August 27, 2023
Saturday, September 2, 2023 UPDATE:
Greetings:
A longtime news director is out of a job after his station was purchased by a company that’s merging the newsroom with a station it already owns in the market.
Cohen
The market is San Diego and the news director is STEVE COHEN. Steve’s spent the last 20 years as ND for KUSI-TV in San Diego, owned by the McKinnon family until…yesterday, when Nexstar took over. Nexstar owns FOX affiliate KSWB-TV (FOX) in San Diego and its news director, RICH GOLDNER, will oversee both stations. Rich is also a longtime ND, having held that job at KSWB for 15 years. (If you were wondering about the call letters, it had been a WB affiliate, then CW, before becoming a FOX affiliate in 2008.)
Steve’s background is long and varied, beginning in Jonesboro, AR, in 1971. His first ND job was in Peoria, followed by ND stops in Boston, New York, Los Angeles (twice) and GM jobs in Philadelphia, Salt Lake City, and Buffalo. Oh, and he was the founding EP for Court TV and Trucker TV.
Want to learn more? Check out his memoir (The Newslife) available on Amazon.
More in our full report later this weekend.
regards,
Rick Gevers
***** **** ****
Greetings:
The slowest week in a while, with, to my knowledge, NO new openings or hires. So, 37 stations are still looking for a new news director.
ONE of those 37 stations is advertising its opening in our Paid Help Wanted ad section below.
Sinclair and SagamoreHill Broadcasting each named new GMs this week. We’ll tell you below.
TWO obituaries, a former executive at CBS and FOX whose presence in a room was often larger than life, and the other of the son of a longtime consultant and media coach.
In Names in the News, a promotion at Spectrum News in LA, a major broadcast company launches a hyper local streaming service, a University wants to help alums pay off student loans…IF they work for a non-profit news service, and a former ND and consultant is trying to retire. He says he’s not being very successful about it.
Hopefully we’ll have more news to share with you next week.
Newly Named News Directors:
It’s rare but I’m not aware of any new news directors this week. Please let me know if I’ve missed one.
New News Director Openings:
Like we said above, it’s rare but I’m not aware of any new news director openings this week. Please let me know if I’ve missed one.
However, we do have a new ad for the ND opening at WQAD-TV in the Quad Cities. That’s just below.
Paid Help Wanted Ad:
News Director, WQAD-TV, Moline, IL:
WQAD, the TEGNA-owned ABC affiliate in the Quad Cities, is looking for a passionate news director with experience motivating teams, growing talent and creating an inclusive culture.
The Quad Cities is nestled on both sides of the Mississippi River in Iowa and Illinois. These cities offer a refreshing combination of low cost of living in a community with world-class museums, universities, four season outdoor activities for the whole family and excellent school systems. It also hosts a PGA Tour event, the John Deere Classic, each July that raises more money for charity than most other tournaments, proving the friendliness connection and pride of its Quad Citizens.
At WQAD, we have our eyes firmly fixed on the future, always looking for new ways to engage, educate and inform our audiences. We are looking for a leader who embraces creative storytelling and investigative journalism as key components of newscasts, as well as digital, streaming and social platforms.
If you want to make a significant mark in your career, this is the steppingstone for you.
WQAD encourages our journalists to pursue their purpose, find and tell truths, listen, amplify diverse voices, and filter out disinformation to create understanding, accountability, enlightenment, and empathy.
Other News Management Openings:
ASSISTANT NEWS DIRECTOR:
WNCN-TV, Raleigh, NC (listed 8/20/23)
KENS-TV, San Antonio, TX (listed 8/20/23)
WOOD-TV, Grand Rapids, MI (listed 7/9/23)
WGHP-TV, Greensboro/High Point, NC (listed 7/30/23)
WNEP-TV, Scranton, PA (listed 8/20/23)
KREM-TV, Spokane, WAS (listed 8/20/23)
WNCT-TV, Greenville, NC (relisted 7/9/23)
WCIA-TV, Champaign, IL (listed 8/13/23)
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER:
WPIX-TV, New York, NY (Special Projects EP, listed 8/28/23)
WTSP-TV, Tampa/St. Petersburg (AM EP, relisted 8/20/23)
KSTP-TV, Minneapolis/St. Paul (listed 7/30/23)
KUSA-TV, Denver, CO (listed 8/20/23)
WNCN-TV, Raleigh, NC (relisted 8/6/23)
WRAL-TV, Raleigh, NC (Nightside EP, listed 7/9/23)
WTHR-TV, Indianapolis, IN (listed 8/20/23)
WXIN/WTTV, Indianapolis, IN (relisted 8/6/23)
WKRN-TV, Nashville, TN (listed 8/6/23)
WOOD-TV, Grand Rapids, MI (listed 7/9/23)
WVEC-TV, Norfolk, VA (listed 8/20/23)
WIVB-TV, Buffalo, NY (listed 8/13/23)
WLEX-TV, Lexington, KY (listed 7/2/23)
KREM-TV, Spokane, WA (listed 8/20/23)
WOI-TV, Des Moines, IA (listed 8/20/23)
WHEC-TV, Rochester, NY (listed 7/30/23)
WTOL-TV, Toledo, OH (listed 8/20/23)
WCIA-TV, Champaign, IL (Digital EP, relisted 8/20/23)
KTSM-TV, El Paso, TX (listed 8/30/23)
KRIS-TV, Corpus Christi, TX (listed 7/2/23)
MANAGING EDITOR:
KGW-TV, Portland, OR (listed 7/23/23)
WINK-TV, Ft. Myers, FL (listed 6/11/23)
More News Management Openings:
Listed 8/27/23:
WKRG-TV, Mobile, AL (Digital Content Manager)
Listed 8/20/23:
WBNS-TV, Columbus, OH (Director of Digital Content)
Obituaries:
Case
I regret that many of you are too young to have known (and if you had known him, you’d have liked) GEORGE CASE. He began as a photographer for WBBM-TV in Chicago, later worked for CBS, and joined FOX News in its nascent days as a VP. George was always willing to help, once creating (at his own cost and without being asked) a brochure for an RTNDA (then) panel I moderated on how to be prepared to cover disasters. George died in May at 76. Here’s his interesting obituary.
Matt Morris
MATT MORRIS, the 46 year old son of veteran consultant MACKIE MORRIS, was found dead in his Texas apartment on Monday. Mackie posted this on Facebook. He’s had his own consulting firm for the past 22 years, spent 15 years as a consultant for Magid, and earlier taught at Missouri where he earned his master’s degree. Mackie is married to longtime broadcaster KATHY CLEMENTS.
Names in the News:
Some quick hits:
DAISY ESPINOZA moves to a new role at Spectrum News in Los Angeles as Senior Managing Editor for politics.
Cox has launched Neighborhood TV, a hyper local services in a few cities where it owns broadcast stations.
The Columbia University School of Journalism wants to give alumni working for non-profit news sites assistance in repaying student loans.
He’s been a news director, producer, executive producer, assignment editor, consultant, and spent 20 years in government public affairs, and now JOHN BOBEL says he’s trying to retire, and not doing very well at it. He explained in this note to me (which includes his email for friends who want to say hi). Full disclosure, as we like to say: John was the GM at the University of Missouri campus radio station, KCCS, when I was the news director there many years ago. (John, on the right below, his wife SCOOBIE RYAN, and I had a great catch-up dinner in Indy six weeks ago.)
Rick Gevers, Scoobie Ryan, John Bobel
General Manager News and Notes:
TWO new GMs to report.
ROCKY WAGONHURST joins Sinclair as GM of WVTV, the CW affiliate in Milwaukee. He’s been the Director of Sales for CBS’s WJZ-TV in Baltimore.
And SagamoreHill Broadcasting has tabbed CHRIS FLEMING to run its stations in Lake Charles, LA, KSWL/KWWE-TV (CBS/Telemundo). More here.
Our List of Open News Director jobs:
Here’s our list of open ND jobs as of Sunday, August 27, 2023:
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
KCBS-TV 4200 Radford Av. Studio City, CA 91604 (VP/ND for AM news)
KTVU-TV 2 Jack London Sq. Oakland, CA 94607
WXIA-TV One Monroe Place NE Atlanta, GA 30324
WZDC-TV 4001 Nebraska Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20016 **
WDIV-TV 550 W Lafayette Blvd, Detroit, MI 48226
WCCO-TV 90 S. 11th Street Minneapolis, MN 55403
WFOR-TV 8900 NW 18th Terrace Doral, FL 33172
WLTV 9405 NW 41st St, Doral, FL 33178 **
WRAL-TV 2619 Western Boulevard Raleigh NC 27606
WOOD-TV 120 College Ave. SE Grand Rapids, MI 49503
WWMT-TV 590 West Maple St. Kalamazoo, MI 49008
WLNE-TV 10 Orms St. Providence, RI 02904
KFTV 3239 W Ashlan Av. Fresno, CA 93722 **
WRGB-TV 1400 Balltown Rd. Schenectady, NY 12309
WATE-TV 1306 North Broadway Knoxville, TN 37917
WACH-TV 1400 Pickens St. Columbia, SC 29201
WHNT-TV 200 Holmes Avenue Huntsville, AL 35801
KLEW-TV 2626 17th St, Lewiston, ID 83501
WICS-TV 2680 E. Cook St. Springfield, IL 62703
WBND-TV 53550 Generations Drive South Bend, IN 46635
WQAD-TV 3003 Park 16th Street Moline, IL 61265 (see ad above!)
WFIE-TV 1115 Mt. Auburn Road Evansville, IN 47720
KIMA-TV 2801 Terrace Heights Dr. Yakima, WA 98901
WDIO-TV 10 Observation Road Duluth, MN 55811
KIFI-TV 1915 N. Yellowstone Hwy. Idaho Falls, ID 83401
WTWO-TV 10849 N US Highway 41, Farmersburg, IN 47850
WBUP/WKBP-TV 1705 Ash Street Suite 5 Ishpeming, MI 49849
WDTV 5 Television Dr. Bridgeport, WV 26330
WWNY-TV 120 Arcade St. Watertown, NY 13601
KGNS-TV 120 W. Del Mar Blvd. Laredo TX 78041
Delta News 837 Washington Ave Greenville, MS 38701
KAEF-TV 540 E Street Eureka, CA 95501
KIEM-TV 5650 S Broadway St Eureka, CA 95503
KYOU-TV 820 West 2nd Street; Ottumwa, IA 52501
KQTV 4000 Faraon St. Joseph, MO 64506
KTVH-TV 100 W Lyndale Ave. Ste A. Helena, MT 59601
KNOP-TV 402 S. Dewey. North Platte NE 69101
**: Spanish language station