March 6, 2022
Tuesday, March 8, 2022 UPDATE:
Greetings:
One item today, but it’s a another big one.
A veteran news director gets her first GM job…in a top five market.
Frank
KELLY FRANK, currently the Director of Content (aka news director) for Tegna’s WTSP-TV (CBS) in Tampa, has been named President and General Manager for KYW-TV, the CBS o-and-o in Philadelphia.
Details are in this news release, where you will learn more about her background, including working earlier in her career with one of the Presidents of the CBS stations, ADRIENNE ROARK.
Kelly’s a former ND in Columbus, OH, (WBNS-TV/CBS), has worked for CNN, and in a variety of local markets. Her WTSP bio has more.
More in our full newsletter Sunday.
regards,
Rick Gevers
**** ***** ****
Greetings:
The key word this week is RETURN.
Many of the moves involved people either returning to their old station or to their home state.
All part of a flurry of ND hires this week, with SIX jobs filled. And the TWO new openings were created by people taking new jobs within their current companies.
Our list of open ND jobs stands at 39.
TWO of those ND jobs are among our FOUR Paid Help Wanted ads.
And we have a NEW Paid Help Wanted ad this week for a job at the University of Mississippi.
THREE GMs are in the news this week, as well as a one-time San Francisco Bay Area reporter who is returning to the market in management. And there’s a new exec at ABC News.
Enjoy this week’s newsletter and I promised to send out next week’s newsletter BEFORE I start working on another failed basketball bracket.
Newly Named News Directors:
Hogensen
WSYX-WTTE-TV, Columbus, OH…NICOLE HOGENSEN returns to her native Ohio as she will be the next news director for this Sinclair owned ABC/FOX duopoly. She’s leaving WPTV (Scripps-NBC) in West Palm Beach after eleven years, six as ND. Nicole replaces JAMIE JUSTICE, promoted to a Group ND role at Sinclair after seven years as ND of the 14 years she worked there.
Woodard
WGRZ-TV, Buffalo, NY…JEFF WOODARD shows you CAN go home again returning to this Tegna/NBC affiliate after six years. He spent 18 years here, the last 7+ as ND, before leaving in 2016 to take the Director of Marketing job at SUNY-Fredonia. Here’s part of the note from GM JIM TOELLNER. Jeff began in radio in Syracuse. He replaces ATHAN KOMPOS who left last year after 20 years, four as ND.
Dangler
WDTN-TV, Dayton, OH…another Ohio native returns home as OLIVIA DANGLER joins this Nexstar owned NBC affiliate as ND. Here’s the staff note from GM JOE ABOUZEID which details her background. Olivia comes from sister Nexstar station WHTM-TV (ABC) in Harrisburg, PA, where she’s been ND for two years. Olivia replaces LONI BLANDFORD who’s moving to the Nexstar recruiting team after 4 1/2 years as ND here.
Mulligan
WSIL-TV, Harrisburg, IL…it’s another homecoming as JEFF MULLIGAN returns to his first station. He’s the new ND for this Allen Media Broadcasting owned ABC affiliate, as you’ll learn in this news release. Jeff’s currently the Dayside EP for KGO-TV (ABC owned) in San Francisco. A native of Chicago, Jeff attended nearby SIU and worked in Cape Girardeau, Peoria and Indianapolis. At WSIL, Jeff replaces JEFF WEINRICH who left last year for a marketing job with a local health group.
Boatman
WAND-TV, Decatur, IL…JACKLYNN BOATMAN gets her first news director job at this Block Communications owned NBC affiliate. She’s been the Assistant ND there since 2019, and the interim ND since MORGAN SCHAAB left in October to become ND for Tegna’s KFSM-TV in Ft. Smith, AR. Jacklynn’s an alum of Southern Illinois University and also worked in Ft. Myers as a producer. Morgan was ND here for 3 1/2 years. She worked there for 13 years, in two stints.
Ernst
KCBD-TV, Lubbock, TX…we’re late in reporting MATT ERNST’s ascension to ND for this Gray TV NBC affiliate. He’d been the Assistant ND here for the past year following 14 years at KJTV (FOX) in Lubbock, where he began as a weather anchor, became chief meteorologist, and then spent two years as ND. (KJTV is operated by Gray). He replaces BENJI SNEAD who left in October after failing to adhere to Gray’s vaccination policies.
New News Director Openings:
Flynn
WZZM-TV, Grand Rapids, MI…JULIE FLYNN is leaving one Tegna station to return to another. She’s been the news director at this ABC affiliate since early 2019, coming from Tegna’s WKYC-TV (NBC) in Cleveland. She’s now returning to WKYC to be Director of Innovation. Julie also worked for WEWS-TV (Scripps/ABC) during the 15 years she worked in Cleveland.
WHTM-TV, Harrisburg, PA…you learned about that OLIVIA DANGLER is leaving this Nexstar/ABCs station to become ND at Nexstar’s WDTN-TV (NBC) in Dayton. She’s been ND here for two years.
Paid Help Wanted Ads:
Assistant News Director, KBTX-TV, Bryan, TX:
KBTX, the legacy CBS station in Bryan-College Station, Texas, is looking for an inclusive, collaborative leader to serve as the station’s Assistant News Director.
You’ll work in a well-resourced, market-leading newsroom in one of the fastest-growing cities in the country. Bryan-College Station is consistently named one of America’s best college towns, recognized for quality of life no matter the last time you set foot in a classroom.
This is a growth-focused position at a station that prioritizes team members meeting their personal and professional goals. Each day, you’ll oversee KBTX’s multiplatform programming with a commitment to the station’s core values, providing editorial direction, leadership, support, and encouragement to a growing team of journalists. You will also help craft and oversee the newsroom’s strategic plan and development strategies.
KBTX has a deep commitment to community and a strong history of fostering the best in our team members through close, personal relationships. We work each day to build an inclusive, diverse workplace where all ideas and perspectives are valued, ensuring our product best reflects the vibrant community we serve.
You’ll succeed in this role thanks to a community-minded spirit and a vision to maintain and expand the station’s legacy of community outreach. Each year, KBTX’s newsroom helps to raise millions of dollars for local organizations and serves as a trusted community partner to dozens more. As assistant news director, you’ll serve as a direct conduit and among the strongest sustaining forces behind this vision.
To learn more or apply now, click here.
News Director, KADN/KLAF-TV, Lafayette, LA:
NEWS15, the local FOX and NBC affiliate in Lafayette, LA is looking for a News Director to lead our news department. We are looking for someone with outstanding leadership skills who thrives on teaching, coaching and developing a strong and positive newsroom environment. In addition, the News Director leads and supervises all aspects of news, weather, and sports programming production.
The News Director will oversee a department that generates 40.5 hours of on-air content on the Lafayette market’s NBC and FOX stations. Lafayette is a great place to live and work with a culture all its own, and we are looking for a someone to oversee a department that produces professional and engaging content that reflects that culture in a way that appeals to our own families and communities.
Specific Job Duties:
Institutes training systems for new employees.
Makes decisions regarding hiring, evaluation, promotion and termination of employees.
Develops news coverage strategy for the station and its website.
Critiques newscasts daily to correct errors, improve coverage and provide mentoring feedback to news staff.
Prepare the department’s budget and manages expenses to meet established financial goals.
Skills & Qualifications:
Bachelor’s degree in Broadcast Journalism, or related field, or an equivalent combination of education and work-related experience preferred.
Minimum five years’ experience in news programming production, with at least two years’ experience in a leadership role.
Must be fully vaccinated against Covid-19 (subject to any medical or religious accommodations or other applicable law).
To be considered for this exciting opportunity, please click here.
Equal Opportunity Employer.
News Director, WBNG-TV, Binghamton, NY:
WBNG is looking for a dynamic newsroom leader to take our team to the next level.
WBNG-TV, the CBS affiliate in Binghamton, NY, seeks a News Director to help guide our news department to new heights of journalistic and ratings success. This is an exciting opportunity to join a great team in one of New York’s most beautiful places to live.
The successful candidate will be responsible for establishing and maintaining market leading standards for newsroom operations and content. Other duties include hiring, coaching, supervising and evaluating news personnel, as well as preparation and administration of newsroom budgets and capital requests. The News Director is expected to work closely with other department managers to achieve the company’s overall performance goals.
A minimum of 4 years television news management experience and a college degree in broadcast journalism preferred. Must be able to demonstrate strong working knowledge of community issues, as well as sound journalistic principles. Must have the ability to make fast, accurate journalistic and logistical judgments.
If you have a passion for excellence, and a burning desire to lead the best local broadcast news operation in Binghamton, NY, we want to hear from you.
WBNG offers a competitive salary and traditional benefits package.
If you think you’re qualified, want to work with a great group of people and live in a great community, apply online by clicking here.
WBNG-TV is an Equal Opportunity Employer.
Other News Management Openings:
ASSISTANT NEWS DIRECTOR:
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER:
SUPERVISING PRODUCER:
KOMU-TV, Columbia, Mo (listed 1/30/22)
MANAGING EDITOR:
WCPO-TV, Cincinnati, OH (listed 2/27/22)
KTNV-TV, Las Vegas, NV (listed 1/23/22)
KOMU-TV, Columbia, Mo (listed 1/30/22)
More News Management Openings:
Listed 2/13/22:
KNXV-TV, Phoenix, AZ (Digital Director)
KOAA-TV, Colorado Springs, CO (Assignment Desk Manager)
Relisted 2/13/22:
E.W. Scripps, Cincinnati, OH: National Director of News Platform Strategies and Special Projects
WSYR-TV, Syracuse, NY (Digital Content Manager)
Relisted 2/6/22:
WJW-TV, Cleveland, OH: (Digital Content Director)
Listed 1/30/22:
Missouri School of Journalism, Columbia, MO: (Director, Documentary Journalism Center)
Relisted 1/30/22:
Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY (Assistant Professor)
Relisted 1/23/22:
New York 1, New York, NY (Sr. Producer, Mornings on 1)
KTXL-TV, Sacramento, CA: (Digital Content Director)
Listed 1/9/22:
WTMJ-TV, Milwaukee, WI: (Senior Manager of Investigative and Enterprise Content)
Listed 12/26/21:
WIS-TV, Columbia, SC: Digital Content Manager
Names in the News:
Kiriyama
GEORGE KIRIYAMA returns to the Bay Area, this time in management. He’ll be the new Managing Editor for KTVU-TV (FOX) in Oakland/San Francisco. Earlier in his career he was a reporter for KNTV (NBC) before moving to managment where has held a number of jobs, most recently as a managing editor in Las Vegas. His Linkedin page tells the story.
Deshishku
ABC News has named STACIA PHILIPS DESHISHKU executive editor and senior vice president of ABC News. Details here. She’s been VP/GM for ABC Audio, is a former deputy Washington Bureau Chief for ABC News, and has previously worked for CNN and CBS.
General Manager News and Notes:
Siegel
Former WWL-TV (New Orleans) news director BILL SIEGEL gets his second GM job as he moves up I-95 to take over Scripps WPTV (NBC) in W. Palm Beach. He’s been running Scripps’ WSFL-TV in Miami, going there with plans to launch a news department. That got shelved, though WPLG-TV (ABC) now produces newscasts for WSFL. Bill’s also worked in St. Louis, Milwaukee, and San Antonio.
Boenau
A new general manager for the Gray station in Tucson. ROB BOENAU takes over, moving from his current job as marketing director for Gray’s WOIO/WUAB-TV (CBS/CW) in Cleveland, where he has worked for 20 years. Rob’s also worked in Wichita. Left unsaid in the news release was the fate of previous GM MICHAEL HORNFECK, who just named JESSICA BOBULA as ND there on February 16th.
Hormaza
WTIC/WCCT-TV, the Tegna owned FOX/CW duopoly in Hartford, has named HUMBERTO HORMAZA as its next general manager. More details here. He joins the station from the Entravision owned station in Orlando, where he’s been VP/GM for the last eight years. Humberto comes through the sales ranks, having worked in Miami before moving north.
Our Full List of Open ND Jobs:
Here’s our list of open ND jobs as of Sunday, March 6, 2022.
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
KPIX-TV 855 Battery St. San Francisco, CA 94111
KOVR/KMAX-TV 2713 KOVR Drive, West Sacramento, CA 95605
KTVX-TV 2175 West 1700 South Salt Lake City, UT 84104
WPTV 1100 Banyan Blvd. West Palm Beach, FL 33401
WZZM-TV 645 3 Mile Rd NW. Grand Rapids, MI 49544
WHTM-TV 3235 Hoffman Street. Harrisburg, PA 17110
WLNE-TV 10 Orms St. Providence, RI 02904
WTVQ-TV 6940 Man O War Blvd., Lexington, KY 40511
WYMT-TV 199 Black Gold Blvd. Hazard, KY 41701
WOI-TV 3903 Westown Parkway West Des Moines, IA 50266
KHQ-TV 1201 W. Sprague Ave. Spokane, WA 99201
KMTV 10714 Mockingbird Drive Omaha, NE 68127
KOLR-TV 2650 E. Division Springfield, MO 65803
KXXV-TV 1909 S. New Rd. Waco, TX 76711
KWWL-TV 511 E 5th Street Waterloo, Iowa 50703
WLBT-TV 715 South Jefferson Street. Jackson, MS 39201
WNDU-TV 54516 State Road 933, South Bend, IN 46637
WITN-TV 275 East Arlington Blvd. Greenville, NC 27858
KIVI-TV 1866 E. Chisholm Dr. Nampa, ID 83687
KOLO-TV 4850 Ampere Dr., Reno, NV 89502
KNDO/KNDU-TV 216 W. Yakima Ave., Yakima, WA 98902
KAPP/KVEW-TV 601 N. Edison Kennewick, WA 99336
WMBD/WYZZ-TV 3131 N. University, Peoria, IL 61604
KADN-TV 1500 Eraste Landry Rd. Lafayette, LA 70506 (see ad above!)
WLTZ-TV 6140 Buena Vista Rd. Columbus, GA 31907
KRCG-TV 10188 Old Highway 54 North. New Bloomfield, MO 65063
KBJR-TV 246 S Lake Ave. Duluth, MN 55802 (see ad above!)
KMIR-TV 72920 Park View Dr., Palm Desert, CA 92260
KBMT-TV 525 Interstate 10 South, Beaumont, TX 77701
KIMT-TV 135 E William St. Albert Lea, MN 56007
KOAM-TV 2950 NE Highway 69 Pittsburg, KS 66762
WBNG-TV 560 Columbia Dr. Johnson City, NY 13790
KTAB/KRBC-TV 4510 South 14th St. Abilene TX 79605
KPLC-TV 320 Division St. Lake Charles LA 70601
KALB-TV 605 Washington Street; Alexandria, LA 71301
WTOK-TV 815 23rd Ave. Meridian, Ms. 39301
Delta News 837 Washington Ave Greenville, MS 38701
KAEF-TV 540 E Street Eureka, CA 95501
KYOU-TV 820 West 2nd Street; Ottumwa, IA 52501
**: Spanish language station