August 11, 2025
Thursday, August 14, 2025 UPDATE:
Greetings,again:
I can’t remember ever doing UPDATES on four consecutive days, but this could be the start of a busy stretch.
Today it’s Scripps making news with a change to its management model, where the top official (called station manager) at a station also headed a department. In this lengthy email sent to Scripps employees late today, in some Scripps stations that role will now be the GM, who will also head a department, whether it be news, sales, etc. The exception will be in markets where a Regional Vice-President is located. There, the top station official will still be Station Manager/Department head.
The memo above details nine markets where changes were made. In some cases, people chose to leave, but not all.
Coincidentally, another station reversed course today on its management structure.
When JEFF HOFFMAN left WKMG-TV, the Graham Media CBS affiliate in Orlando last January, the company did not replace him. Department heads would report to their corporate overseer.
Well, that didn’t last long.
Jones
AUTUMN JONES today added General Manager to her news director title at WKMG. She joined the station as ND just four months ago.
Who knows if I will appear in your email box tomorrow?
regards,
Rick Gevers
Wednesday, August 13, 2025 UPDATE:
Greetings:
For the third consecutive day, a top ten market news director job has been filled.
Carmean
Today it’s FOX o-and-o WTTG/WDCA-TV in Washington which has promoted KYLE CARMEAN to VP News and Content. Kyle’s been the Assistant News Director here since 2014. He’s also worked in Philadelphia, Baltimore, and Dover, DE. More in this news release. Kyle replaces longtime WTTG ND PAUL McGONAGLE who was promoted to GM for FOX’s WJBK-TV in Detroit early last month.
On another topic, judging by some of your comments, I wasn’t alone in head-scratching after reading (enduring?) this Sinclair news release about the company’s future plans. My favorite part, which I discovered after including the release in yesterday’s UPDATE, was one sentence which clocked in at 203 words!
We’ll see you this weekend…or sooner if developments warrant.
regards,
Rick Gevers
Tuesday, August 12, 2025 UPDATE:
A cross town move in Chicago fills an open news director job there.
Harrison
AKEMI HARRISON joins Nexstar’s WGN-TV (CW) as Director of News and Multiplatform Content. She’s been the news director for NBC o-and-o WMAQ-TV since April, 2023, reporting to Senior VP/News SALLY RAMIREZ. Here’s the story from the WGN website. and here’s Akemi’s Linkedin page. She replaces DOMINIC STASI who left in May after 5+ years as ND and 12 at the station.
By the way, our snarky comment in yesterday’s UPDATE about ‘no station deals yet today, but it’s only 1:00’ became, to quote RON ZIEGLER, inoperative (look him up, youngsters) later in the day when Sinclair issued this news release which I will allow people smarter than me to dissect.
We’ll see you either this weekend…or whenever the next big deal happens. 🙂
regards,
Rick Gevers
Monday, August 11, 2025 UPDATE:
Greetings:
Tegna fills one of its open news director jobs with an internal promotion of a veteran newsman.
Spessard
TODD SPESSARD will be the next news director Director of Content for WXIA-TV (NBC) in Atlanta. He’s currently the news director for Tegna’s WCNC-TV (NBC) in Charlotte, a job he’s held for the past 18 months. More details in this news release. Todd’s been a news director in a number of markets, including Oklahoma City, where he spent 12 years as either ND for KWTV or Corporate VP of Content for parent Griffin Media.
His complete career history is on his Linkedin page, including his time as producer for WOOD-TV in Grand Rapids, where we worked together.
Congrats to Todd.
So far, no station deals today. But it’s not yet 1:00 on the East Coast.
regards,
Rick Gevers
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Greetings:
Welcome to your free weekly newsletter about news director and news management changes.
There are TWO news directors to report, with ONE new opening.
My count shows there are now 35 stations looking for a news director.
We have ONE Paid Help Wanted ad this week, that for an EP opening at the well regarded WRAL-TV in Raleigh.
Speaking of ads, check out BARRY NASH‘s new copy which might help you attract younger viewers. And our friends at Sciline return with a timely briefing on tariffs. That’s below as well.
The biggest news this week may be station deals: ONE possible (Nexstar-Tegna) and ONE announced (Gray Media-Allen Media). If you missed our TWO Friday updates on those, we’ve included them below. No charge.
We also have news of a new ND for Houston Public Media AND a new EP in Dallas.
All that and more…as you read on!
Newly Named News Directors:
Hoder
WUPA-TV, Atlanta, GA…SHAWN HODER returns to Atlanta as he’ll be the first ND for this CBS o-and-o which is launching news…as it become the CBS affiliate, replacing Gray Media’s WANF-TV. Shawn worked at WXIA-TV (NBC) before leaving to be ND for CBS’s KDKA-TV in Pittsburgh three years ago. He’s also worked in several other markets. More on Shawn…and the changes coming to WUPA…in this Paramount news release.
Fleegle
WHIZ-TV, Zanesville, OH…CAROLYN FLEEGLE, who’s been an anchor here for the past 19 years, adds additional duties as news director. Her station biography points out she took a six year break to raise her family. Carolyn replaces NICHOLE HANNAHS who was also news director and anchor for 20 years and left in July to take a kindergarten teaching job. WHIZ is an NBC/FOX affiliate owned by Marquee Broadcasting.
New News Director Openings:
KDKA-TV, Pittsburgh, PA…you learned above that SHAWN HODER is moving within CBS (and returning to Atlanta) to become the new ND for CBS’s WUPA-TV which is launching news as it takes over the affiliation from Gray Media’s WANF-TV.
Also…a correction from last week’s newsletter. KRGV-TV in is Weslaco, TX, not Harlingen/Bryan as I reported.
Paid Help Wanted Ad:
Other News Management Openings:
ASSISTANT NEWS DIRECTOR:
WCVB-TV, Boston, MA (listed 8/4/25)
WVEC-TV, Norfolk, VA (listed 8/10/25)
WBRE/WYOU-TV, Wilkes-Barre, PA (listed 7/13/25)
KARK/KLRT-TV, Little Rock, AR (listed 6/15/25)
WBRZ-TV, Baton Rouge, LA (listed 7/13/25)
KIII-TV, Corpus Christi, TX (listed 8/10/25)
KWES-TV, Midland, TX (listed 7/25/25)
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER:
WMUR-TV, Manchester, NH (Boston market) (listed 8/4/25)
WMUR-TV, Manchester, NH (Boston market) (Chronicle EP, listed 8/4/25)
KPNX-TV, Phoenix, AZ (Inv. & Special Projects, listed 7/6/25)
KING-TV, Seattle, WA (EP Evening Magazine, relisted 6/29/25)
WFLA-TV, Tampa, FL (relisted 8/4/25)
KARE-TV, Minneapolis MN (listed 7/6/25)
KMGH-TV, Denver, CO (listed 7/13/25)
KCRA-TV, Sacramento, CA (listed 8/4/25)
KTXL-TV, Sacramento, CA (listed 6/29/25)
WJYZ-TV, Charlotte, NC (listed 8/4/25)
KGW-TV, Portland, OR (listed 7/6/25)
KOIN-TV, Portland, OR (Sports EP, listed 7/27/25)
WRAL-TV, Raleigh, NC (listed 8/10/25, see display ad above!)
KSDK-TV, St. Louis, MO (listed 7/6/25)
KSTU-TV, Salt Lake City, UT (listed 7/13/25)
KTVX-TV, Salt Lake City, UT (listed 7/6/25)
WTIC-TV, Hartford, CT (relisted 7/27/25)
WYFF-TV, Greenville, SC (listed 8/4/25)
WFOR-TV, Oklahoma City, OK (listed 8/4/25)
WHAS-TV, Louisville, KY (relisted 6/15/25)
KRQE-TV, Albuquerque, NM (Nightside EP, relisted 7/27/25)
WATN-TV, Memphis, TN (relisted 6/15/25)
WGRZ-TV, Buffalo, NY (listed 7/6/25)
WIVB/WNLO-TV, Buffalo, NY (Digital EP, listed 7/13/25)
WKBW-TV, Buffalo, NY (listed 7/13/25)
WTVR-TV, Richmond, VA (listed 7/27/25)
WDTN-TV, Dayton, OH (relisted 7/13/25)
KCCI-TV, Des Moines, IA (listed 8/4/25)
WOI-TV, Des Moines, IA (relisted 6/29/25)
WFXR-TV, Roanoke, VA (relisted 8/4/25)
WOWK-TV, Charleston, WV (Digital EP, listed 6/15/25)
WZDX-TV, Huntsville, AL (listed 7/6/25)
WSYR-TV, Syracuse, NY (relisted 7/20/25)
KVEO/KGBT-TV, Brownsville, TX (Digital EP, listed 8/4/25)
WVNY-WFFF-TV, Burlington, VT (Digital EP, listed 7/27/25)
KFSM-TV, Fayetteville, AR (listed 7/6/25)
WTXL-TV, Tallahassee, FL (relisted 6/15/25)
WMBD-TV, Peoria, IL (relisted 6/29/25)
MANAGING EDITOR:
WDAF-TV, Kansas City, MO (listed 6/8/25)
KQDS-TV, Duluth, MN (listed 7/27/25)
More News Management Openings:
Listed 7/13/25:
KTNV-TV, Las Vegas, NV (Real Time Desk Manager)
Listed 6/15/25:
KTNV-TV, Las Vegas, NV (Executive Reporter)
Listed 6/8/25:
WDHN-TV, Dothan, AL (Digital News Manager)
Names in the News (and other stuff):
Our second Friday UPDATE with the Wall Street Journal report about a possible Nexstar-Tegna deal was, as you might expect, big news and got a lot of views. If you missed it, here’s the link.
Our FIRST Friday UPDATE (about Gray Media’s purchase of ten Allen Media stations) was also widely viewed. Here’s that link as well.
Flannigan
SCOTT FLANNIGAN has been named the Senior News Director for Houston Public Media. Scott most recently had been the news director for Graham Media’s WSLS-TV in Roanoke, VA, and has also been a news director in Kansas City, Mobile, Charleston, SC, and Lake Charles, LA. Scott’s also worked in Miami and Birmingham, AL.
IRIS RODRIGUEZ returns to Dallas and KXAS/KXTX-TV as executive producer. She worked at those NBC owned properties before spending four years as ND for KTLM-TV (Telemundo owned) in McAllen, TX
General Manager News and Notes:
I’m not aware of any GM changes this week. Please let me know if I’ve missed anything.
Our List of Open News Director Jobs:
Here’s our list of open ND jobs as of Sunday, August 10, 2025:
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
WGN-TV 2501 West Bradley Place Chicago, IL 60618
WXIA-TV One Monroe Place NE Atlanta, GA 30324
WDCW/WDVM-TV 2121 Wisconsin Ave, NW, Washington DC, 20007
WTTG-TV 7272 Wisconsin Ave., 8th floor, Bethesda, MD 20814
WBZ-TV 1170 Soldiers Field Road Boston, MA 02134
KING-TV 1501 1st Ave. South Ste 300 Seattle, WA 98134
WJBK-TV 16550 W Nine Mile Rd, Southfield, Michigan 48037
KARE-TV 8811 Olson Memorial Hwy. Minneapolis, MN 55427
KSDK-TV 1000 Market St., St. Louis, MO 63101
KDKA-TV 1 Gateway Ctr, Pittsburgh, PA 15222
KSWB/KUSI-TV 7191 Engineer Rd., San Diego, CA 92111
WBNS-TV 770 Twin Rivers Dr., Columbus, OH 43215
WCPO-TV 1720 Gilbert Avenue Cincinnati, OH 45202
WPTV 1100 Banyan Blvd. West Palm Beach, FL 33401
WXMI-TV 3117 Plaza Drive NE Grand Rapids, MI 49525
KOKH-TV 1228 E Wilshire Blvd. Oklahoma City, OK 73111
WFTX-TV 621 SW Pine Island Rd, Cape Coral, FL 33991
WGRZ-TV 259 Delaware Ave, Buffalo, NY 14202
KLEW-TV 2626 17th St, Lewiston, ID 83501
WSLS-TV 821 5th St SW, Roanoke, VA 24016
WMTV 615 Forward Drive Madison, WI 53711
KNVO-TV, 801 North Jackson Rd., McAllen TX 78501 **
KRGV-TV 900 East Expressway 83, Weslaco,TX
KTLM-TV 200 S. 10th St., 2nd Fl. McAllen, TX 78501 **
WSIL-TV 1416 Country Aire Drive Carterville, IL 62918
KWQC-TV 805 Brady Street Davenport, IA 52803
WCTV 1801 Halstead Blvd. Tallahassee, FL 32309
WEAU-TV 1907 S. Hastings Way Eau Claire, WI 54701
KOSA-TV 4101 E. 42nd. Suite J-7. Odessa, TX 79761
KSWO-TV 1401 SE 60th St. Lawton, OK 73501
WTWO-TV 10849 N US Highway 41, Farmersburg, IN 47850
WBNG-TV 560 Columbia Dr. Johnson City, NY 13790
KOTA-TV 2001 Skyline Drive Rapid City, SD 57701
WWNY-TV 120 Arcade St. Watertown, NY 13601
KYOU-TV 820 West 2nd Street; Ottumwa, IA 52501
**: Spanish language statio