April 13, 2025
Thursday, April 17, 2025 UPDATE:
Greetings:
MORE changes at Graham Media Group, and a news director turned general managers moves up one step at Gray Media.
Neves
First, the good news. DANA NEVES has been named Senior Managing VP for Gray Media. For the last seven years, Dana’s been the GM for Gray’s (formerly Meredith’s) WFSB-TV (CBS) in Hartford and had been the news director there for 12 years. Here’s the news release on her new duties, in which she essentially fills the void left by the recent departure of MATT JACQUINT. We told you two weeks ago that Matt had left the company.
Also today, TWO news director changes today at Graham Media.
Orellana
MARIO ORELLANA is out as news director for Graham’s KSAT-TV (ABC) in San Antonio. According to an email response from GMG’s VP/News SEAN McLAUGHLIN, Mario is moving to a corporate recruiting role ‘for a while’. Mario’s been the news director here since early 2023 and first joined the station in 1996 as an intern and worked his way up to assistant ND in 2019.
Flannigan
And SCOTT FLANNIGAN has left GMG’s Roanoke, VA, station, WSLS-TV (NBC), after just over two years as news director. His Linkedin page details his other ND stops. I’ve reached out to him to learn his future plans and will report those when he responds. Scott responded late this afternoon: He resigned last week and has a great new opportunity in Texas which we’ll share when he shares it with us.
It’s been a busy week, so we’ll have a full newsletter this Sunday.
regards,
Rick Gevers
Tuesday, April 15, 2025 UPDATE:
Greetings:
ONE UPDATE, many items in headline form…all more detailed this weekend!
Antonio
JOHN ANTONIO returns to WABC-TV in New York as VP/News. John worked there for eight years before leaving in 2012 for CNN. More in this news release. John’s also worked in Boston. At WABC, he replaces SCOTT MATTHEWS. Scott was ND here for 2 1/2 years and left in March to become Senior VP of News Gathering for the soon-to-be-split-off-from-NBC-News MSNBC.
GERALDO LOPEZ has left CBS’s WBZ-TV in Boston after 2 1/2 years there. He’s a former ND in Norfolk and has lots of other stops.
Little
Congratulation to MARK LITTLE, who’s being promoted to GM for Gray’s KWQC-TV in the Quad Cities. He’s been the ND for WMC-TV in Memphis.
Ailsworth
While that opens up a Memphis ND job, another was filled by the promotion of CHRISTINA AILSWORTH to news director at WATN/WLMT-TV. She’s been the Content Brand Manager since 2022 when she joined this Tegna owned ABC station from WMC-TV in Memphis where she was a producer.
Shelley
Finally, DAN SHELLEY has announced his retirement at the end of the year from RTDNA. He’s joined the organization in 2017 as executive director and later became President and CEO. He’ll be replaced by RTDNA Executive Director TARA PUCKEY.
We’ll have more on all these stories (and I assume many others!) in our full report this weekend.
regards,
Rick Gevers
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Greetings:
FIVE new news directors in this week’s edition, with just ONE new opening.
One of those news directors will also be a station manger, one of two such arrangements announced this week.
Those changes drop our list of stations with ND openings to 36.
Sorry to share an obituary of an old friend, former news director KEN KURTZ who died this week at the age of 95. He remained an active journalist long after he left his last ND posting. Details in the obituary below.
No GM changes this week, but several items in Names in the News:
BOB PAPPER is stepping down as the longtime director of the RTDNA salary survey, and we’ll share his thoughts on the challenges facing media during the current political climate.
Other stories: Another big group owner is telling stations they have to run what many consider an advocacy piece. A newswoman returns home to be Assistant ND at a station in her hometown, and we have more (entertaining) details about a court case we first shared with you last week.
All that…and more…below.
Newly Named News Directors:
Wood
KSTU-TV, Salt Lake City, UT…LEONA WOOD joins this Scripps/FOX affiliate as both Station Manager/Senior Director of News. Leona left KSL-TV (NBC) in Salt Lake last November after eight years. STACEY ROBERTS, who had been the ND, moves to a new role as Broadcast Director.
Leona’s one of two news managers promoted at Scripps stations. At WXYZ-TV in Detroit, TIM KOCHENDERER was also promoted to station manager. He’ll continue as Senior Director of News, a job he’s held since last August. Tim’s worked at WXYZ since 2002. This news release covers both moves.
Horn
WOAI/KABB-TV, San Antonio, TX…we told you last week that GLEN HORN was leaving WDHN-TV in Dothan, AL, for a new job, and now we can tell you it’s at this Sinclair owned NBC/FOX duopoly. Glen was ND in Dothan for four years and has been an ND in Buffalo and Wichita. His other stops are detailed here. Glen replaces MICHELE GERMANO who left last August after not quite three years as news director.
WFXR-TV, Roanoke, VA…THOM BREWER gets his first news director job at this Nexstar owned FOX affiliate where he’s been the Assistant ND since 2020. He’s worked at three other Roanoke establishments, starting at WDBJ-TV as a photographer and moving his way up to Senior Producer during a 24 year career there. He also worked at CBN and WSLS-TV.
WPTA-TV, Ft. Wayne, IN…IAN HOOVER is also being promoted from Assistant ND to News Director, in his case at this Gray Media owned ABC (and, on a digital sub channel) NBC affiliate. Here’s the memo from the GM. He replaces TOM POWELL who’s taken a reporter job at sister Gray stations KPHO/KTVK-TV in Phoenix after three years as ND here. Tom had anchored at WPTA before his promotion.
McConico
KQDS-TV, Duluth, MN…veteran news director MATT McCONICO will be the next news director for this FOX affiliate. Matt last made these pages in February when we shared his recovery from a battle with lymphoma. It’s a return to a Duluth ND chair for Matt, who earlier spent two years as ND for KBJR-TV. His linkedin page has more. I believe he replaces STEVE GOODSPEED as news director here: Steve left last summer.
New News Director Opening:
Brackens
KSWO-TV, Lawton, OK…SHARIKA BRACKENS is leaving this Gray Media owned ABC affiliate after 16 years, the last five as news director. She’s off to Nexstar’s WREG-TV (CBS) in Memphis where she will be the Assistant News Director. Sharika started at KSWO as an intern, worked her way up the ranks to assistant ND before her promotion to the top job in May 2020.
Paid Help Wanted Ad:
No ads this week. If you need help filling a news management opening, there is no more targeted audience than ours. Email me for details.
Other News Management Openings:
ASSISTANT NEWS DIRECTOR:
WBNS-TV, Columbus, OH (listed 4/6/25)
WBRE/WYOU-TV, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, PA (relisted 3/16/25)
WSYR-TV, Syracuse, NY (relisted 2/16/25)
KRDO-TV, Colorado Springs, CO (listed 4/13/25)
WANE-TV, Ft. Wayne, IN (relisted 3/16/25)
KTVQ-TV, Billings, MT (listed 3/23/25)
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER:
WUSA-TV, Washington, DC (listed 4/6/25)
KING-TV, Seattle, WA (EP Evening Magazine, listing revised 4/6/25)
WFLA-TV, Tampa, FL (listed 3/2/25)
WFTS-TV, Tampa, FL (Digital EP, listed 3/16/25)
WXYZ-TV, Detroit, MI (relisted 3/23/25)
WESH-TV, Orlando, FL (Nightside EP, listed 2/16/25)
WCNC-TV, Charlotte, NC (listed 4/6/25)
WNCN-TV, Raleigh, NC (relisted 3/9/25)
WRAL-TV, Raleigh, NC (AM EP, listed 3/2/25)
KTVX-TV, Salt Lake City, UT (listed 3/2/25)
WDAF-TV, Kansas City, MO (relisted 3/9/25)
WTIC-TV, Hartford, CT (listed 4/6/25)
WYFF-TV, Greenville, SC (listed 2/16/25)
WXII-TV, Winston-Salem, NC (Weekend EP, listed 2/16/25)
WVEC-TV, Norfolk, VA (AM EP, listed 4/6/25)
WFMY-TV, Greensboro, NC (listed 2/23/25)
WHAS-TV, Louisville, KY (listed 4/6/25)
WLKY-TV, Louisville, KY (Nightside EP, listed 2/16/25)
WATN-TV, Memphis, TN (listed 4/6/25)
WDKY-TV, Lexington, KY (AM EP, listed 3/23/25)
KREM-TV, Spokane, WA (listed 4/6/25)
WPTZ-TV, Burlington, VT (listed 2/16/25)
WAPT-TV, Jackson, MS (listed 2/16/25)
WMBD-TV, Peoria, IL (listed 2/16/25)
WMBB-TV, Panama City, FL (Digital EP, listed 2/23/25)
WVNS-TV, Ghent, WV (listed 2/23/25)
MANAGING EDITOR:
WYXZ-TV, Detroit, MI (listed 3/16/25)
More News Management Openings:
Listed 4/6/25:
WXIA-TV, Atlanta, GA (Digital Director)
KPNX-TV, Phoenix, AZ (Digital Director)
WBIR-TV, Knoxville, TN (Digital Director)
Relisted 3/23/25:
KTXL-TV, Sacramento, CA (News and Content Manager)
Listed 3/16/25:
Scripps, anywhere Scripps has a station (Senior Dir. of Digital News)
Listed 3/9/25:
WDIO-TV, Duluth, MN (VP/GM)
Tegna, Temple TX: (Texas Digital Director, overseeing five stations)
Listing Revised 3/7/25:
WINK-TV, Ft. Myers, FL (Multiplatform Managing Editor)
Listed 2/9/25:
WFTS-TV, Tampa, FL (Executive Reporter, title change this week)
WSLS-TV, Roanoke, VA: (Executive Reporter)
Obituary:
Kurtz
KEN KURTZ died Monday at the age of 95. Ken was an ND in Lexington and Ft. Wayne and worked in several other markets. He spent many years as ND for WKYT-TV (CBS) in Lexington, which remembered him here. The picture comes from one of our ‘geezer’ lunches in Indianapolis in 2019 and, up until a few months ago, I would regularly hear from him with a comment or question about an item in the newsletter.
Names in the News (and other stuff):
Papper
BOB PAPPER is stepping down after 30 years of conducting the RTDNA salary survey. He was honored at a reception last week at the annual Broadcast Educator’s Association convention in Las Vegas. At the end of the reception, Bob took a few minutes to discuss what he sees as the challenges facing news media in the current political climate. He kindly gave us permission to share them with you…and this quick read is worth a few minutes of your time. Bob taught at several universities after a long career in newsrooms.
ELAINE EMERSON returns home to Boise as the Assistant News Director for Tegna’s KTVB-TV. She’s been the Director of Content at Gray’s KVVU-TV (FOX) in Las Vegas, where news director TOM BELL sent this note to the staff.
Nexstar has apparently issued a ‘must-run’ story for its stations. And it’s not what many would consider a news story but an advocacy piece. Details in this report from The Desk.
Finally, many of you apparently enjoyed last week’s story about KMOV-TV (St. Louis) news director SCOTT DIENER, cleared in a suit filed by a former employee. who claimed intentional infliction of emotional distress because he changed her schedule. That story was from the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and was fairly brief and to the point. THIS story…is from St. Louis Magazine, is more elaborate and discusses a newsroom staple. Donuts!
General Manager News and Notes:
No GM or upper management moves this week, to the best of my knowledge.
Our List of Open News Director Jobs:
Here’s our list of open ND jobs as of Sunday, April 13, 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
WABC-TV 7 Hudson Square, New York, NY 10013
WPIX-TV 220 E. 42nd St., New York, N.Y. 10017
WKTB 4675 River Green Pkwy, Duluth, GA 30096 **
WSB-TV 1601 W. Peachtree St., N.E. Atlanta, GA 30309
WKYC-TV 1333 Lakeside Ave E, Cleveland, OH 44114
WCPO-TV 1720 Gilbert Avenue Cincinnati, OH 45202
WPEC-TV 1100 Fairfeild Drive W. Palm Beach FL 33407
WHAS- 520 W Chestnut St, Louisville, KY 40202
WATN/WLMT-TV 1725 N. Shelby Oaks Dr., #101 Memphis, TN 38134
KSEE/KGPE-TV 5035 E McKinley Ave, Fresno, CA 93727
WFTX-TV 621 SW Pine Island Rd, Cape Coral, FL 33991
KLEW-TV 2626 17th St, Lewiston, ID 83501
WOI-TV 3903 Westown Parkway West Des Moines, IA 50266
WFRV-TV 1181 E Mason Street Green Bay, WI 54301
WLUK-TV 787 Lombardi Ave., Green Bay, WI 54304
WAAY-TV 1000 Monte Sano Blvd SE Huntsville AL 35801
KNVO-TV, 801 North Jackson Rd., McAllen TX 78501 **
KOAA-TV 2200 7th Ave, Pueblo, CO 81003
KTBS-TV 312 E. Kings Highway. Shreveport, LA 71104
WSIL-TV 1416 Country Aire Drive Carterville, IL 62918
WCTV 1801 Halstead Blvd. Tallahassee, FL 32309
WRBL-TV 1350 13th Ave. Columbus, GA 31901
KHSL-TV 3460 Silverbell Rd. Chico, CA 95973
WMDT-TV 202 Downtown Plaza, Salisbury, MD 21801
KOSA-TV 4101 E. 42nd. Suite J-7. Odessa, TX 79761
KMID/KPEJ-TV 1550 West I-20 Odessa, TX 79763
KSWO-TV 1401 SE 60th St. Lawton, OK 73501
WDHN-TV 5274 AL-52, Webb, AL 36376
KAAL-TV 1320 Salem Road SW, Rochester, MM 55902
WTWO-TV 10849 N US Highway 41, Farmersburg, IN 47850
WDTV 5 Television Dr. Bridgeport, WV 26330
KOTA-TV 2001 Skyline Drive Rapid City, SD 57701
WWNY-TV 120 Arcade St. Watertown, NY 13601
KIEM/KVIQ-TV 5650 S, Broadway St. Eureka CA 95503
KIDY-TV5 S. Chadbourne San Angelo, TX 76902 (Content Manager
KYOU-TV 820 West 2nd Street; Ottumwa, IA 52501
**: Spanish language station