Rick’s Weekly Newsletter | Rick Gevers & Associates

March 23, 2025

Greetings:

I’ll confess I don’t keep track of such things, but I think the 45 stations with open ND jobs may be a record in the 27+ years we’ve produced this newsletter.

If you know that some of these jobs have been filled, please let me know.

The list grew again this week with TWO new openings, and as far as I know there were no jobs filled.

We have ONE paid help wanted ad, that for an EP job as a legendary North Carolina station.

We have THREE ads from vendors who will be exhibiting at the upcoming NAB convention (hope to see you there) in Las Vegas.

ACCUWEATHER returns this week with a pretty nice looking augmented reality system.

Octopus Newsroom will be showcasing its newest system.

And Trint will be there as well, demonstrating its live transcription services.

Please check out their booths at NAB and tell them you learned about them here. Their support is important as I explain to my wife why I can’t go out on Sunday night. 🙂

Also…longtime supporters WMV and Sciline are back with ads…Sciline offering a free webinar to improve your science reporting.

A legendary (though retired) Mississippi news director and anchor has died. That’s our ONE new obituary and we have more details and information about a memorial service for JIM KEELOR who passing we first reported last week.

Our GM section has four items: A former ND turns GM moves to a network o-and-o, a new GM in Kentucky, and TWO retirements, including ONE from the head of a small family owned broadcast group.

We have some perspectives on the seismic change in Miami television we first told you about in a Thursday UPDATE.

Ever see network anchors and correspondents twist and turn trying to describe a pretty big body of water? We have a column describing just that.

And more!

Read on, and take comfort knowing that your basketball bracket is in much better shape than mine. 🙂

Newly Named News Directors:

To the best of my knowledge, NO news director jobs were filled this week. If I’m wrong…please let me know via email!

New News Director Openings:

Laughrin

WFRV-TV, Green Bay, WI…JOHN LAUGHRIN is leaving this Nexstar owned CBS affiliate and stepping away from television after 25 years in the industry. John tells me he’s starting his own business and sent this note with details including a clever name. He’s been there 3+ years, and has three previous ND stops. His departure creates a second ND opening in Green Bay, joining WLUK-TV on our list.

Henning

WAAY-TV, Huntsville, AL…ADAM HENNING is out at this Allen Media Broadcasting owned ABC affiliate. Adam told me his departure was due to disagreements over issues with his general manager (gosh, anyone ever heard THAT before?) Adams was here not quite two years and has held several other ND jobs…and a few other positions as well.

Ryan H.

An UPDATE on our report last week on the departure of KOAA-TV (Colorado Springs, CO) news director RYAN HAZELWOOD. That item was thin on details about why he was leaving this Scripps owned NBC affiliate. Ryan kindly reached out to fill in the blanks: sadly, the news was not good. He’s been here for 7 1/2 years and has also been an ND in Amarillo. Your kind note would reach him by clicking here.

Paid Help Wanted Ad:

Morning Executive Producer, WRAL-TV, Raleigh, NC:

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We are looking for a “news director of the mornings,” who is passionate about breaking news, significant stories, weather coverage, and original, enterprise reporting.

This role involves overseeing daily news operations, collaborating with reporters, photographers, producers, editors, digital teams, graphic designers, promotions, and other news management staff.

WRAL is based in Raleigh, home to the Research Triangle. The region is consistently ranked as one of the best to live in the country.

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If you are interested in the role, please apply here:

Other News Management Openings:

ASSISTANT NEWS DIRECTOR:

KSDK-TV, St. Louis, MO (listed 1/26/25)
WTAE-TV, Pittsburgh, PA (listed 1/26/25)
WTIC-TV, Hartford, CT (listed 2/23/25)
WREG-TV, Memphis, TN (relisted 3/23/25)
WBRE/WYOU-TV, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, PA (relisted 3/16/25)
WOWK-TV, Charleston/Huntington, WV (listed 2/9/25)
WSYR-TV, Syracuse, NY (relisted 2/16/25)
KTVB-TV, Boise, ID (relisted 2/23/25)
WANE-TV, Ft. Wayne, IN (relisted 3/16/25)
WTVQ-TV, Billings, MT (listed 3/23/25)

EXECUTIVE PRODUCER:

KING-TV, Seattle, WA (listed 1/26/25)
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)
WNCN-TV, Raleigh, NC (relisted 3/9/25)
WRAL-TV, Raleigh, NC (AM EP, listed 3/2/25, see ad above!)
KTVX-TV, Salt Lake City, UT (listed 3/2/25)
WDAF-TV, Kansas City, MO (relisted 3/9/25)
WYFF-TV, Greenville, SC (listed 2/16/25)
WDJT-TV, Milwaukee, WI (Nightside EP, relisted 3/9/25)
WXII-TV, Winston-Salem, NC (Weekend EP, listed 2/16/25)
WFMY-TV, Greensboro, NC (listed 2/23/25)
WLKY-TV, Louisville, KY (Nightside EP, listed 2/16/25)
WDKY-TV, Lexington, KY (AM EP, listed 3/23/25)
WVLA/WGMB-TV, Baton Rouge, LA (relisted 1/26/25)
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:

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)

Relisted 3/9/25:

WVLA/WGMB-TV, Baton Rouge, LA (Digital Content Manager)

Listing Revised 3/7/25:

WINK-TV, Ft. Myers, FL (Multiplatform Managing Editor)

Relisted 2/16/25:

KRON-TV, San Francisco, CA (Streaming/Weekend Executive Producer)

Listed 2/9/25:

WFTS-TV, Tampa, FL (Executive Reporter, title change this week)
WSLS-TV, Roanoke, VA: (Executive Reporter)

Obituaries:

Johnson

Sorry to report the passing of legendary Mississippi broadcaster JOHN JOHNSON, who died Monday after a long illness. He was 77 years old. John spent 32 years at WTOK-TV in Meridian, MS, and mentored many employees in his roles as both news director and anchor. The station posted this nice story on its website.

Keelor

And we have more on the passing of JIM KEELOR. Jim started as a reporter and ended up as CEO of Cosmos (later Liberty) Broadcasting. Here’s a full obituary and here are details about a memorial service next weekend in South Carolina.

By the way, we were wrong last week when we told you that Liberty was sold to Gray. It was first sold to Raycom and then many of the stations went to Gray.

Names in the News (and other stuff):

We have some new perspective on the big change in Miami TV we first reported in Thursday’s UPDATE…which, of course, was the ABC affiliation moving to a digital channel (7.2) owned by Sunbeam TV, owner of FOX affiliate WSVN-TV. Former WPLG reporter STEVE BOUSQUET suggests the changes for WPLG might be good news for South Florida viewers, while longtime ND KIRK VARNER has a good perspective on the history of affiliation changes.

Quick hits:

OLIVER DARCY’s relatively new Status newsletter looks at the verbal gymnastics TV networks went through in trying to identify a certain body of water where the stranded astronauts landed this week.

Want to improve staff retention and improve morale in your newsroom? Consider a four day work week. (I tried this in Toledo with one reporter many years ago and it worked well.)

Sinclair tabbed VALERIA RICCIOLI to be Director of Content for its National News Desk. She’s also worked at Newsmax and Fox News Media.

Finally, congratulations to MARANGELI LOPEZ, news director and former evening anchor at KYTX-TV (Tegna/CBS) in Tyler, TX. She and her husband JUSTIN OLIVER are the proud parents of ANGEL JAMES OLIVER who was born Wednesday.

General Manager News and Notes:

Julie E.

A former ND turns GM advances to an o-and-0 in a top 30 market. JULIE EISENMAN will be the next GM at CBS owned KDKA-TV in Pittsburgh. She’s been running WNEP-TV (Tegna/ABC) in Scranton-Wilkes Barre. It’s a return to Pittsburgh for Julie, who earlier in her career worked on the assignment desk at WPXI-TV. She’s been an ND in Columbia, SC and Savannah, GA and replaces CHRIS COTUGNO who is retiring. More perspective from Trib Total Media.

Meara

MIKE MEARA is retiring at the end of the year after more than ten years as President of the Broadcast division of News-Press and Gazette. He first joined in 2009 as director of sales, moved to executive VP/COO three years later and bumped to President in 2015. He’ll be replaced by RALL BRADLEY, now executive VP of the company. Rall is the fourth generation of the Bradley family to be involved in leadership there.

Jim Mc.

Longtime broadcaster JIM McKERNAN is also retiring. He’ll step down in June after 3 1/2 years as General Manager for Gray’s WOWT-TV in Omaha. Jim posted this message on his LinkedIn page where he discusses his next steps. He’s been a GM in multiple markets and also served as a GM for two CBS owned radio stations in St. Louis. His complete career history is on his full Linkedin page.

Kawaja

JAIME SAYRE KAWAJA returns to a station where she once interned…this time as the GM for WKYT/WYMT-TV, CBS stations in the Lexington/Hazard, KY market. Both are owned by Gray Media, where Jaime has spent her entire career She most recently has been the GM and Director of Sales for Gray’s WFLX-TV, the FOX affiliate in West Palm Beach, FL.

Our List of Open News Director jobs:

Here’s our list of open ND jobs as of Sunday, March 23, 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
KDFW-TV 400 N. Griffin Street Dallas, TX 75202
WKTB 4675 River Green Pkwy, Duluth, GA 30096 **
WSB-TV 1601 W. Peachtree St., N.E. Atlanta, GA 30309
WJLA-TV 1100 Wilson Blvd. Arlington, VA 22209
WKMG-TV 4466 N John Young Pkwy, Orlando, FL 32804
WKYC-TV 1333 Lakeside Ave E, Cleveland, OH 44114
KSL-TV 55 North 300 West, Salt Lake City, UT 84180
WOAI-TV 4335 NW Loop 410, San Antonio, TX, 78229
WCPO-TV 1720 Gilbert Avenue Cincinnati, OH 45202
WHTM-TV 3235 Hoffman Street. Harrisburg, PA 17110
WHAS- 520 W Chestnut St, Louisville, KY 40202
WOLF-TV 1181 Highway 315 Wilkes-Barre, PA 18702 (News Manager)
WATN/WLMT-TV 1725 N. Shelby Oaks Dr., #101 Memphis, TN 38134
KSEE/KGPE-TV 5035 E McKinley Ave, Fresno, CA 93727
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
WCIV-TV 88 Allbritton Blvd, Mount Pleasant, SC 29464
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
KINT-TV 5426 North Mesa Street El Paso, TX 79912
WSIL-TV 1416 Country Aire Drive Carterville, IL 62918
WNCT-TV 3221 South Evans Street. Greenville, NC 27834
WCTV 1801 Halstead Blvd. Tallahassee, FL 32309
WGXA-TV 599 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. Macon, GA 31201
WRBL-TV 1350 13th Ave. Columbus, GA 31901
KHSL-TV 3460 Silverbell Rd. Chico, CA 95973
WMDT-TV 202 Downtown Plaza, Salisbury, MD 21801
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
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
KECI/KCFW/KTVM-TV, 340 W. Main St. Missoula, MT 59802
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
KYOU-TV 820 West 2nd Street; Ottumwa, IA 52501

**: Spanish language station

March 16, 2025

Thursday, March 20, 2025 UPDATE:

Greetings:

A SEISMIC change in Miami television today.

The ABC affiliation is moving from WPLG-TV, where it has been for almost 70 years to Sunbeam Television, owner of FOX affiliate WSVN-TV.

ABC programming will air on a digital channel, 7.2.

Here are stories from the individual station’s website with more.

First, the story from Sunbeam and WSVN:

And WPLG’s report is here.

Wow!

More this weekend.

regards,

Rick Gevers

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

Greetings:

Apologies for the tardy posting but travel interfered.

This week: TWO newly opened news director jobs, and THREE jobs were filled.

Our list of openings remains at 43.

Once again, we have a Paid Help Wanted AD for a General Manager’s job, along with ads for two other news management positions.

As NAB approaches, several vendors are hoping you’ll stop by, including Trint, a new supporter of this newsletter. Trint is helping newsrooms all over the world turn interviews, speeches and news conferences into content faster than ever.

And our friends at Octopus return as an advertiser…Innovate Your Newsroom with Octopus 12 – See It in Action at NAB 2025!

We have ONE obituary for a former ND turned GM turned President of a broadcasting group. That’s below.

There are TWO new GMs, including ONE in a top 20 market.

There are a lot of news managers on the move. Those are covered in our Names in the News (and other stuff) section below.

Also there: Could a new FCC impact affiliate relations payments to networks, and could THAT impact the Paramount/Skydance deal? Read on for one veteran’s observer’s take. Sinclair sold a few small stations, a former Chicago ND publisher her THRIDchildren’s book, and a well known media critic heads to an ivory Tower.

Read on!

Newly Named News Directors:

Cabieses

KCCI-TV, Des Moines, IA…as if often does, Hearst moved quickly and filled an open ND job here from within. NATALIE CABIESES has been the Assistant ND for this CBS affiliate, and, remarkably, is only the FIFTH news director in the station’s 70+ year history. Natalie’s also worked in Milwaukee, Orlando, and Ft. Myers. She replaces ALLISON SMITH, promoted to GM for Hearst’s KETV in Omaha.

Pace

WRCB-TV, Chattanooga, TN…PERRY PACE returns to Chattanooga as the ND for this Sarkes-Tarzian owned NBC affiliate. He’s been the ND for Tegna’s WOI-TV (ABC) in Ames, IA. Perry explained the move to me in this email. He’s worked in Indianapolis (twice), Birmingham, and Houston. At WRCB, he replaces MEGAN ROBERTS who left in January after three years as ND.

KTVQ-TV, Billings, MT…DON HUDSON is the new news director here. He’s been anchoring in Knoxville and earlier worked for six years in Salt Lake City.

Correction: In one of the two instances last week where we mentioned a new news director in Myrtle Beach, we transposed the call letters. JEN BLAKE is the ND at WMBF-TV.

New News Director Openings:

WOI-TV, Ames, IA…you learned above that PERRY PACE is leaving to return to Chattanooga as ND for WRCB-TV. WOI is an ABC affiliate owned by Tegna.

Ryan H.

KOAA-TV, Colorado Springs, CO…Scripps owns this NBC affiliate and apparently has an ND opening. My records (and his Linkedin page) show that RYAN HAZELWOOD has been the news director for the last 7 1/2 years and has also been an ND in Amarillo. He began his career as a photojournalist working in several small Texas markets.

Paid Help Wanted Ads:

Vice President/General Manager, WDIO-TV, Duluth, MN:

WDIO-TV News Channel 10/13, the award-winning ABC affiliate of legendary Hubbard Broadcasting in Duluth, MN needs a Vice President and General Manager with a history of success in leading broadcast, multi-media news operations and/or TV advertising sales.

We emphasize investigative style news and original hyper-local reporting. This position requires a strong leader to help keep this station at the top of the market while generating revenue in an ethical manner. Being community-service oriented is also key for success in this role.

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Set on beautiful Lake Superior, Duluth is in a vast region that is an outdoor paradise surrounded by pristine nature. The community is a combination of college town, tourist mecca, shipping/manufacturing, and regional healthcare center. A safe community with low cost yet high standards of living. WDIO is proud to be part of this community and we actively support community initiatives that help create positive change.

To learn more about the day-to-day duties and qualifications for this remarkable opportunity please see the full job description here:

Any questions? Please reach out to Hubbard Broadcasting’s Recruiting Manager, Michael Hammond at mhammond@bhi.com

Morning Executive Producer, WRAL-TV, Raleigh, NC:

WRAL is searching for a dynamic morning Executive Producer to lead content strategy, presentation, and innovation across all WRAL platforms, including newscasts.

We are looking for a “news director of the mornings,” who is passionate about breaking news, significant stories, weather coverage, and original, enterprise reporting.

This role involves overseeing daily news operations, collaborating with reporters, photographers, producers, editors, digital teams, graphic designers, promotions, and other news management staff.

WRAL is based in Raleigh, home to the Research Triangle. The region is consistently ranked as one of the best to live in the country.

If you are interested in the role, please apply here:

Multiplatform Managing Editor, WINK-TV, Ft. Myers, FL:

Job Summary:

WINK News is seeking an experienced and dynamic Multiplatform Managing Editor. This position will oversee daily news operations, ensuring the highest standards of journalism and multi-platform content delivery. The ideal candidate will be a strategic thinker with a passion for local news, strong editorial judgment, and proven leadership skills.

Key Responsibilities:

· Ensure consistent, high-quality coverage across all platforms, including broadcast, digital, and social media.
· Foster collaboration between news and digital teams to enhance multi-platform storytelling and audience engagement.
· Supervise and mentor producers, reporters, and newsroom staff, providing regular feedback and coaching.
· Oversee story selection, script approval, and editorial decision-making to uphold the station’s standards of excellence.
· Contribute to long-term strategic planning for news content and special projects.
· Champion a culture of teamwork, accountability, and journalistic integrity.

Qualifications:
· Minimum of 5 years of newsroom leadership experience, preferably in a medium-to-large market.
· Strong editorial judgment with a deep understanding of journalistic principles and ethics.
· Proven ability to lead and inspire a diverse team in a fast-paced environment.
· Experience with multi-platform content strategies and audience engagement.
· Ability to manage multiple priorities and meet tight deadlines.
· Proficiency with newsroom systems, digital platforms, and social media.

WINK News is locally owned and operated for more than 70 years. We are committed to delivering impactful local journalism IN Southwest Florida. Join a newsroom that values innovation, collaboration, and journalistic excellence.

Click here to learn more and apply!