November | 2024 | Rick Gevers & Associates

November 24, 2024

Tuesday, November 26, 2024 UPDATE:

Greetings:

An early Thanksgiving gift for you…and for two former news directors who are returning to the ND chair.

Neerman

MARK NEERMAN returns to Sinclair as he’s been named ND for KOMO/KUNS-TV (ABC/CW) in Seattle. Two notes for you: one from GM CHAD CONKLIN announcing the hire, and the other from Mark to the staff, in which (among other things) he pays tribute to the man he’s replacing, veteran newsman PHIL BRUCE who is retiring at the end of the year. Mark was the ND for Sinclair’s KSNV-TV (NBC), one of his TWO ND jobs in Las Vegas, as well as ND jobs in THREE other markets…all detailed here.

Darrah

And MIKE DARRAH returns to a newsroom as he’s taking over Tegna’s WATN/WLMT-TV (ABC/CW) in Memphis. He’s been working out of TV news since leaving KTNV (ABC) in Las Vegas two years ago, where he was the Assistant ND. Mike’s been a news director before, for three years at KITV-TV in Honolulu where he was promoted from Assistant ND, and also spent eight years as an EP in Orlando.

It’s a holiday shortened week, so to sure how much more news there will be, but we’ll have everything in our full newsletter this weekend.

Happy Thanksgiving!

regards,

Rick Gevers

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

Greetings:

A rare week with NO new ND hires and ONE ND announcing his retirement, but that won’t happen until July so the job hasn’t been posted yet, so I’m not adding it to the list…yet.

That means there are still 42 stations with ND openings, with TWO of those openings featured in paid help wanted ads.

We have an ad for a relatively new awards program which offers four $25,000 awards to winners…click on that ad just below.

We have an obituary for a longtime Midwest news director with an unusual…if somewhat appropriate…request in lieu of flowers.

There are TWO new assistant NDs to report, a new job for a former ND and GM, and why some group owners are looking forward to a new administration in Washington.

We also have a bunch of GM retirements. ONE involves a GM who is often remembered for a hire he made 26 years ago…who lasted just four days. And Gray is losing THREE GMs to retirements, TWO of them from stations that just underwent big cuts in their news departments.

Have a great Thanksgiving…and we’ll see you next weekend.

Newly Named News Directors:

To the best of my knowledge…no news directors were hired this week. Always welcome your tips if you know something that I’ve missed.

New News Director Openings:

Holliday

KSDK-TV, St. Louis. MO…the job has not been posted yet…and for all I know may never be…but ART HOLLIDAY has announced his retirement next July on his 46th anniversary at this NBC affiliate. Art had FOUR very distinct careers here as he explained in his email to the staff. Art reports to Director of Content MORGAN SCHAAB. Full disclosure: Art and I worked together here and at KOMU-TV in Columbia, MO.

Paid Help Wanted Ads:

News Director, WHNS-TV, Greenville, SC:

Fox Carolina is located in Greenville, South Carolina, consistently named one of the best small cities in the US. Our DMA (#36) includes Asheville, NC, and offers a competitive news environment. Fox Carolina is emerging as the news leader, producing 13 hours of news each weekday. Our team of award-winning professionals thrives in a fast-paced, yet fun, environment.

Greenville has an amazing downtown scene, revolving around the Reedy River, five-star restaurants and breweries, and miles and miles of walking trails. For outdoor enthusiasts, the Upstate and Western North Carolina offer lakes, mountains, and historical landmarks all within a short drive. Greenville continues to be named a top small city, a top foodie city, and one of the best places for young professionals in the country.

WHNS/Fox Carolina is seeking an innovative, passionate News Director with experience leading teams and growing talent.

Qualified candidates for News Director must have a keen understanding of strategic news content, multi-faceted digital operations, and the value of full social engagement by the entire team. We are looking for a leader who embraces creative storytelling and can utilize consumer analytics to guide
content creation ensuring that our digital presence resonates with our audience’s interests and needs.

The News Director oversees all content operations and is a leader in the strategic vision for station viewership growth. The ideal candidate has excellent news judgment and strong management skills to own the big story each day.

Click here to learn more about this opportunity and to apply!

News Director, NBC Montana:

Would you like to see mountains on your way into work, or the northern lights on the way home? Maybe run late because a herd of Elk blocked your commute?

NBC Montana is seeking an experienced, hands-on news leader with strong multi-platform skills and a bold style to lead one of the strongest local newsrooms in the country.

Our mission is to produce impact stories with a distinctive focus on accountability reporting.

Check it out and apply by clicking here.

Interview an Expert

Zoom – All SciLine events are free

Tuesday, December 3 (3-5 p.m. EDT)

Public school enrollment is still down and hasn’t recovered since the pandemic, with researchers predicting the trend will continue.

Book a 15-minute, 1-on-1 Zoom interview with Dr. Joshua Goodman (Boston University).

He can discuss:

Why public school enrollment has yet to recover to pre-pandemic numbers;
What a continuing decline in enrollment could mean for the future of public schooling;
How enrollment numbers affect instructional challenges, funding issues, layoffs, and school closures;
What research says about the demand for homeschooling and private schooling; and
For students who left for alternative schooling, how many later returned to public schooling.

BOOK NOW

SciLine, a philanthropically funded, free service for reporters, also runs a free expert matching service that connects reporters rapidly to scientist-sources on deadline.

Other News Management Openings:

ASSISTANT NEWS DIRECTOR:

KUSA-TV, Denver, CO (relisted 9/29/24)
WDAF-TV, Kansas City, MO (relisted 11/17/24)
WHAS-TV, Louisville, KY (relisted 9/29/24)
WJAR-TV, Providence, RI (listed 11/3/24)
WBRE/WYOU-TV, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, PA (relisted 11/10/24)
WDTN-TV, Dayton, OH (listed 11/10/24)
WFRV-TV, Green Bay, WI (relisted 11/10/24)
WROC-TV, Rochester, NY (listed 11/10/24)
WSYR-TV, Syracuse, NY (listed 11/3/24)
WCIA-TV, Champaign, IL (listed 9/22/24)
KIVI-TV, Boise, ID (listed 9/29/24)

EXECUTIVE PRODUCER:

Spectrum Noticias, New York, NY (Senior EP, listed 10/27/24)
KPRC-TV, Houston, TX (AM Broadcast EP, relisted 10/6/24)
WUSA-TV, Washington, DC (listed 11/3/24)
Spectrum News, Tampa, FL (National EP, listed 9/29/24)
WFLA-TV, Tampa, FL (relisted 10/13/24)
WXYZ-TV, Detroit, MI (listed 10/13/24)
Spectrum News, Orlando, FL (relisted 10/27/24)
WESH-TV, Orlando, FL (relisted 10/20/24)
WCNC-TV, Charlotte, NC (listed 9/29/24)
Spectrum News 1, Raleigh NC (relisted 11/17/24)
KSDK-TV, St. Louis, MO (listed 9/29/29)
WTVF-TV, Nashville, TN (Senior Content Producer, listed 11/10/24)
WCMH-TV, Columbus, OH (Digital EP, listing modified 10/6/24)
WYFF-TV, Greenville-Spartanburg-Ashville, (listed 10/20/24)
WTLV/WJXX-TV, Jacksonville, FL (relisted 9/29/24)
WXMI-TV, Grand Rapids, MI (EP Lifestyle Show, listed 11/10/24)
WGAL-TV, Lancaster, PA (relisted 10/20/24)
WXII-TV, Winston-Salem NC, (Weekend EP, relisted 10/20/24)
KOAT-TV, Albuquerque, NM (listed 10/20/24)
WDSU-TV, New Orleans, LA (listed 10/20/24)
WWL-TV, New Orleans, LA (listed 9/29/24)
WVLA/WGMB-TV, Baton Rouge, LA (relisted 11/17/24)
WQAD-TV, Moline, IL (listed 9/29/29)
KPAX-TV, Missoula, MT (relisted 9/2/24)

More News Management Openings:

Listed 11/24/24:

KETK-TV, Tyler TX (Digital Content Manager)

Relisted 11/17/24:

Spectrum News, Austin, TX (Managing Director)

Listed 11/3/24:

KGW-TV, Portland OR (Digital Director)

Listed 10/27/24:

WGNO/WNOL-TV, New Orleans, LA (Digital Content Manager)
KARK/KLRT-TV, Little Rock, AR (Digital Webmaster & Content Dir.)

Listed 10/20/24:

WFTS-TV, Tampa, FL (Manager of Real Time Depth)
WVLA/WGMB-TV, Baton Rouge, LA (Digital Content Manager)

Listed 9/29/24:

WTSP-TV, Tampa, FL (Digital Director)

Listed 9/22/24:

KSWB/KUSI-TV, San Diego, CA (Digital Content Manager)
WTVF-TV, Nashville, TN (Digital Director)

Obituary:

Heller

RON HELLER, a former news director at KTVO-TV in Kirksville, MO, and KHQA-TV in Quincy, IL, died last week at the age of 82. Ron’s wish was to be cremated, and the family had an unusual but appropriate request in lieu of flowers, as you’ll learn in this story from KHQA.

Names in the News (and other stuff):

ANDREW GUTIERREZ will be the next Assistant ND for Nexstar’s St. Louis duopoly, KTVI-KPLR-TV (FOX/CW). Here’s the staff note from ND OLIVIA DANGLER. Andrew’s spent much of his career at KTTV in Los Angeles.

Pepin

WCYB-TV in the Tri-Cities market in Tennessee filled its vacant Assistant News Director position by promoting anchor REBECCA PEPIN. News Director KEITH WEISS told the staff via this memo. Rebecca will continue to anchor the 5:00 PM news. She’s worked here for almost 20 years after five years in Columbia, SC.

Hofmann

CARRIE HOFMANN has been named President and CEO of The Greenwood Promise, a non-profit in Greenwood, SC. She explains what that is in her LinkedIn post. Carrie most recently was the GM for WLTX-TV (Tegna/CBS) in Columbia, SC, and previously had been an ND for WCNC-TV (Tegna/NBC) in Charlotte and KSHB-TV (Scripps/NBC) in Kansas City. Carrie’s also worked in Phoenix, Denver, and Milwaukee.

The Hollywood Reporter believes the new administration in Washington will be good news for large station group owners.

General Manager News and Notes:

Wade

After 40 years in television, JAN WADE is retiring as GM of Hearst’s WISN-TV (ABC) in Milwaukee. The station posted this story on its website. She’s been GM here since 2007 and previously served as the GM for WATE-TV in Knoxville, TN. She’s also worked in Nashville, Tampa, Providence, Minneapolis and Louisville where she began as an assistant promotion manager.

Banks

LYLE BANKS, GM for WISC-TV (CBS) in Madison, WI, is retiring at the end of the year after four years there. He’s a former GM for WGCL-TV in Atlanta and WMAQ-TV in Chicago where his tenure is most remembered for hiring talk show host JERRY SPRINGER to do commentaries on the 10:00 news. Several veteran anchors quit in protest and Springer lasted less than a week. Banks later admitted the hire was a mistake, and was gone himself less than three months later, as the Chicago Tribune recounted. Lyle went on to a varied career.

A flurry of general managers retirements at Gray Television. Details here. Is it a coincidence that at least two of those retiring GMs ran stations that recently had major newsroom cuts? One was WAGM-TV in Presque Isle, ME, as detailed here, and another was WYMT-TV in Hazard, KY, which reported on itself here.

Longtime WYMT GM NEIL MIDDLETON said his goodbye on-air.

Our List of Open News Director jobs:

Here’s our list of open ND jobs as of Sunday, November 24, 2024:

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

KHOU-TV 5718 Westheimer Rd Houston, Texas 77057
KIAH-TV 7700 Westpark Drive Houston, TX 77063
KOMO-TV 140 4th Ave. N. Seattle, WA 98109
KSTP-TV 3415 University Ave. St. Paul, MN 55114
KSL-TV 55 North 300 West, Salt Lake City, UT 84180
WOAI-TV 4335 NW Loop 410, San Antonio, TX, 78229
WHNS-TV 21 Interstate Court. Greenville, SC 29615 (See ad above!)
WHTM-TV 3235 Hoffman Street. Harrisburg, PA 17110
WOLF-TV 1181 Highway 315 Wilkes-Barre, PA 18702 (News Manager)
WATN-TV 1725 Shelby Oaks Dr N. Memphis, TN 38134
KFSN-TV 1777 G St, Fresno, CA 93706
KATV 10 Turtle Creek Lane Little Rock, AR 72202
KWCH-TV 2815 E. 37th Street North Wichita, KS 67219
KLEW-TV 2626 17th St, Lewiston, ID 83501
WOWK-TV 350 Quarrier St, Charleston, WV 25301
WZDX-TV 1309 N. Memorial Parkway Huntsville, AL 35801
WCIV-TV 88 Allbritton Blvd, Mount Pleasant, SC 29464
KNVO-TV, 801 North Jackson Rd., McAllen TX 78501 **
KTBS-TV 312 E. Kings Highway. Shreveport, LA 71104
WSIL-TV 1416 Country Aire Drive Carterville, IL 62918
KIVI-TV 1866 E. Chisholm Dr. Nampa, ID 83687
WNCT-TV 3221 South Evans Street. Greenville, NC 27834
WANE-TV 2915 W. State Blvd. Fort Wayne, IN 46808
WGXA-TV 599 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. Macon, GA 31201
KHSL-TV 3460 Silverbell Rd. Chico, CA 95973
KDRV-TV 1090 Knutson Ave. Medford, OR 97504
WREX-TV 10322 Auburn Road, Rockford, IL 61101
KQDS-TV 2001 London Road Duluth, MN 55812
KOSA-TV 4101 E. 42nd. Suite J-7. Odessa, TX 79761
KMID/KPEJ-TV 1550 West I-20 Odessa, TX 79763
KWES-TV 11320 West County Rd. 127. Odessa, TX 79765
WJET/WFXP-TV 8455 Peach Street Erie, PA 16509
WTWO-TV 10849 N US Highway 41, Farmersburg, IN 47850
WTRF-TV 96 16th St, Ste 2, Wheeling, WV 26003
WDTV 5 Television Dr. Bridgeport, WV 26330
KECI/KCFW/KTVM-TV, 340 W. Main St. Missoula, MT 59802 (see ad above!)
KTVQ-TV 3203 3rd Ave N., Billings, MT 59101
WWNY-TV 120 Arcade St. Watertown, NY 13601
KREX-TV 345 Hillcrest Drive Grand Junction, CO 81501
KIEM/KVIQ-TV 5650 S, Broadway St. Eureka CA 95503
KIDY-TV 5 S. Chadbourne San Angelo, TX 76902
KYOU-TV 820 West 2nd Street; Ottumwa, IA 52501

**: Spanish language station

November 18, 2024

Greetings:

A very busy newsletter which explains our later-than-we-try-to publish situation.

FIVE new ND openings, with TWO jobs filled.

That means there are now 42 stations on our long list, with TWO of those openings featured in paid help wanted ads. And our friends at Sciline are back with several good interview opportunities.

By the way, ONE of those filled jobs was filled a LONG time ago. Apolgies for that but it does remind me to remind you that we rely heavily on your tips.

We are grateful for those tips, but we do NOT pay for them. 🙂

In Names in the News, RTDNA rescinds a National Edward R. Murrow Award, a three time ND is retiring this Friday, and a 100 birthday celebration for a long-ago (duh!) news director.

Lots of other news this week, including new people running THREE stations, TWO in top 20 markets.

Read on!

Newly Named News Directors:

Jacoby

WIS-TV, Columbia, SC…a move within Gray TV returns MARYBETH JACOBY to Columbia, SC, this time as news director for this NBC affiliate. Earlier in her career she was the ND for WLTX-TV, Tegna’s CBS affiliate there, for ten years. Details in this Linkedin post (which includes a picture of her dog!) from GM ROBBY THOMAS. Marybeth replaces BRAD HYATT who left last months after six years as ND.

Roush

KQTV, St. Joseph, MO…we are inexcusably late in telling you that CHRIS ROUSH is the news director for the Heartland Media owned ABC affiliate. And…according to his Linkedin bio…he’s held that job for more than a year. Chris was apparently promoted from his previous role as sports director here, a job he’s held twice.

New News Director Openings:

Varner

KSTP/KSTC-TV, Minneapolis, MN…we told you in our Monday UPDATE that KIRK VARNER’s long career in our business is nearing its end. He told his staff in Monday’s morning meeting…and via this follow up email…that he is retiring at the end of January. Kirk’s been the ND for this Hubbard Broadcasting owned ABC affiliate for almost six years. His LinkedIn page details his varied career.

Wood

KSL-TV, Salt Lake City, UT…LEONA WOOD is leaving this Bonneville International owned NBC affiliate. (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints owns Bonneville International.) Leona’s been the Director, News and Lifestyle Content here for more than eight years. She’s held news management positions in Phoenix ands Spokane and also worked in Seattle.

WHNS-TV, Greenville, SC…as you learned above, MARYBETH JACOBY is leaving this Gray TV owned FOX affiliate to return to Columbia, SC, to become ND for Gray’s WIS–TV (NBC). She’s been the ND here since 2021. Learn more about this opportunity…and find out how to apply…in the Paid Help Wanted ad below.

Truett

KWCH-TV, Wichita, KS…another Gray TV owned station, another opening. Here it’s because MIKE TRUETT has left this CBS affiliate after not quite 18 months as news director. Earlier Mike was an ND in Springfield, IL. and also worked in Mobile, AL, Champaign, IL, for two stations in Memphis, and in the Peace Corps.

Kirby

KIDY-TV, San Angelo, TX…JOHN KIRBY has left this Tegna owned FOX/MY Network operation after less than a year as news director. John told me he was tired of the three hour commute from Lubbock. He’s a former ND in Grand Junction, CO. While John had the title of news director, the position is now described as News Content Manager.

Paid Help Wanted Ad:

News Director, WHNS-TV, Greenville, SC:

WHNS/Fox Carolina is seeking an innovative, passionate News Director with experience leading teams and growing talent.

Click here to learn more about this opportunity and to apply!

News Director, NBC Montana:

Would you like to see mountains on your way into work, or the northern lights on the way home? Maybe run late because a herd of Elk blocked your commute?

NBC Montana is seeking an experienced, hands-on news leader with strong multi-platform skills and a bold style to lead one of the strongest local newsrooms in the country.

Our mission is to produce impact stories with a distinctive focus on accountability reporting.

Check it out and apply by clicking here.

Interview an Expert

Zoom – All SciLine events are free

Lots of free opportunities for reporters in the next two weeks at SciLine!

Reserve your interview slot or sign up for training to add some science to your news stories.

Nov. 19 (2-4 p.m. ET): Expert available: Employees returning to office: We have 15-minute Zoom slots available to interview Dr. Wen Fan – a sociology expert in remote and hybrid work and their impacts on employee culture and equity: https://bit.ly/4fv45GU

Nov. 20 (3-5 p.m. ET): Expert available: Nuclear power plants: We have 15-minute Zoom slots available to interview Dr. Matthew Memmott– an energy expert on nuclear energy: https://bit.ly/3OhyXyB

Nov. 21 (2-3 p.m. EDT): Crash course: Science essentials for local reporters: https://bit.ly/3YTxNP3

Nov. 25 (1-3 p.m. EDT): Expert available: Grocery costs: We have 15-minute Zoom slots available to interview Dr. Dawn Thilmany – an agricultural and resource economics expert on how and why grocery prices rise and fall: https://bit.ly/4hTkfMa

SciLine, a philanthropically funded, free service for reporters, also runs a free expert matching service that connects reporters rapidly to scientist-sources on deadline.