologists, a dedicated unit of storm chasers, and our own news chopper delivering critical coverage when viewers need us most.
The ideal candidate is a humble, proven newsroom leader who builds high-performing teams, embraces innovation, and understands that strong people drive strong performance.
If you’re ready to lead with urgency and compete to win every day, come build the future of local journalism with us.
Click here for more details and to apply.
Director of Development, Investigative Reporters and Editors:
Many of you know of my belief in and support for Investigative Reporters and Editors (IRE), which is the largest journalism organization in the country.
IRE now has an important opening to fill, as it searches for a new Director of Development. The ideal candidate would have both fund raising AND journalism experience.
IRE is located at the Univeristy of Missouri in Columbia, MO, a great college town (yes, I am an alum), but the job can be done remotely.
If you are interested, or know someone who is, please check out this link which includes both the job description and salary range.
News Management Openings:
ASSISTANT NEWS DIRECTOR:
WFAA-TV, Dallas, TX (listed 2/22/26)
WMUR-TV, Manchester, NH (Boston market), listed 1/11/26)
KSTP-TV, Minneapolis, MN (listed 1/25/26)
WCNC-TV, Charlotte, NC (listed 2/15/26)
KGW-TV, Portland, OR (listed 1/11/26)
WHO-TV, Des Moines, IA (relisted 2/8/26)
KWES-TV, Midland-Odessa, TX (listed 3/1/26)
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER:
WXIA-TV, Atlanta, GA (listed 2/15/26)
WCVB-TV, Boston, MA (listed 1/11/26)
WFLA-TV, Tampa, FL (Streaming Content EP/Host, relisted 1/11/26)
KAZT-TV, Phoenix, AZ (Digital EP, listed 1/18/26)
KNXV-TV, Phoenix, AZ (listed 2/22/26)
WTTV/WXIN-TV, Indianapolis, IN (AM EP, relisted 2/22/26)
KSTU-TV, Salt Lake City, UT (listed 2/22/26)
WBAL-TV, Baltimore, MD (listed 1/11/26)
KGTV, San Diego, CA (Digital EP, listed 2/22/26)
WCPO-TV, Cincinnati, OH (listed 2/22/26)
WPBF-TV, West Palm Beach, FL (listed 1/11/26)
WOOD-TV, Grand Rapids, MI (Cable stations EP, listed 1/18/26)
WXII-TV, Winston-Salem, NC (listed 1/11/26)
WRIC-TV, Richmond, VA (EP of Digital Content, listed 2/8/26)
KARK/KLRT-TV, Little Rock, AR (Morning EP, listed 1/25/26)
WHO-TV, Des Moines, IA (Morning EP, relisted 2/22/26)
WSAV-TV, Savannah, GA (Lifestyle program EP, listed 3/1/26)
WETM-TV, Elmira, NY (Digital EP, relisted 1/11/26)
Other News Management Openings:
Listed 3/1/26:
WHNT-TV, Huntsville, AL (Content Manager)
Listed 2/22/26:
KXAN-TV, Austin, TX (Digital Director)
Listed 2/15/26:
KMGH-TV, Denver, CO (Digital Director)
Obituaries:
Giesler
I received word late tonight that JERRY GIESLER died in his sleep Sunday morning. A reader was kind to send me this Facebook post from Jerry’s friend JOHN DEUSHANE which provides some information. Not mentioned was that Jerry suffered from ALS and…at last word…was in a nursing home in Illinois. He’s a former ND and GM in several markets and also worked for Magid. I hope to have more details next week.
Machesky
My friend PAUL MACHESKY died in September. He was the night assignment editor when I produced the 10:00 at KSD-TV (now KSDK-TV) in St. Louis years ago. Paul also worked in his native Detroit (two stations), for KTVI-TV in St. Louis, at KMGH-TV in Denver, and was the ND for KGAN-TV in Cedar Rapids. Paul later went to law school, became a labor lawyer and helped me with contracts when I became an agent.
He later specialized in wills and trusts, sold his small firm, and retired to Alabama last April. In our last email exchange in July, I asked him how retirement was. His reply:
So far it’s exceeded expectations. Really enjoying retirement. Just let me know when you’d like to talk.
Sadly, he died two months later before we had that conversation. RIP Paul.
Names in the News (and other stuff):
Lots of veteran familiar (and thus highly paid) talent were shown the door this week as Nexstar trimmed a lot of payroll. Impacted were WPIX-TV in New York (Nexstar operated but ‘owned’ by Mission Broadcasting), KTLA-TV in Los Angeles, and WGN-TV in Chicago. The Desk.net has more.
Symson
The Board of Directors of E.W. Scripps extended the contract of President and CEO ADAM SYMSON through 2029. Details here. Adam’s a former news guy who began his TV career on the assignment desk at KCAL-TV in Los Angeles, worked in several large markets as an investigative producer before moving into upper management. His career path is on his Linkedin page.
General Manager News and Notes:
Not aware of any changers this week.
Our List of Open News Director Jobs:
Here’s our list of open ND jobs as of Sunday, February 22, 2026:
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
WNBC/WNJU-TV 30 Rockefeller Plaza, New York, NY 10112
KHOU-TV 5718 Westheimer Rd Houston, TX 77057
KMGH-TV 2323 Delgany St, Denver, CO 80203
KOVR/KMAX-TV 2713 KOVR Dr. W. Sacramento, CA 95605
WBFF-TV 2000 W 41st St Baltimore, MD 21211
KWEX-TV 12451 Network Blvd, San Antonio, TX 78249
WITI-TV 9001 N Green Bay Rd. Milwaukee, WI 53209
KWTV 100 West Main, #100, Oklahoma City, OK 73102 (see ad above!)
WAVE-TV 725 S. Floyd St. Louisville KY 40203
KLEW-TV 2626 17th St, Lewiston, ID 83501
KNVO-TV, 801 North Jackson Rd., McAllen TX 78501 **
WJCL-TV 1375 Chatham Parkway, Savannah, GA 31405
KKTV 3100 N Nevada Ave, Ste B, Colorado Springs, CO 80907
WSIL-TV 1416 Country Aire Drive Carterville, IL 62918
WNDU-TV 54516 State Road 933, South Bend, IN 46637
WCBI-TV 201 5th Street South Columbus, MS 39701
KSNT/KTKA-TV 6835 NW HWY 24 Topeka, Kansas 66618
KSWO-TV 1401 SE 60th St. Lawton, OK 73501
KBMT-TV 525 Interstate 10 South, Beaumont, TX 77701
KAAL TV 1320 Salem Road SW Rochester, MN 55902
WTWO-TV 10849 N US Highway 41, Farmersburg, IN 47850
KYOU-TV 820 West 2nd Street; Ottumwa, IA 52501
KAVU-TV. 3808 N Navarro St. Victoria, TX 77901
**: Spanish language station