February 6, 2022
Wednesday, February 9, 2022 UPDATE:
Greetings:
A quick UPDATE covering THREE news director moves today.
Reed
TODD REED leaves Nexstar’s KTVX-TV (ABC) in Salt Lake City to become the new news director for Scripps’ KGTV (also ABC) in San Diego. He’s been the ND at KTVX for 2 1/2 years and has an interesting background which includes seven years as a producer at KNBC-TV in Los Angeles. He replaces DORIS LEWIS who left last June after 18 months as ND.
Blandford
There’s a new opening in Dayton at WDTN-TV (NBC), where LONI BLANDFORD is leaving to join the Nexstar recruiting team. She’s been the ND there for 4 1/2 years and previously worked for then-Nexstar owned WISH-TV (then CBS/now CW) in Indianapolis as Managing Editor and EP/Investigations. She’s also worked in Las Vegas, Nashville, and Greenville, NC. Here’s the note from GM JOE ABOUZEID.
Cihock
Finally, KXAN-TV (NBC), the Nexstar station in Austin, TX, has promoted HALEY CIHOCK to news director. She’s a 22 year veteran of the station, first joining in 1999 as a producer. She’s also been the EP and…for the last 5 1/2 years…the Assistant ND. Haley replaces CHAD CROSS who left last month after almost 10 years to become VP/Content Development for the CBS stations group, based at the network’s new innovation lab in Dallas.
We’ll have even more news director activity in our full newsletter this weekend.
regards,
Rick Gevers
Tuesday, February 8, 2022 UPDATE:
Greetings:
A new news director at a CBS o-and-o in Los Angeles tops today’s update.
Dello Stritto
MIKE DELLO STRITTO moves from the network’s Sacramento duopoly to its Los Angeles stations, KCBS/KCAL-TV, as news director. He’s been ND for KOVR/KMAX-TV since 2018, and earlier was a news director in Las Vegas (KTNV/ABC/Scripps). He began as a reporter and transitioned to management in 2009 as the managing editor at KOVR.
The rest of his career history is detailed in this news release, which will also remind you that he replaces ANDREA PARQUET-TAYLOR who’s been named VP, CW and independent stations news director, based at a newly created innovation lab based at the CBS’s Dallas station, KTVT-TV.
While we have you, an update on an obituary we first reported this weekend.
Here’s a much more detailed obituary on JOHN CORPORON who died last week at the age of 92. As we told you, he’s a former ND in New Orleans and New York, a GM in Washington, and played a major role in our industry for many years.
We’ll see you this weekend with our full newsletter.
regards,
Rick Gevers
**** ***** ****
Greetings:
Lots of movement this week, but all it did was increase the number of open news director jobs to 45, which may be a record for the 25+ years we’ve distributed this free weekly newsletter.
This week’s changes include FOUR new news directors and FIVE new openings. TWO of those open jobs are included among our FIVE paid help wanted ads.
Check those other ads out: they include THREE jobs at the University of Missouri School of Journalism, TWO of which include working at the school’s KOMU-TV (NBC) and there’s also an ad for an Assistant ND Job.
We have obituaries for THREE former news directors, ONE of whom was an ND in New York and a GM in Washington, DC.
Just ONE item in Names in the News, and we’ll also tell you about TWO longtime general managers who are retiring.
We’ll see you next Sunday when I understand that there is a football game to be played but because I don’t want the No Fun League to sue me, I won’t mention its name.
Newly Named News Directors:
Glover
KCTV, Kansas City, MO…KATE GLOVER is the next news director at this Gray owned CBS affiliate, replacing KARIN MOVESIAN. Here’s the memo from GM ANDREW STUART. Kate’s been the ND at Gray’s WNDU-TV (NBC) in South Bend, IN, for the last four years and has been an ND in Buffalo and Portland, OR. Karin was ND here for just eight months, the latest in a string of NINE NDs in 12 years, almost all of the churn under previous Meredith ownership.
Little
WMC-TV, Memphis, TN…another Gray transfer lands MARK LITTLE as ND for this NBC affiliate. He’s been the ND for WLBT-TV (also NBC) in Jackson, MS, for the last four years. Here are the staff emails from GMs at both stations. Mark’s been an ND at Gray/Raycom stations in Cape Girardeau, MO, and Columbia, SC. He replaces GREG PHILLIPS who returned to New Orleans and joined Gray’s investigative unit based there.
Ginsberg
KVEO/KGBT-TV, Harlingen, TX…BRAD GINSBERG returns to the area as news director for this Nexstar duopoly. He’s been the ND for Gray’s KNOE-TV in Monroe, LA, for the last 4+ years but earlier worked in the region. He’s also worked for Hearst stations in Louisville and Albuquerque, as well as in Austin, TX and Ft. Myers. He replaces AMY SULLIVAN, now the ND for KATV in Little Rock.
Hughes
KWQC-TV, Davenport, IA…ANNE HUGHES returns to this Gray Television owned NBC affiliate as news director. Details here. She’s been the news director for sister Gray station KYOU-TV in Ottumwa, IA, but began her career at KWQC where she served as producer, EP, assignment editor and assistant news director before moving to KYOU two years ago. She’s replacing STEPHANIE HEDRICK who moved to Gray’s KTTC-TV in Rochester, MN, where she’ll be the GM.
New News Director Openings:
WLBT-TV, Jackson, MS…you learned above (and in our Thursday UPDATE) that MARK LITTLE has been promoted to ND for sister Gray NBC affiliate WMC-TV in Memphis after four years here. The search is on for his replacement: see the Paid Help Wanted Ad just below for more details.
WNDU-TV, South Bend, IN…that same Thursday UPDATE told you that KATE GLOVER was leaving this NBC affiliate after 4+ years to become ND for Gray’s KCTV (CBS) in Kansas City. More on that above, as well.
Howard
WTVQ-TV, Lexington, KY…this Morris Multimedia owned ABC affiliate has a news director opening listed on its website. To the best of my knowledge, SARA HOWARD had been news director here since October, 2017.
KNOE-TV, Monroe, LA…this Gray Television owned station is looking for a new news director to replace BRAD GINSBERG. We told you above that he is the new ND for KVEO/KGBT-TV in the Rio Grande Valley.
KYOU-TV, Ottuma, IA…also above were details of ANNE HUGHES‘ move to KWQC-TV in Davenport, IA, as ND.
Paid Help Wanted Ads:
News Director, WLBT-TV, Jackson, MS:
WLBT is Mississippi’s flagship station and the dominant #1 local TV and digital media in Central Mississippi. We are a Gray Television NBC affiliate that consistently produces award-winning local news coverage. Jackson, MS is market #97 serving a 24 county region. WLBT produces 55 hours of news each week, including newscasts for WDBD Fox 40. The Jackson metro is the economic hub of Mississippi and a great place to work, live, and raise a family.
General Responsibilities:
– Five years of previous experience in newsroom leadership is required, as well as strong communication and organizational skills
– A degree in Journalism or Mass Communications is preferred
– Ability to work closely with other station department heads and managers within the company
– Ability to meet deadlines while handling multiple tasks
Qualifications:
• Utilize required software and systems (ENPS, Edius, Microsoft Teams, Excel). Strong computer knowledge preferred.
• A self-starter with a proven record of success in leadership, production, and distribution of local news, and development of talent.
• Strong leadership skills and excellent news judgment.
• A successful track record utilizing multi-media digital assets maximizing how news is covered and distributed.
• A passion for production and storytelling, combined with an unwavering commitment to journalistic ethics and standards.
• A community-minded spirit and vision to expand the station’s outreach and impact.
• Ability to meet deadlines while handling multiple tasks.
Interested applicants can click here to learn more and apply.
News Director, KBJR-TV, Duluth, MN:
Are you ready to lead an award-winning News Department? Are you ready to maintain our news staff’s reputation as the market leader? Are you ready to ensure that our staff of journalists remains relevant to our viewers? Do you have a vision for how local news will be shaped in the future? Are you a guide, a coach, a teacher, a mentor, a recruiter, and a trusted colleague?
If you fit that description, then the Gray Television station serving northeastern Minnesota and northwestern Wisconsin has an opportunity for you!
Located on the shores of the greatest of Great Lakes, Lake Superior in Duluth Minnesota, you will find KBJR Inc. situated in a state-of-the-art broadcast facility with resources generally found in larger markets.
If you are an outdoor enthusiast, you can consider our area paradise with the splendor of natural resources. If you are looking to grow your career professionally and personally, Gray Television excels at providing you with the resources to do so. In Duluth, the winters can be cold, but the hearts are warm, and the spring, summers and fall are a well-kept secret.
So, if you grow to call Duluth home, or merely consider it a step in your career journey, you will not regret your time spent here. If you’re ready to lead, what are you waiting for? Apply now!
Two Faculty Positions, University of Missouri School of Journalism and KOMU-TV, Columbia, MO:
This is not for the faint-of-heart.
America’s most famous and infamous tv newsroom is hiring TWO faculty members. KOMU-TV, the fully commercial NBC-affiliate teaching lab of the Missouri School of Journalism seeks a faculty managing editor and a faculty supervision producer.
The managing editor will teach in the KOMU-TV newsroom four days a week, and teach Advanced Reporting on campus once a week.
The supervising producer will serve as EP on specific newscasts during the week, guiding student producers. One day each week, the supervising producer will teach newscast producing on campus.
These positions are assistant professor, professional practice rank, on duty 11 months of the year, with limited additional time off during academic calendar breaks. We are seeking mid-career professionals with commercial television experience.
The link below leads to more details and the path to applying. (applying, of course, is not a commitment on your part; try it, you’ll like it)
Click here to apply for Supervising Producer.
And click here to apply for Managing Editor.
Director, Documentary Journalism Center, Missouri School of Journalism, Columbia, MO:
Interested in using your journalism and management skills to mold the next generation of documentary storytellers? The Missouri School of Journalism is looking for a creative and effective person with a history of supervising content creation and managing resources to direct its documentary journalism center.
The position is for a faculty member to lead the Jonathan B. Murray Center for Documentary Journalism and the school’s hands-on teaching approach to creating documentary content. Candidates must have a track record of successful administrative experience and excel at storytelling and the tools necessary to create long-form, visual documentary content. The successful candidate must be able to manage the day-to-day operations of the center while inspiring young storytellers to create their best work. The outgoing director used his years of experience as a news director and content supervisor to shape the program into what it is today. Those with similar experience would be a great fit to take over the duties of running the center.
Don’t miss this opportunity to be part of the world’s first and best journalism school and to live in a classic American college town with an economical cost of living and a quality of life that’s hard to find elsewhere.
Click this link to apply:
Other News Management Openings:
ASSISTANT NEWS DIRECTOR:
KTLA-TV, Los Angeles, CA (Digital AND, relisted 1/16/22)
WDCW/WDVM-TV, Washington, DC (listed 12/26/21)
KCNC-TV, Denver, CO (listed 1/23/22)
WRTV, Indianapolis, IN (listed 12/26/21)
WXIN/WTTV, Indianapolis, IN (relisted 1/30/22)
WNCN-TV, Raleigh, NC (listed 1/23/22)
WBNS-TV, Columbus, OH (relisted 12/26/21)
WDJT-TV, Milwaukee, WI (relisted 12/12/21)
WOOD-TV, Grand Rapids, MI (listed 2/6/22)
WGNO-TV, New Orleans, LA (listed 1/9/22)
WBIR-TV, Knoxville, TN (relisted 12/26/21)
KOLR-TV, Springfield, MO (relisted 1/9/22)
KNWA-TV, Fayetteville, AR (relisted 1/30/22, see ad below!)
KATC-TV, Lafayette, LA (listed 1/23/22)
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER:
WPIX-TV, New York, NY (2 openings, one digital, listing revised 1/30/22)
KTXL-TV, Sacramento, CA (listed 1/9/22)
Spectrum News, Charlotte, NC (relisted 1/30/22)
WJZY-TV, Charlotte, NC (listed 1/30/22)
WTTV/WXIN-TV, Indianapolis, IN (relisted 12/12/21)
WMAR-TV, Baltimore, MD (listed 1/9/22)
WRAL-TV, Raleigh, NC (Streaming EP, listed 12/19/21)
KCTV, Kansas City, MO (AM EP, relisted 12/5/21)
KSHB-TV, Kansas City, MO (listed 1/23/22)
WOOD-TV, Grand Rapids, MI (relisted 1/30/22)
WGNO/WNOL-TV, New Orleans (EP Special Projects, revised 2/6/22)
KFSN-TV, Fresno, CA (relisted 1/9/22)
WDKY-TV, Lexington, KY (AM EP, listed 12/19/21)
WNEM-TV, Saginaw, MI (relisted 1/9/22)
WAFF-TV, Huntsville, AL (relisted 1/2/22)
KRGV-TV, Weslaco, TX (AM EP, listed 1/16/22)
WSAV-TV, Savannah, GA (relisted 1/30/22)
WTVC-TV, Chattanooga, TN (listed 1/23/22)
KTSM-TV, El Paso, TX (relisted 1/30/22)
WSYM-TV, Lansing, MI (Digital EP, listing modified 12/26/21)
WKBN-TV, Youngstown, OH (listed 2/6/22)
WHBF-TV, Rock Island, IL (Digital EP, relisted 12/12/21)
KADN/KLAF-TV, Lafayette, LA (relisted 12/12/21)
KATC-TV, Lafayette, LA (relisted 1/23/22)
KERO-TV, Bakersfield, CA (relisted 12/12/21)
KFDX-TV, Wichita Falls, TX (listed 1/9/22)
SUPERVISING PRODUCER:
KOMU-TV, Columbia, Mo (listed 1/30/22, see ad above!)
MANAGING EDITOR:
KTNV-TV, Las Vegas, NV (listed 1/23/22)
KOMU-TV, Columbia, Mo (listed 1/30/22, see ad above!)
More News Management Openings:
Relisted this week:
WJW-TV, Cleveland, OH: (Digital Content Director)
Listed 1/30/22:
Missouri School of Journalism, Columbia, MO: (Director, Documentary Journalism Center, see ad above!)
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
Listed 12/19/21:
University of Florida, Gainesville, FL: Director of Innovation News Center
Listed 12/12/21:
E.W. Scripps, Cincinnati, OH: National Director of News Platform Strategies and Special Projects
Relisted 12/12/21:
WSYR-TV, Syracuse, NY (Digital Content Manager)
Obituaries:
Corporon
Longtime broadcaster JOHN CORPORON has died. He was 92 and passed away yesterday at his New York City home. He was a news director in New York and New Orleans, a general manager at WTOP-TV in Washington, DC, and VP News for the Metromedia stations. More details in this biography of him from The Overseas Press club, where he once served as President.
Two other former news directors have died, though I’m sorry to say I have little information about either.
STEVE HOMAN, who was a news director at WESH-TV in Orlando in the mid 80’s, died January 22nd at the age of 75. He also worked in Scranton, PA, as a reporter and anchor.
And DONALD WRIGHT died Thursday at the age of 98. He served as ND for KOLN-TV in Lincoln, NE, before retiring in 1986.
Names in the News:
Just one item this week: RTDNF announced the winners of its First Amendment Awards. The presentations will be made at a banquet in Washington next month.
General Manager News and Notes:
Walsh
Longtime KPIX-TV (San Francisco/CBS Owned) General Manager KEVIN WALSH has announced his retirement, effective at the end of the month. He earlier ran CBS’s Sacramento duopoly, KOVR/KMAX-TV. Kevin’s departure leaves this network o-and-o in market #6 without a GM or a news director following the departure of MARK NEERMAN in early January
Toellner
Longtime WGRZ-TV (Buffalo/Tegna/NBC) General Manager JIM TOELLNER is retiring in two months. He’s been the GM there for 19 years as previously worked at two other Buffalo stations. More in this story from The Buffalo News.
Our Full List of Open ND Jobs:
Here’s our list of open ND jobs as of Sunday, February 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
News 12 Long Island, 1 Media Crossways Woodbury, NY 11797
KCBS/KCAL-TV 4200 Radford Ave. Studio City, CA 91604
KPIX-TV 855 Battery St. San Francisco, CA 94111
KIAH-TV 7700 Westpark Drive Houston, TX 77063
KGTV 4600 Air Way, San Diego, CA 92102
WSYX-TV 1261 Dublin Road, Columbus, Ohio 43215
KXAN-TV 908 W MLK Jr. Blvd. Austin, TX 78701
WDRB-TV 624 W. Muhammad Ali Blvd. Louisville, Ky. 40203
WGRZ-TV 259 Delaware Ave. Buffalo, NY 14202
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
KOLD-TV 7831 N. Business Park Drive; Tucson, AZ 85743
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
WSIL-TV 1416 Country Aire Dr. Carterville, IL 62918
KXXV-TV 1909 S. New Rd. Waco, TX 76711
WAND-TV 904 South Side Dr. Decatur, IL 62521
KWWL-TV 511 E 5th Street Waterloo, Iowa 50703
WLBT-TV 715 South Jefferson Street. Jackson, MS 39201 (see ad above!)
WNDU-TV 54516 State Road 933, South Bend, IN 46637
KOLO-TV 4850 Ampere Dr., Reno, NV 89502
KNDO/KNDU 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
KERO-TV 321 21st St. Bakersfield, CA 93301
WLTZ-TV 6140 Buena Vista Rd. Columbus, GA 31907
KVII-TV 1 Broadcast Center, Amarillo, TX 79101
KRCG-TV 10188 Old Highway 54 North. New Bloomfield, MO 65063
KBJR-TV 246 S Lake Ave. Duluth, MN 55802 (see ad above!)
KNOE-TV 1400 Oliver Rd., Monroe, LA 71201
KMIR-TV 72920 Park View Dr., Palm Desert, CA 92260
KCBD-TV 5600 Avenue A Lubbock, TX 79404
KBMT-TV 525 Interstate 10 South, Beaumont, TX 77701
KIMT-TV 135 E William St. Albert Lea, MN 56007
KTTC-TV 6301 Bandel Road NW Rochester, MN 55901
KOAM-TV 2950 NE Highway 69 Pittsburg, KS 66762
KALB-TV 605 Washington Street; Alexandria, LA 71301
WETM-TV 101 East Water Street Elmira, NY 14901
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