Rick Gevers & Associates

April 25, 2021

Thursday, April 29, 2021 UPDATE:

Greetings:

A new news director at the number one station in the number one market in today’s UPDATE.

 Aslam

REHAN ASLAM joins WABC-TV in New York as its next news director. Here’s the news release from WABC.

He’s held the same job at sister ABC o-and-o KTRK-TV in Houston for the past year and a half. He had been the Assistant ND there for five years before his promotion in Houston, and earlier worked in Chicago and for two stations in Cleveland.

At WABC, he replaces CHAD MATTHEWS who was elevated to general manager last February after three years as ND. Coincidentally, when Rehan was promoted at KTRK, he replaced WENDY GRANATO who was also promoted to GM. His move leaves an ND opening at KTRK.

We’ll be back Sunday with the full edition of our weekly newsletter.

regards,

Rick Gevers

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Greetings:

We return to a more normal length report this week after last week’s epic. 🙂

There are THREE new news director openings to tell you about, and the only TWO jobs filled account of two of those three openings. Our list of open ND jobs stands at 32.

TWO of those 32 openings are detailed in our SIX paid help wanted ads. THREE of those ads are for openings in Minnesota.

We have many more details on the death of a legend in our business, PAUL DAVIS, who died earlier this week. We also have an obit on a former GM in Denver, Columbus, OH, and Tucson who began his career in the newsroom and more details on the death of a former ND whose passing we reported last week.

We have another promotion for a North Carolina newswoman…that’s one of two items in Names in the News.

And there’s a new GM in Chicago…and a retiring GM in North Carolina.

All that and more below.

Newly Named News Directors:

Blanton

WCCB-TV, Charlotte, NC…BROOKS BLANTON will be the next ND for this CW affiliate owned by Bahakel. He’s spent the last 7+ years as ND for WXMI-TV (Scripps/Fox) in Grand Rapids, MI. Here’s the staff memo from his soon to be former GM, KIM KRAUSE and the release from WCCB. Brooks has worked in Phoenix, Tucson and Lansing, and spent seven years as a field producer for Fox NewsChannel. At WCCB, he replaces ANGELA ROBBINS who left in March after eight years as ND.

Williams

KAKE-TV, Wichita, KS…DAVID WILLIAMS moves within Lockwood Broadcasting to take over the news director job at this ABC affiliate. He’s been the ND as sister Lockwood station WFXG-TV in Augusta, GA for the last two years. He’s also been an ND in Lubbock, TX, and Lake Charles, LA and has worked in Huntsville and Montgomery, AL. At KAKE he replaces ANTHONY MAISEL who is retiring after five years here.

New News Director Openings:

WXMI-TV, Grand Rapids, MI…we told you above that BROOKS BLANTON is leaving this Scripps owned FOX affiliate to become the next ND for Bahakel’s WCCB-TV in Charlotte. Brooks was ND here for 7+ years.

Best

WKRG-TV, Mobile, AL…CHRIS BEST has resigned after four and a half years as news director for this Nexstar owned CBS affiliate. Before Mobile, Chris was the Assistant ND for WMC-TV in Memphis. He’s also worked for stations in Dallas, Houston, Orlando, Kansas City, Cape Girardeau, and Columbia, MO.

WFXG-TV, Augusta, GA…you learned above that DAVID WILLIAMS is moving with Lockwood Broadcasting to become ND for KAKE-TV (ABC) in Wichita. David was ND here for about two years.

And while it is not a new opening, please check out the new Paid Help Wanted ad for the ND job at WHBF-TV in Rock Island, IL.

Paid Help Wanted Ads:

News Director, WHBF-TV, Rock Island, IL:

#NexstarNation has an immediate opening for an experienced News Director at WHBF TV in Rock Island, IL (Quad Cities) in market #103.

This is an incredible opportunity to join the largest TV ownership group in the country. The ideal candidate is a coach and mentor who loves to serve the local community with impactful and compelling news.

The Quad Cities market is just three hours from Chicago and Des Moines, and five hours from Indianapolis. It’s home to the PGA Tour’s John Deere Classic Golf Tournament, minor league baseball, breweries, farmers markets, museums, and all kinds of outdoor trails for hiking and biking.

If you love news and the Midwest- this one’s for you! Apply here:

Assistant News Director, KTTC-TV, Rochester, MN:

KTTC, the dominant NBC affiliate in Rochester, Minnesota has an immediate opening for an Assistant News Director.

Rochester is a beautiful city in southeast Minnesota, home to the Mayo Clinic and consistently ranked one of America’s best places to live.

Don’t believe that? Then check this out.

We are seeking an energetic, news leader who thinks outside the box and excels at driving coverage in breaking news and weather coverage situations. The ideal candidate is someone thriving in their current role and eager for the opportunity to help manage a great team of talented Journalists.

The Assistant News Director should understand the importance of our digital platforms and assist in driving coverage on those platforms. We have a modern studio and all the tools and toys to produce award winning newscasts. Our team is looking for someone who can utilize our equipment and technology to its fullest and teach and train other team members to excel on all levels.

If you want to live in a beautiful city, just down the road from Minneapolis, at a great station with a super team, what are you waiting for?

Email your resume to mgors@kttc.com or via mail to:

Michele Gors
News Director
KTTC Television
6301 Bandel Rd. NW
Rochester, MN/55901

Please no phone calls. KTTC is an EEO employer.

News Director, KBJR-TV, Duluth, MN:

We’re looking for a dynamic newsroom leader to take our team to the next level.
KBJR Television in Duluth, MN seeks a News Director to grow our news team and advance our news products.

The successful candidate will be responsible for establishing and maintaining market leading standards for newsroom operations and content. Other duties include hiring, coaching, supervising and evaluating news personnel as well as preparation and administration of newsroom budgets and capital requests.

Reporting to the General Manager, the News Director is expected to work closely with other department managers to achieve the company’s overall performance goals.

A minimum of 3 years television news management experience and a college degree in broadcast journalism preferred. Must be able to demonstrate strong working knowledge of community issues and needs, as well as sound journalistic principles. Must have the ability to make fast, accurate journalistic, ethical and logistical judgments.

If you have a passion for excellence and a burning desire to lead what can become the best local broadcast news operation in Northern Minnesota and Northwest Wisconsin, we want to hear from you.

Send your cover letter and resume to:

Todd Wentworth
246 South Lake Ave
Duluth, MN 55802
twentworth@kbjr6.com

NO PHONE CALLS PLEASE

Throughout QMI, positions are available for candidates with all levels of experience and the advancement you are seeking. Visit https://quincymediacareers.com/ for links to all stations and opportunities.

KBJR 6 & CBS 3 is an EEO/AA Employer

Assistant News Director, WHOI-TV, Peoria, IL:

HOI ABC, serving the Peoria, Bloomington/Normal market in Central Illinois has an immediate opening for an Assistant News Director to oversee news gathering and production as manager in charge of our evening and late-night newscasts.

HOI ABC and WEEK make up a duopoly in East Peoria, with separate studios, staffs, and control rooms from the same modern, fully equipped building, producing nine hours of competing newscasts per day. We have a newsroom of friendly rivals.

The Peoria, Bloomington/Normal market (#120, serving about 340,000 people) is home to three universities (Illinois State, Bradley, and Illinois Wesleyan), State Farm Insurance, numerous Caterpillar plants, and the largest concentration of advanced medical facilities between Chicago and St. Louis.

In addition to fertile farmland, Peoria presents hills, ravines and bluffs overlooking the Illinois River with lots of opportunities for indoor and outdoor activities, and neighborhoods of restaurants, coffee shops, and entertainment venues.

Our newscasts are designed to tell the stories of Central Illinois and serve as a responsible and compelling source of news, weather, and sports. With most viewers in our DMA tuning in to our newscasts, we embrace the responsibility of serving our communities.

Candidates should be proven, dedicated, and hardworking broadcast and digital journalists with solid line producing experience, strong editorial judgment, and a history of building newscasts.

Send a cover letter, resume, and link to your latest newscast to Gavin Maliska, News Director, WEEK/HOI ABC, 2709 Springfield Road, East Peoria, IL 61611, gmaliska@week.com.

Quincy Media is an EEO employer.

Executive Producer, KAAL-TV, Austin, MN:

KAAL-TV, ABC News Channel 6, the award-winning ABC affiliate of Hubbard Broadcasting in Rochester, MN needs an Executive Producer.

This is a great opportunity for either an experienced E.P. or a producer looking to get their first leadership experience.

At KAAL-TV, we emphasize investigative style news and original hyper-local reporting. The position of Executive Producer is responsible for raising the bar on storytelling, and pushing for personal and memorable stories. This position will be responsible for story selection, cultivation, and crafting messages with reporters, anchors and producers.

Covering both Southeastern MN and Northeastern Iowa, KAAL is set in vibrant, beautiful Rochester, MN. The city is most well known as being the home of the Mayo Clinic-the world’s best hospital system. Rochester is an affluent, highly-educated, safe and diverse city consistently ranked as America’s Best City to Live in.

KAAL-TV 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 by clicking here.:

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

Senior Lecturer, The University of Toledo, Toledo, OH:

The Department of Communication at the University of Toledo seeks a multimedia journalism teacher. Primary focus on integrated journalism and production in a multimedia lab environment. Should be prepared to teach undergraduate multimedia courses; reporting, photojournalism, TV production, advanced production, social media, integrated journalism, and podcasting, as well as other core media courses as appropriate.

Should be prepared to contribute to curriculum development emphasizing cross-discipline integration of new media technologies and multi- platform journalism. Expect to teach four to five courses per semester and advise a student media group and other university service.

Position begins August 2021. Please submit the follow items when applying:

· A cover letter articulating candidate’s qualifications, education and professional experience
· Curriculum vitae
· Links of two examples of published work and or/creative works
· List of references able to address the candidate’s qualification for this position

Minimum qualifications:

· Professional experience in multimedia journalism or TV production, or a closely related field and Master’s in Communication or related field. Degree must be completed by start date.

Preferred Qualifications:

· Knowledge of multimedia tools such as Final Cut Pro and Adobe Premiere and other Adobe Creative Cloud software as well as web technologies.
· Previous teaching experience in this field, and experience mentoring underrepresented minority students.

A more detailed description, equal opportunity and accommodation information can be found by clicking this link:

Other News Management Openings:

ASSISTANT NEWS DIRECTOR:

WJLA-TV, Washington, DC (listed 2/21/21)
KUSI-TV, San Diego, CA (relisted 4/4/21)
KEZI-TV, Eugene, OR (new listing this week)
WHOI-TV, Peoria, IL (listed 4/18/21, see ad above!)
KIII-TV, Corpus Christi, TX (relisted 3/28/21)
KTTC-TV, Rochester, MN (new listing this week, see ad above!)

EXECUTIVE PRODUCER:

WPIX-TV, New York, NY (listed 4/18/21)
KPRC-TV, Houston, TX (Special Proj./Investigations, revised 3/21/21)
WGCL-TV, Atlanta, GA (listed 3/7/21)
WFLA-TV, Tampa, FL (EP Investigations, relisted 4/11/21)
WTTV/WXIN-TV, Indianapolis, IN (Digital EP, relisted 3/14/21)
WNCN-TV, Raleigh, NC (PM EP, relisted 3/28/21)
KFMB-TV, San Diego, CA (PM EP, listed 3/28/21)
WDAF-TV, Kansas City, MO (Lifestyle show, listed 3/7/21)
WTNH-TV, New Haven, CT (Digital Content EP, relisted this week)
KTNV-TV, Las Vegas, NV (listed 4/18/21)
WIAT-TV, Birmingham, AL (Digital EP, listed 3/28/21)
WXMI-TV, Grand Rapids, MI (listed 3/14/21)
WATN-TV Memphis TN (relisted 3/28/21)
WHNT-TV, Huntsville, AL (Digital EP, listed 4/11/21)
KTAL-TV, Shreveport, LA (relisted 3/21/21)
WSAV-TV, Savannah, GA (listed 4/18/21)
KTSM-TV, El Paso, TX (relisted this week)
WJHL-TV, Johnson City, TN (Digital EP, listing revised 3/28/21)
KLKN-TV, Lincoln, NE (AM EP, relisted 3/14/21)
KRIS-TV, Corpus Christi, TX (listed 4/11/21)
WTVM-TV, Columbus, GA (listed 2/28/21)
KAAL-TV, Rochester, MN (listed 4/18/21, see ad above!)
WVNS-TV, Ghent, WV (Digital EP, listed 4/4/21)

More News Management Openings:

Relisted this week

Spectrum Networks NY1 Senior Manager, News and Content

Listed 4/18/21:

WOOD-TV, Grand Rapids, MI (Digital Content Director)

Listed 3/28/21:

WKRG-TV, Mobile, AL. (Digital Content Manager)

Obituaries:

Tributes poured in all week long to a man who one report called a ‘statesman’ of our industry, which I think is appropriate.

Davis

We told you Monday that PAUL DAVIS had died of cancer at the age of 82. He may have been best known as ND for WGN-TV in Chicago and for the 20 years he spent as ND and anchor for Champaign’s WCIA-TV. He was also one of only two men (BILL SMALL the other) who headed both RTDNA and SPJ.

Each of these stories will tell you about a man who spent his life in journalism and years mentoring younger journalists.

WCIA-TV, Paul’s former station, aired this obit with many clips of this work there.

RTDNA’s tribute contains many fun remembrances and anecdotes.

Chicago media writer ROBERT FEDER’s story covers Paul’s impact on Chicago television. Check out the comments, many from legendary Chicago broadcasters.

Finally, the full obituary with information about his career and family.

BOB WHITE, who started in news and later became GM of stations in Denver, Columbus, OH, and Tucson, died April 12th at the age of 79. The only obituary I could find was one sentence long and not worth sharing. His Linkedin page tells us more about both his broadcasting career and his career after he left our business, working with high wealth families.

Frost

We have more details this week on the passing of former ND JACK FROST. We told you last week that Jack at died at the age of 84 from kidney failure. He spent most of his career in either Nebraska or Louisiana. This detailed obituary outlines his life, broadcasting career, and his many interests outside of broadcasting. It also includes suggestions for memorial contributions in lieu of flowers.

Names in the News:

Anthony

CAMI ANTHONY, who’s held several different jobs in the newsroom during her 14 years at Tegna’s WFMY-TV (CBS) in Greensboro, NC, has another one outside the newsroom. She’ll be the next Marketing Director. Cami is currently the Managing Editor, and has been Assistant News Director, EP and a producer. Full disclosure: I represent her father, KHAMBREL MARSHALL, who works at KPRC-TV in Houston.

Glover

SARAH GLOVER joins Minnesota Public Radio as Managing Editor. She’s currently manager of social media strategy for the NBC owned stations group and earlier worked as a social media editor at NBC’s WCAU-TV in Philadelphia.

General Manager News and Notes:

Cross

NBC owned WMAQ-TV in Chicago has a new general manager. KEVIN CROSS, who’s been the GM for NBC Sports Chicago will add oversight of of WMAQ and Telemundo station WSNS-TV to his responsibilities, as you’ll learn here. That release has a detailed explanation of his background, which has almost exclusively been in Chicago sports broadcasting. Kevin replaces DAVID DOEBLER who is retiring after eight years.

Fishleigh

WLOS-TV (Sinclair owned/ABC) general manager JOE FISHLEIGH is retiring after four years as GM and 17 at the station. It’s his second stint as GM here. WLOS shared the news on its website. Joe’s also worked for two stations in Cleveland and for several rep firms.

Our Full List of Open ND Jobs:

Here’s our list of open ND jobs as of Sunday, April 25, 2021:

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 Lincoln Square, New York, NY 10023
WCBS-TV 530 W. 57th Street New York, NY 10019
WPIX-TV 220 E. 42nd St., New York, N.Y. 10017
News Nation 2501 West Bradley Place Chicago, IL 60618
KNXV-TV 515 North 44th Street Phoenix, AZ 85008
KING/KONG-TV 1501 1st Ave. South Suite 300 Seattle, WA 98134
KOMO-TV 140 4th Ave. N. Seattle, WA 98109
WFOR-TV 8900 NW 18th Terrace, Doral FL 33172
WBFF/WNUV-TV 2000 W 41st Street Baltimore, MD 21211
KCTV 4500 Shawnee Mission Parkway Fairway, KS 66205
WTIC-TV 285 Broad Street Hartford, CT 06115
WVIT-TV 1422 New Britain Avenue, West Hartford, CT 06110
WXMI-TV 3117 Plaza Drive NE Grand Rapids, MI 49525
WNEP-TV 16 Montage Mountain Rd, Moosic, PA 18507
WKRG-TV 555 Broadcast Dr. Mobile, AL 36606
WCHS-TV 1301 Piedmont Rd. Charleston, WV 25301
WACH-TV 1400 Pickens Street, Suite 600 Columbia, SC 29201
KNVO-TV, 801 North Jackson Road McAllen TX 78501 **
WHBF-TV 231 18th Street Rock Island, IL 61201 (see ad above!)
WFXG-TV 3933 Washington Road Augusta, GA 30907
KETK-TV 4300 Richmond Rd, Tyler, TX 75703
KYTX-TV 2211 E SE Loop 323, Tyler, TX 75701
WGXA-TV 599 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., Macon, GA, 31201
KIII-TV 5002 South Padre Island Drive Corpus Christi TX 78411
WKBT-TV 141 South 6th Street La Crosse, WI 54601
WLTZ-TV 6140 Buena Vista Rd. Columbus, GA 31907
KBJR-TV 246 South Lake Ave. Duluth MN 55802 (see ad above!)
WDIO-TV 10 Observation Road Duluth, MN 55811
KBMT-TV 525 Interstate 10 South, Beaumont, TX 77701
KOSA-TV 4101 E 42nd St. Ste 107 Odessa, TX 79762
KTXS-TV 4420 N. Clack Abilene, TX 79602
WBKO-TV 2727 Russellville Road. Bowling Green, KY 42101

**: Spanish language station

April 18, 2021

Monday, April 19, 2021 UPDATE:

Greetings:

As if the seven obituaries in last night’s newsletter weren’t enough, there’s another death of a significant figure in our business to report this morning.

Davis

PAUL DAVIS died overnight in his sleep, We told you a few weeks ago that he had entered hospice care because of cancer.

A few minutes ago, I received this note from his son GLENN:

Cancer from previous prostate issue had resurfaced several years ago and took him last night.

Small service likely in Champaign Friday or Saturday. No details on that yet, but we expect in the current environment it will just be family.

I’ve asked Glenn to share a full obituary when it is available.

As many of you know, Paul was a news director for WGN-TV in Chicago, and also was an ND in Boston and an ND/anchor in Champaign. He’s a former RTDNA chair and was also the head of SPJ. Even in retirement, he was a frequent presence at many conventions, critiquing the work of young journalists of whom he mentored thousands.

If you’ll permit a personal memory…

Many years ago, Paul called before a convention in Las Vegas. He explained that he was a big fan of Cirque du Soleil, that he had planned to go to a show with friends, but they had canceled. Would Karen and I like to join him? Of course.

The Cirque show he had chosen was Zumanity. It was adult themed.

VERY adult themed.

Karen and I kept looking at each other, asking “Paul likes this?”

We endured to the end and left the theatre. As we walked away, Paul, in that great voice of his, said, in measured tones “That wasn’t what I expected.”

We never spoke of it again.

RIP Paul, and sympathy to his family and many, many friends. I’ll have more on his life and death in the days ahead.

I hope my next report to you brings happier news.

regards,

Rick Gevers

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Greetings:

Fair warning. This may be the longest newsletter ever.

It may also be the saddest.

SEVEN obituaries in this edition, including spouses of two well known industry veterans, and the Assistant ND of a Tennessee station who died in a car accident this morning.

In more normal developments, we have SIX new news directors with FIVE new stations with ND openings, leaving our list of stations looking for a news director at 31 stations.

Remarkably, to me at least, ELEVEN of those openings are clustered in just FIVE cities; New York (THREE) and TWO each in Seattle, Hartford, Tyler, TX. and Duluth, MN. And BOTH of the Duluth openings are among our FIVE Paid Help Wanted ads, along with ads for an Illinois Assistant ND, a Minnesota EP, and a teaching position at the University of Toledo.

There’s a new GM opening in Seattle, and we try to recap a crazy week of changes at both ABC News and CBS News.

There’s the usual handful of news managers on the move, and we have news of a new scholarship to honor a Hearst VP/Finance who was married to a longtime news director.

We tried to publish early this week since there is so much news. Read on for the details.

Newly Named News Directors:

Kosowski

KTXL-TV, Sacramento, CA…ED KOSOWSKI returns to California as ND for this Nexstar owned FOX affiliate, leaving sister Nexstar station KETK-TV in Tyler, TX. We have a two for one special! Click here to read emails from both Ed’s new and old GM’s. Ed’s been an ND in San Francisco, Boston, Denver and Kansas City, was an EP at CNBC, and has worked in other markets, too. At KTXL, he replaces MONIKA DIAZ who left in February after six years at the station and three as ND.

Jakobs

KMPH/KFRE-TV, Fresno, CA…JIM JAKOBS returns to TV as the next ND for this Sinclair owned FOX/CW operation. Jim has been working for GV Wire, a Fresno online news site. He previously was the Assistant ND for KFSN-TV (ABC owned) in Fresno, and has worked for two stations in Sacramento, ran a bureau for the NBC owned stations in California, and worked in Oklahoma City. He replaces JIM TURPIN who left in January after eleven years as ND

Schram

WILX-TV, Lansing, MI…MIKE SCHRAM returns to Lansing as the next ND for this Gray Television owned NBC affiliate. We told you last week that Mike was leaving WDIO-TV (ad for that job below) in Duluth, MN, for a job to be named soon. Here’s the note from GM DEBBIE PETERSMARK, where you’ll learn that Mike is just the THIRD news director in 24 years. He’s been an ND in Flint and Rochester/Austin, MN, and has also worked in Indianapolis. Mike replaces BARB ROETHLER who returned to Detroit for a job outside of TV.

Forrester

WDAM-TV, Hattiesburg, MS…EMILY FORRESTER, the Assistant ND at Gray’s WTOC-TV in Savannah, GA, will be the next ND at this Gray/NBC station. She’s been in Savannah for four years, spent 15 years in a variety of roles at WKRG-TV in Mobile, and also worked in Montgomery, AL. She replaces GALEAN STEWART-JAMES who was ND here for 3 1/2 years and is now the Assistant ND for Scripps’ WPTV in West Palm Beach.

LaCombe

Asplund

WLUC-TV, Marquette, MI…ANDREW LaCOMBE will eventually replace STEVE ASPLUND as the news director for this Upper Peninsula station owned by Gray and operated as NBC/FOX affiliates. Asplund has been the ND there for about 30 years and has held many roles in the newsroom. The station posted two stories: this one about Steve, and this one about Andrew, his eventual replacement.

Levy

KAIT-TV, Jonesboro, AR…GRENDEL LEVY returns to the news director’s chair as the next ND for this Gray TV owned ABC affiliate. She’s currently the Assistant ND for WHOI-TV in Peoria (an ad for her old job is below), and is a former ND in Charleston/Huntington, WV, and Boise, ID. Here’s the note from GM HATTON WEEKS, himself a former KAIT ND. Grendel replaces JOSH WHITE who announced in February he’d be leaving in a few months to move closer to family.

New News Director Openings:

Friend

WCBS-TV, New York, NY…the announcement more than a week ago that DAVID FRIEND would not be returning to this CBS o-and-o means this job is open, so we’re adding it to the list. Friend, as you know, was ousted after reports that he (and owned division president PETER DUNN had cultivated a hostile work environment. He was VP/News here for 14 years.

Mickle

WHBF-TV, Rock Island, IL..MIKE MICKLE has left this Nexstar owned CBS affiliate after 3 1/2 years as news director. He took the job after a 14 year hiatus from TV when he was running his own business. Before that Mike was an anchor and reporter at KWQC-TV in Davenport, IA. He also worked for the Independent News Network.

KETK-TV, Tyler, TX…we told you above that ED KOSOWSKI is leaving this Nexstar owned NBC affiliate to transfer to Nexstar’s KTXL-TV (FOX) in Sacramento. Ed was ND here more than four years.

Jacobsen

KBJR-TV, Duluth, MN…for the second week in a row, a Duluth station loses an ND as KEVIN JACOBSEN is leaving after four years to start a business with his wife. The local newspaper reports on both Kevin’s departure and that of WDIO-TV ND MIKE SCRHAM. Learn more about this opening in the Paid Help Wanted ad below.

Chu

WBKO-TV, Bowling Green, KY…HENRY CHU is retiring after 14 years as news director for this Gray TV owned ABC affiliate. He’s also been an ND in Oklahoma City, Austin,TX, and Harlingen, TX and has worked in San Francisco and Kansas City. Best wishes to Henry, who shared this photograph of him and his wife, GLYNDA CADDESS, herself a TV veteran who worked at stations around the country.

Glynda and Henry Chu toasting his retirement

Paid Help Wanted Ads:

News Director, KBJR-TV, Duluth, MN:

We’re looking for a dynamic newsroom leader to take our team to the next level.
KBJR Television in Duluth, MN seeks a News Director to grow our news team and advance our news products.

The successful candidate will be responsible for establishing and maintaining market leading standards for newsroom operations and content. Other duties include hiring, coaching, supervising and evaluating news personnel as well as preparation and administration of newsroom budgets and capital requests.

Reporting to the General Manager, the News Director is expected to work closely with other department managers to achieve the company’s overall performance goals.

A minimum of 3 years television news management experience and a college degree in broadcast journalism preferred. Must be able to demonstrate strong working knowledge of community issues and needs, as well as sound journalistic principles. Must have the ability to make fast, accurate journalistic, ethical and logistical judgments.

If you have a passion for excellence and a burning desire to lead what can become the best local broadcast news operation in Northern Minnesota and Northwest Wisconsin, we want to hear from you.

Send your cover letter and resume to:

Todd Wentworth
246 South Lake Ave
Duluth, MN 55802
twentworth@kbjr6.com

NO PHONE CALLS PLEASE

Throughout QMI, positions are available for candidates with all levels of experience and the advancement you are seeking. Visit https://quincymediacareers.com/ for links to all stations and opportunities.

KBJR 6 & CBS 3 is an EEO/AA Employer

Assistant News Director, WHOI-TV, Peoria, IL:

HOI ABC, serving the Peoria, Bloomington/Normal market in Central Illinois has an immediate opening for an Assistant News Director to oversee news gathering and production as manager in charge of our evening and late-night newscasts.

HOI ABC and WEEK make up a duopoly in East Peoria, with separate studios, staffs, and control rooms from the same modern, fully equipped building, producing nine hours of competing newscasts per day. We have a newsroom of friendly rivals.

The Peoria, Bloomington/Normal market (#120, serving about 340,000 people) is home to three universities (Illinois State, Bradley, and Illinois Wesleyan), State Farm Insurance, numerous Caterpillar plants, and the largest concentration of advanced medical facilities between Chicago and St. Louis.

In addition to fertile farmland, Peoria presents hills, ravines and bluffs overlooking the Illinois River with lots of opportunities for indoor and outdoor activities, and neighborhoods of restaurants, coffee shops, and entertainment venues.

Our newscasts are designed to tell the stories of Central Illinois and serve as a responsible and compelling source of news, weather, and sports. With most viewers in our DMA tuning in to our newscasts, we embrace the responsibility of serving our communities.

Candidates should be proven, dedicated, and hardworking broadcast and digital journalists with solid line producing experience, strong editorial judgment, and a history of building newscasts.

Send a cover letter, resume, and link to your latest newscast to Gavin Maliska, News Director, WEEK/HOI ABC, 2709 Springfield Road, East Peoria, IL 61611, gmaliska@week.com.

Quincy Media is an EEO employer.

Executive Producer, KAAL-TV, Austin, MN:

KAAL-TV, ABC News Channel 6, the award-winning ABC affiliate of Hubbard Broadcasting in Rochester, MN needs an Executive Producer.

This is a great opportunity for either an experienced E.P. or a producer looking to get their first leadership experience.

At KAAL-TV, we emphasize investigative style news and original hyper-local reporting. The position of Executive Producer is responsible for raising the bar on storytelling, and pushing for personal and memorable stories. This position will be responsible for story selection, cultivation, and crafting messages with reporters, anchors and producers.

Covering both Southeastern MN and Northeastern Iowa, KAAL is set in vibrant, beautiful Rochester, MN. The city is most well known as being the home of the Mayo Clinic-the world’s best hospital system. Rochester is an affluent, highly-educated, safe and diverse city consistently ranked as America’s Best City to Live in.

KAAL-TV 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 by clicking here.:

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

Senior Lecturer, The University of Toledo, Toledo, OH:

The Department of Communication at the University of Toledo seeks a multimedia journalism teacher. Primary focus on integrated journalism and production in a multimedia lab environment. Should be prepared to teach undergraduate multimedia courses; reporting, photojournalism, TV production, advanced production, social media, integrated journalism, and podcasting, as well as other core media courses as appropriate.

Should be prepared to contribute to curriculum development emphasizing cross-discipline integration of new media technologies and multi- platform journalism. Expect to teach four to five courses per semester and advise a student media group and other university service.

Position begins August 2021. Please submit the follow items when applying:

· A cover letter articulating candidate’s qualifications, education and professional experience
· Curriculum vitae
· Links of two examples of published work and or/creative works
· List of references able to address the candidate’s qualification for this position

Minimum qualifications:

· Professional experience in multimedia journalism or TV production, or a closely related field and Master’s in Communication or related field. Degree must be completed by start date.

Preferred Qualifications:

· Knowledge of multimedia tools such as Final Cut Pro and Adobe Premiere and other Adobe Creative Cloud software as well as web technologies.
· Previous teaching experience in this field, and experience mentoring underrepresented minority students.

A more detailed description, equal opportunity and accommodation information can be found by clicking this link:

News Director, WDIO-TV, Duluth, MN:

WDIO-TV News Channel 10/13, the award-winning ABC affiliate of Hubbard Broadcasting in Duluth, MN needs an experienced News Director with a history of success in leading broadcast and multi-media news operations.

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.

As the leader of this multi-platform operation, the News Director is responsible for leading and managing the planning, production and presentation of news, weather and sports. This position is also responsible for defining and maintaining ethical, editorial, artistic and technical standards for broadcast news programs on WDIO and content on digital and social media platforms.

The successful candidate must motivate, inspire, engage and lead both an experienced, high performing team as well as green talent. We are looking for a leader who can build off WDIO’s legacy, creating a vision for the future, and supporting our ‘with you for life’ brand.

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

Other News Management Openings:

ASSISTANT NEWS DIRECTOR:

WJLA-TV, Washington, DC (listed 2/21/21)
KUSI-TV, San Diego, CA (relisted 4/4/21)
WGAL-TV, Lancaster, PA (listed 2/21/21)
WHOI-TV, Peoria, IL (new listing this week, see ad above!)
KIII-TV, Corpus Christi, TX (relisted 3/28/21)

EXECUTIVE PRODUCER:

WPIX-TV, New York, NY (new listing this week)
KPRC-TV, Houston, TX (Special Proj./Investigations, revised 3/21/21)
WGCL-TV, Atlanta, GA (listed 3/7/21)
WFLA-TV, Tampa, FL (EP Investigations, relisted 4/11/21)
WTAE-TV, Pittsburgh, PA (listed 2/21/21)
WTTV/WXIN-TV, Indianapolis, IN (Digital EP, relisted 3/14/21)
WNCN-TV, Raleigh, NC (PM EP, relisted 3/28/21)
KFMB-TV, San Diego, CA (PM EP, listed 3/28/21)
WDAF-TV, Kansas City, MO (Lifestyle show, listed 3/7/21)
WTNH-TV, New Haven, CT (Digital Content EP, relisted 2/21/21)
WISN-TV, Milwaukee, WI (listed 2/21/21)
KTNV-TV, Las Vegas, NV (new listing this week)
WIAT-TV, Birmingham, AL (Digital EP, listed 3/28/21)
WXMI-TV, Grand Rapids, MI (listed 3/14/21)
WGHP-TV, Greensboro/High Point, NC (Digital EP, listed 3/21/21)
WDSU-TV, New Orleans, LA (listed 2/21/21)
WATN-TV Memphis TN (relisted 3/28/21)
KCCI-TV, Des Moines, IA (listed 2/21/21)
WHNT-TV, Huntsville, AL (Digital EP, listed 4/11/21)
KTAL-TV, Shreveport, LA (relisted 3/21/21)
WSAV-TV, Savannah, GA (new listing this week)
KTSM-TV, El Paso, TX (relisted 2/21/21)
WJHL-TV, Johnson City, TN (Digital EP, listing revised 3/28/21)
WHBF-TV, Rock Island, IL (relisted 4/11/21)
KLKN-TV, Lincoln, NE (AM EP, relisted 3/14/21)
KRIS-TV, Corpus Christi, TX (listed 4/11/21)
WTVM-TV, Columbus, GA (listed 2/28/21)
KDRV-TV, Medford, OR (relisted 2/14/21)
KAAL-TV, Rochester, MN (new listing this week, see ad above!)
WVNS-TV, Ghent, WV (Digital EP, listed 4/4/21)

More News Management Openings:

Listed 3/28/21:

WOOD-TV, Grand Rapids, MI (Digital Content Director)

Listed 3/28/21:

WKRG-TV, Mobile, AL. (Digital Content Manager)

Listed 2/21/21:

Spectrum Networks NY1 Senior Manager, News and Content

Obituaries:

Too many obituaries this week, and TWO involve the spouses of well known figures in our industry.

Willi

SHERRI WILLI, wife of longtime consultant and former GM and ND JIM WILLI, died Friday when her car hydroplaned on wet roads and crossed into on-coming traffic in Athens, TX. She was 72. Jim shared this obituary, which includes details about a visitation and celebration of life next Saturday. Jim retired after 28 years from AR&D in 2018. He was an ND in Phoenix and Buffalo and a GM in Columbus, OH. Your kind note expressing sympathy can be sent here.

Connell

A memorial service will be held tomorrow (Monday, April 19) for PAT CONNELL, husband of Talent Dynamics President SANDRA CONNELL. They were married for 50 years before his sudden death last Sunday. More here, including memorial information. Most of you know (or should know) Sandra, who’s helped thousands of broadcasters over the years find their next job. Click here to send her a kind note.

Armstrong

NASH ARMSTRONG, the Assistant News Director for WVLT-TV (Gray/CBS) in Knoxville, died early this morning in a single car accident. Nash was 33. He was an eight year veteran of the station, joining as a producer and working his way up through a variety of other newsroom leadership positions. Here’s the story from the WVLT website. Nash also worked for another Knoxville station and for the local newspaper.

Frost

Former ND JACK FROST died yesterday at 84. He’d suffered from kidney failure, and, according to a note his wife Mary sent me, refused to go on dialysis. Jack spent most of his career in Louisiana and Nebraska, working as an ND in Alexandria, LA, and for stations in New Orleans, Lafayette, and Lake Charles. He returned to Nebraska after ‘retiring’ but did a regular feature on senior issues for KOLN/KGIN-TV in Lincoln, as you learned in this article we first shared with you in 2016. Jack is survived by his wife, MARY, a son, LUTHER who is in radio in Lafayette, LA and a daughter ADRIANNE who is an actress in New York City.

Sweeney

Our sympathy to the staff at KAKE-TV in Wichita on the death of their creative services director, JOHN SWEENEY. He died unexpectedly Wednesday night at the age of 45. The station has this story on its website. He worked in New York, Houston, Miami, and St. Louis. His wife, GINNY, is the special projects EP at KAKE.

Ervin

TOM ERVIN, who worked his way from the film room to the general manager’s job at Nashville’s WTVF-TV (CBS) died March 17th at the age of 86. He spent 40 years at the station and was very active in the community while GM. The newspaper obituary is here and his former station aired this story about his career.

Barrett

Finally, DICK BARRETT, who spent 14 years as the ND for KREM-TV in Spokane, died Monday at the age of 90. After leaving KREM for an advertising agency job, he later became executive director of the Spokane Board of Realtors and was later elected to the state house of representative. Learn more about an interesting life in this obituary.

Names in the News:

Godwin

We sent you several UPDATES this week on developments at the networks (well, at least ABC and CBS). Among them was KIM GODWIN’s appointment as President of ABC News, replacing JAMES GOLDSTON. Kim had been the Executive VP/News at CBS News, and is a former local news director in Los Angeles, Dallas, and Cleveland. She is the first Black woman to run a broadcast network news division.

Kim’s departure from CBS was not the only change there. CBS News Presdient SUSAN ZIRINSKY is stepping down and will develop programming for the news division.

McMahon

She’s being replaced, in an unusual move, by two people who will oversee the owned stations division and CBS News. WENDY McMAHON is leaving ABC where she was Presdient of the owned stations division. It’s a return to CBS for Wendy, who previously had held Creative Service Director jobs at two CBS owned stations, WBZ-TV in Boston and WCCO-TV in Minneapolis.

Khemlani

She’ll be joined by another former CBSer, NEERAJ KHEMLANI, who’s been named co-President. He’s a former producer for 60 Minutes and 60 Minutes II who has been working as a top executive at Hearst Newspapers. Here’s the news release from CBS, and a Los Angeles Times story outlining the new setup. The Times broke the story that lead to the departure of PETER DUNN who had been running the CBS o-and-o’s.

Corn

Back to ABC News, for a moment. MICHAEL CORN, a longtime ABC newsman who has been the EP of Good Morning America, abruptly left the network last week. He’s been the EP at GMA since 2014. Variety has more on his departure, his background, and the search for his replacement, which will likely be Godwin’s first big hire at ABC News.

Stanley

Hearst and the EMMA BOWEN Foundation have established a scholarship in honor of JEANA STANLEY, the company’s former VP/Finance who died suddenly last June. Details here. Many of you will remember that Jeana was married to longtime news executive RANDAL STANLEY who ran newsrooms in many markets (Washington, Cleveland, and Buffalo) and retired last year from News 12 New Jersey.

A few management moves to share:

VALERIE TOLLISON has been named Manager, Organization Development for Tegna. She’s been a Senior Recruiter for News Leadership at the company.

STELLA NICHOLS has been promoted to EP at Scripps’ WTMJ-TV (NBC) in Milwaukee.

And at Gray’s WXIX-TV (FOX) in Cincinnati, KIMBERLY GARRETT is the new EP. She’s worked in San Diego and Dayton.

General Manager News and Notes:

Rose

After 21 years at KING-TV (and its sister station KONG-TV) JIM ROSE is leaving for what he described as a new role outside of owner Tegna. Here’s the note he sent to the staff. Jim first joined the station as National Sales Manager at KONG, and moved his way up before becoming GM in 2016. He’s also worked in Salt Lake City and for Blair in New York. His departure leaves the station without a GM or ND.

Our Full List of Open ND Jobs:

Here’s our list of open ND jobs as of Sunday, April 18, 2021:

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 Lincoln Square, New York, NY 10023
WCBS-TV 530 W. 57th Street New York, NY 10019
WPIX-TV 220 E. 42nd St., New York, N.Y. 10017
News Nation 2501 West Bradley Place Chicago, Illinois 60618
KNXV-TV 515 North 44th Street Phoenix, Arizona 85008
KING/KONG-TV 1501 1st Ave. South Suite 300 Seattle, WA 98134
KOMO-TV 140 4th Ave. N. Seattle, WA 98109
WFOR-TV 8900 NW 18th Terrace, Doral FL 33172
WCCB-TV 1 Television Place Charlotte, NC 28205
WBFF/WNUV-TV 2000 W 41st Street Baltimore, MD 21211
KCTV 4500 Shawnee Mission Parkway Fairway, KS 66205
WTIC-TV 285 Broad Street Hartford, CT 06115
WVIT-TV 1422 New Britain Avenue, West Hartford, CT 06110
WNEP-TV 16 Montage Mountain Rd, Moosic, PA 18507
KAKE-TV 1500 N West St, Wichita, KS 67203
WCHS-TV 1301 Piedmont Rd. Charleston, WV 25301
WACH-TV 1400 Pickens Street, Suite 600 Columbia, SC 29201
KNVO-TV, 801 North Jackson Road McAllen TX 78501 **
WHBF-TV 231 18th Street Rock Island, IL 61201
KETK-TV 4300 Richmond Rd, Tyler, TX 75703
KYTX-TV 2211 E SE Loop 323, Tyler, TX 75701
WGXA-TV 599 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., Macon, GA, 31201
KIII-TV 5002 South Padre Island Drive Corpus Christi TX 78411
WKBT-TV 141 South 6th Street La Crosse, WI 54601
WLTZ-TV 6140 Buena Vista Rd. Columbus, GA 31907
KBJR-TV 246 South Lake Ave. Duluth MN 55802 (see ad above!)
WDIO-TV 10 Observation Road Duluth, MN 55811 (see ad above!)
KBMT-TV 525 Interstate 10 South, Beaumont, TX 77701
KOSA-TV 4101 E 42nd St. Ste 107 Odessa, TX 79762
KTXS-TV 4420 N. Clack Abilene, TX 79602
WBKO-TV 2727 Russellville Road. Bowling Green, KY 42101

**: Spanish language station

April 11, 2021

Friday, April 16, 2021 UPDATE:

Greetings:

We’ll get to the top 20 ND hire we teased in last night’s report in a moment, but we will start with very sad news from Texas.

PAT CONNELL, husband of well known television news headhunter SANDRA CONNELL, died suddenly last Sunday. He was 77. Pat and Sandra were married for 50 years.

Pat Connell

In addition to Sandra, he is survived by their two daughters, TERESA NOVAK and CHRISTINA HEDDING and other family members. More about Pat, and important information about memorial contributions, can be found in this obituary. And your kind note to Sandra should be sent here,

Sandra Connell

Most of you know, or certainly know of Sandra, who owns Talent Dynamics, our industry’s predominant talent search firm. I don’t know exactly how long she’s been matching people with openings, but I do know I worked with her as far back as 1985 when I was a news director in Toledo. And she was experienced then.

If you don’t know Sandra or others at Talent Dynamics, you need to step up your networking game.

Kosowski

On to happier news. Congratulations to ED KOSOWSKI who has been named to that top 20 news director’s job I teased last night. He’s headed back to California as ND for Nexstar’s KTXL-TV (FOX) in Sacramento. It’s a move within Nexstar for Ed, who’s been ND for the company’s KETK-TV in Tyler, TX, since 2016. He’s been a news director in San Francisco, Boston, Denver and Kansas City, worked in other markets as well as an EP for CNBC. His detailed Linkedin page has more.

Our full newsletter this weekend will be as busy as any as I can remember as there is a lot to share with you. If I start working now, I might get it done by Sunday night. 🙂

Until then, have a great weekend.

regards,

Rick Gevers

Thursday, April 15, 2021 UPDATE:

Greetings:

Well, THAT didn’t take long.

McMahon

Just one day after we told you that WENDY McMAHON was leaving her job as president of the ABC owned stations division, she was named president of the CBS owned stations division. It’s part of a new and unique management structure at CBS which sees the owned stations division combined with CBS News, with separate presidents who will serve as co-heads of the new division.

Khemlani

Heading the news division will be NEERAJ KHEMLANI, who has been the executive vice president and deputy group head at Hearst Newspapers. Its a return to CBS for both Neeraj and Wendy. He was a producer at 60 Minutes and 60 Minutes II, while Wendy held Creative Services Director jobs at two CBS o-and-o’s, WBZ-TV in Boston and WCCO-TV in Minneapolis.

More details on all this in the CBS news release.

It’s been a busy week, with more to come on Friday. At least one top 20 market news director’s job will be filled tomorrow with a familiar name. Travel may delay our reporting that to you immediately, but hopefully by the end of the day.

And we’ll certainly have that development and all the news from a busy week in our full newsletter Sunday.

regards,

Rick Gevers

Wednesday, April 14, 2021 UPDATE:

Greetings:

It’s been a busy day at ABC and CBS with THREE high level executive changes.

Godwin

We told you (in our most recent UPDATE last Friday) that KIM GODWIN was possibly headed to ABC News as its President.

That became official today…but it’s not the only news involving a network news president…or even ABC!

The same Los Angeles Times article that reports on Godwin’s move to ABC also tells us that SUSAN ZIRINSKY is stepping down as President of CBS News. While CBS has not confirmed the move, the Times story says “Z”, as she is known, has told her staff she’s leaving.

Zirinsky

Zirinsky will apparently have a production deal with parent company Viacom/CBS to produce non-fiction programming. She’s a longtime CBS employee and became presdient of the news division in January, 2019. Perhaps her biggest change while in charge was moving the CBS Evening News to Washington from its traditional base in New York City and installing NORAH O’DONNELL as anchor.

But wait, there’s more, as the late night TV pitchmen used to say. (Maybe they still do, but I don’t stay up that late anymore.)

McMahon

In a development that happened so recently I can’t find any reporting on it in the trades, ABC Network President DEBRA O’CONNELL says that owned station divisions president WENDY McMAHON is ‘moving on from the company’ with ‘immediate effect’. Click here to read O’Connell’s message to employees of the owned stations.

More to come on all these stories in our full newsletter this weekend.

regards,

Rick Gevers

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

Greetings:

31 may have been the number of many famous athletes (i.e. REGGIE MILLER, FERGUSON JENKINS, JAMAL LEWIS and GRANT FUHR among them) but it’s also the number of open news director jobs this week.

That after THREE jobs opened up, and NO positions were filled.

ONE of those 31 jobs is featured in a Paid Help Wanted ad below.

We have an obituary for a North Carolina producer who was a well known saxophone player in her community.

There are TWO items involving FOUR general managers: One is a former ND turned 20 year GM, and the other THREE are being promoted within their current company to become GMs.

And we have a lot…ELEVEN, to be specific…items in Names in the News, many of them involving high level people in high level position,. some of whom are accused of inappropriate behavior. On a lighter note, we’ll tell you about a recently departed news director who has turned into an innkeeper.

That and much more below.

Newly Named News Directors:

To my knowledge, there were NO news directors hired this week. If you know of something I’ve missed, please let me know via email: rick@rickgevers.com

New News Director Openings:

Fahey

WBFF/WNUV-TV, Baltimore, MD…a death in his family has forced MATT FAHEY to leave this Sinclair operated FOX/CW duopoly and return to be with family in Boston. Matt was hired in December to replace MIKE TOMKO who left almost a year before. Matt had been an EP at independent WHDH-TV in Boston and also worked for the NBC operations there.

Flannigan

KCTV, Kansas City, KS…our Wednesday UPDATE told you that SCOTT FLANNIGAN has left this Meredith owned CBS station after nine months on the job. Scott came from sister Meredith station WALA-TV (FOX) in Mobile. He’s also worked in Miami, Birmingham, Charleston, SC, and Lake Charles, LA. Of note: his replacement at KCTV will be the SIXTH news director in the last EIGHT years.

Veteran news manager STEVE ACKERMANN will serve as the interim news director at KCTV.

Schram

WDIO-TV, Duluth, MN…MIKE SCHRAM is leaving this Hubbard Broadcasting owned ABC affiliate for a new job which we should be able to tell you about next week. He’s been the ND here since the fall of 2019, and has previously been an ND in Rochester/Austin, MN, and Flint, MI. Mike’s also worked in Indianapolis and Lansing, MI. Learn more about this opening in the Paid Help Wanted ad below.

Paid Help Wanted Ad:

News Director, WDIO-TV, Duluth, MN:

WDIO-TV News Channel 10/13, the award-winning ABC affiliate of Hubbard Broadcasting in Duluth, MN needs an experienced News Director with a history of success in leading broadcast and multi-media news operations.

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.

As the leader of this multi-platform operation, the News Director is responsible for leading and managing the planning, production and presentation of news, weather and sports. This position is also responsible for defining and maintaining ethical, editorial, artistic and technical standards for broadcast news programs on WDIO and content on digital and social media platforms.

The successful candidate must motivate, inspire, engage and lead both an experienced, high performing team as well as green talent. We are looking for a leader who can build off WDIO’s legacy, creating a vision for the future, and supporting our ‘with you for life’ brand.

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

Other News Management Openings:

ASSISTANT NEWS DIRECTOR:

WJLA-TV, Washington, DC (listed 2/21/21)
KUSI-TV, San Diego, CA (relisted 4/4/21)
WGAL-TV, Lancaster, PA (listed 2/21/21)
KIII-TV, Corpus Christi, TX (relisted 3/28/21)

EXECUTIVE PRODUCER:

KPRC-TV, Houston, TX (Special Proj./Investigations, revised 3/21/21)
WGCL-TV, Atlanta, GA (listed 3/7/21)
WFLA-TV, Tampa, FL (EP Investigations, relisted this week)
WTAE-TV, Pittsburgh, PA (listed 2/21/21)
WTTV/WXIN-TV, Indianapolis, IN (Digital EP, relisted 3/14/21)
WNCN-TV, Raleigh, NC (PM EP, relisted 3/28/21)
KFMB-TV, San Diego, CA (PM EP, listed 3/28/21)
WXIX-TV, Cincinnati, OH (listed 2/21/21)
WDAF-TV, Kansas City, MO (Lifestyle show, listed 3/7/21)
WTNH-TV, New Haven, CT (Digital Content EP, relisted 2/21/21)
WISN-TV, Milwaukee, WI (listed 2/21/21)
WTMJ-TV, Milwaukee, WI (AM EP, listed 3/28/21)
WIAT-TV, Birmingham, AL (Digital EP, listed 3/28/21)
WXMI-TV, Grand Rapids, MI (listed 3/14/21)
WHTM-TV, Harrisburg, PA (relisted 3/14/21)
WGHP-TV, Greensboro/High Point, NC (Digital EP, listed 3/21/21)
WDSU-TV, New Orleans, LA (listed 2/21/21)
WATN-TV Memphis TN (relisted 3/28/21)
KCCI-TV, Des Moines, IA (listed 2/21/21)
WHNT-TV, Huntsville, AL (Digital EP, new listing this week)
KTAL-TV, Shreveport, LA (relisted 3/21/21)
WVLA-TV, Baton Rouge, LA (listed 2/14/21)
KTSM-TV, El Paso, TX (relisted 2/21/21)
WJHL-TV, Johnson City, TN (Digital EP, listing revised 3/28/21)
WHBF-TV, Rock Island, IL (relisted this week)
KLKN-TV, Lincoln, NE (AM EP, relisted 3/14/21)
KRIS-TV, Corpus Christi, TX (new listing this week)
WTVM-TV, Columbus, GA (listed 2/28/21)
KDRV-TV, Medford, OR (relisted 2/14/21)
WVNS-TV, Ghent, WV (Digital EP, listed 4/4/21)

More News Management Openings:

Listed 3/28/21:

WKRG-TV, Mobile, AL. (Digital Content Manager)

Listed 2/21/21:

Spectrum Networks NY1 Senior Manager, News and Content

Listed 2/14/21:

Obituary:

Mayfield

Longtime WLOS-TV (Asheville, NC) producer RUBY MAYFIELD died April 1 at the age of 66, A 40 year veteran of the station, she was also well known in the community as a saxophone player. Born REUBEN MAYFIELD, he started as a photographer and editor in the WLOS Greenville bureau. Mayfield later transitioned to Ruby and joined the Asheville newsroom as a producer. Click here for the station’s tribute, here for a lengthy newspaper profile, and here for the obituary.

Names in the News:

Godwin

All signs continue to point towards KIM GODWIN leaving CBS News, where she is Executive VP/News, for ABC News where she would become the first Black President of a broadcast network news division. To my knowledge, Variety first reported the possibility. And this NY Post article suggests she’ll have her hands full if she gets the job. As we told you in an UPDATE earlier this week, she’s a former local TV news director in Los Angeles, Dallas, and Chicago.

Friend

We also told you in an UPDATE earlier this week that PETER DUNN and DAVID FRIEND will not be returning to their jobs at the CBS owned station’s division. Both have been on administrative leave since a Los Angeles Times report that the pair cultivated a hostile work environment.

New this edition: the CBS News story on their departure and a story from WCBS-TV in New York, where Friend had been the longtime news director.

Newsy began as an OTT national news network. Now owner Scripps plans to launch Newsy over the air as well, primarily over its ION network stations and some Scripps local stations.

Westword, a Denver publication, has a story that a federal filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission alleges a broad pattern of bias and racially-insensitive behavior at Tegna’s KUSA-TV (NBC) in Denver and the parent company. The filing was initiated by Standard General and may be part of a proxy fight between Standard General, a large shareholder in Tegna, and the company.

IRE released its list of annual award winners this week. There are too many to list, but all the winners and a recap of the awards process is here.

Fuentes

Speaking of IRE, it announced its new executive director this week. DIANA FUENTES is the Deputy Metro Editor of the San Antonio Express-News. She’s a former President of the Texas APME and a longtime NAHJ member. Diana will be the first person of color to head IRE. It was a remarkably low key announcement: it’s buried on the IRE website and, as a member, I never received an email. Diana replaces DOUG HADDIX who left in January after five years on the job.

Rosabal

Longtime Spanish language news executive SYLVIA ROSABAL has been named Director of the Office of Cuba Broadcasting. It oversees Radio and TV Marti from offices in Miami. Syliva has worked at both Univision and Telemundo as you’ll learn in this news release, where you will also read about her new job and everything that the OCB does.

Everyone’s favorite ratings punching bag, Nielsen, is under fire for what some say is under-reporting of audience during the pandemic. More from Broadcasting and Cable.

Apologies to PHIL LANDEROS. We told you last edition that Phil was returning to Orlando as EP for WKMG-TV. But we screwed up his title at his last station. He was Senior EP at WGCL-TV (Meredith/CBS) in Atlanta, not Assistant News Director.

Ball

JASON BALL wasted no time changing careers after leaving his gig as news director for KTLA-TV in Los Angeles. We told you in January that Jason, then the Dean of LA news directors, was leaving that Nexstar owned station after 12 years. Jason tells me that he and his husband TODD have purchased a small boutique hotel in Palm Springs, the Old Ranch Inn. Check it out here.

General Manager News and Notes:

Bartlett

One time ND turned longtime GM JEFF BARTLETT will retire this summer after 20 years running WMUR-TV, Hearst’s ABC affiliate in Manchester, NH. Details here. He’s a former GM for Hearst’s KHBS-TV/KHOG-TV in Ft. Smith and Fayetteville, AR. Jeff also served as a news director in Chicago, Philadelphia, Boston, Tulsa, and Tucson. He also worked in Miami and as a consultant for AR&D.

And while they both lived in New Hampshire, Jeff is no relation to fictional West Wing President JED BARTLET. Know how I know that? The TV Bartlet had one T at the end of his name.

Thus ends our weak attempt at humor.

Nexstar had a busy week, naming new general managers at THREE of its stations, WATE-TV in Knoxville, WFXR/WWCW-TV in Roanoke, and WBTW-TV in Myrtle Beach. One of the new GMs was a promotion at his current station, and the other two join from other Nexstar properties.

Our Full List of Open ND Jobs:

Here’s our list of open ND jobs as of Sunday, April 11, 2021:

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 Lincoln Square, New York, NY 10023
WPIX-TV 220 E. 42nd St., New York, N.Y. 10017
News Nation 2501 West Bradley Place Chicago, Illinois 60618
KNXV-TV 515 North 44th Street Phoenix, Arizona 85008
KING/KONG-TV 1501 1st Ave. South Suite 300 Seattle, WA 98134
KOMO-TV 140 4th Ave. N. Seattle, WA 98109
WFOR-TV 8900 NW 18th Terrace, Doral FL 33172
KTXL-TV 4655 Fruitridge Road Sacramento, CA 95820
WCCB-TV 1 Television Place Charlotte, NC 28205
WBFF/WNUV-TV 2000 W 41st Street Baltimore, MD 21211
KCTV 4500 Shawnee Mission Parkway Fairway, KS 66205
WTIC-TV 285 Broad Street Hartford, CT 06115
WVIT-TV 1422 New Britain Avenue, West Hartford, CT 06110
KMPH/KFRE-TV 5111 E. McKinley Ave. Fresno, CA 93727
WNEP-TV 16 Montage Mountain Rd, Moosic, PA 18507
KAKE-TV 1500 N West St, Wichita, KS 67203
WCHS-TV 1301 Piedmont Rd. Charleston, WV 25301
WACH-TV 1400 Pickens Street, Suite 600 Columbia, SC 29201
KNVO-TV, 801 North Jackson Road McAllen TX 78501 **
WILX-TV 500 American Rd, Lansing, MI 48911
KYTX-TV 2211 E SE Loop 323, Tyler, TX 75701
WGXA-TV 599 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., Macon, GA, 31201
KIII-TV 5002 South Padre Island Drive Corpus Christi TX 78411
WKBT-TV 141 South 6th Street La Crosse, WI 54601
WLTZ-TV 6140 Buena Vista Rd. Columbus, GA 31907
WDIO-TV 10 Observation Road Duluth, MN 55811 (see ad above!)
KBMT-TV 525 Interstate 10 South, Beaumont, TX 77701
KOSA-TV 4101 E 42nd St. Ste 107 Odessa, TX 79762
KTXS-TV 4420 N. Clack Abilene, TX 79602
WDAM-TV 2362 US-11, Moselle, MS 39459
KAIT-TV 472 Craighead 766. Jonesboro, AR 72401

**: Spanish language station

April 4, 2021

Friday, April 9, 2021 UPDATE:

Greetings:

Godwin

Variety reports that KIM GODWIN, a former local news director who is currently Executive Vice President of News for CBS, is likely to be named President of ABC News.

If that happens (and the Variety story allows that the move may not), she would become the first Black woman to head a broadcast news network. (You’ll remember RASHIDA JONES was named Presdient of cable network MSNBC late last year.)

Here’s the link to the Variety story.

The timing seems awkward for CBS. Kim had recently been tasked with overseeing CBS’s owned stations news departments following the suspension, and this week’s dismissal, of DAVID FRIEND.

She first joined CBS in 2007 following a long career in local news, where she was a news director in Los Angeles, Dallas, and Cleveland, and also served as an interim news director in New York. She also worked in a number of local stations, as her CBS bio details.

More on this, and all the week’s news…in our full newsletter this weekend.

regards,

Rick Gevers

Wednesday, April 7, 2021 UPDATE #2:

Greetings:

A rare second UPDATE in the same day usually means big news, and this qualifies.

  Dunn

Friend

CBS has announced that both PETER DUNN, president of the owned station’s division, and DAVID FRIEND, who oversaw the local station’s news operations, will not return to the network.

The Los Angeles Times, which first reported on allegations of racist behavior against the pair, has details on this latest development here.

The dismissal of Dunn and Friend, each of whom had held their jobs for more than a decade, came even as an outside investigation into their conduct continues.

I suspect this story will be wide covered in both trade publications and general audience news reports.

We’ll see you this weekend with our full newsletter.

regards,

Rick Gevers

Wednesday, April 7, 2021 UPDATE:

Greetings:

Another news director change at the Meredith station in Kansas City to report this morning.

Flannigan

SCOTT FLANNIGAN has left KCTV (CBS) after less than a year on the job. He joined KCTV last July after six plus years as ND for the company’s Mobile, AL, station, WALA-TV (FOX).

Scott’s entire career background is detailed on his Linkedin page.

Speaking of six, his replacement at KCTV will be the SIXTH news director in the last EIGHT years here.

We’ll have all the week’s news in our full newsletter this weekend.

regards,

Rick Gevers

**** ***** ****
Greetings:

Perhaps reflecting a holiday week, there’s not a lot of movement to report in this week’s edition.

We do have ONE news manager hire…that’s below. Our list of open ND jobs stands at 28.

There are TWO obituaries and lots of items in Names in the News, including stories about future plans for Scripps and the Black News Channel. And there are, as usual, a few news managers on the move.

Read on for details!

Newly Named News Directors:

Quince

Spectrum News Network, Upstate New York: ALEXANDER QUINCE has been named Senior Director, News, for this cable news operation. He most recently was an EP for WABC-TV in New York, has been a news director at KTUL-TV in Tulsa, and worked in Tampa, Atlanta, and Birmingham. More in this news release from the company.

New News Director Openings:

There are no new openings this week, to the best of my knowledge.

We do, however, have an update on the opening at WGXA-TV (Fox/Sinclair) in Macon, GA, which we first reported last week. MALLORY HUFF is leaving at the end of April.

Paid Help Wanted Ads:

There are no paid help wanted ads this week.

If you want to reach the most targeted audience available to advertise your news management openings, please email me @ rick@rickgevers.com

Other News Management Openings:

ASSISTANT NEWS DIRECTOR:

WJLA-TV, Washington, DC (listed 2/21/21)
KUSI-TV, San Diego, CA (relisted this week)
WGAL-TV, Lancaster, PA (listed 2/21/21)
KIII-TV, Corpus Christi, TX (relisted 3/28/21)

EXECUTIVE PRODUCER:

KPRC-TV, Houston, TX (Special Proj./Investigations, revised 3/21/21)
WGCL-TV, Atlanta, GA (listed 3/7/21)
WFLA-TV, Tampa, FL (EP Investigations, relisted 1/31/21)
WTAE-TV, Pittsburgh, PA (listed 2/21/21)
WTTV/WXIN-TV, Indianapolis, IN (Digital EP, relisted 3/14/21)
WNCN-TV, Raleigh, NC (PM EP, relisted 3/28/21)
KFMB-TV, San Diego, CA (PM EP, listed 3/28/21)
WXIX-TV, Cincinnati, OH (listed 2/21/21)
WDAF-TV, Kansas City, MO (Lifestyle show, listed 3/7/21)
WTNH-TV, New Haven, CT (Digital Content EP, relisted 2/21/21)
WISN-TV, Milwaukee, WI (listed 2/21/21)
WTMJ-TV, Milwaukee, WI (AM EP, listed 3/28/21)
WIAT-TV, Birmingham, AL (Digital EP, listed 3/28/21)
WXMI-TV, Grand Rapids, MI (listed 3/14/21)
WHTM-TV, Harrisburg, PA (relisted 3/14/21)
WGHP-TV, Greensboro/High Point, NC (Digital EP, listed 3/21/21)
WDSU-TV, New Orleans, LA (listed 2/21/21)
WATN-TV Memphis TN (relisted 3/28/21)
KCCI-TV, Des Moines, IA (listed 2/21/21)
KTAL-TV, Shreveport, LA (relisted 3/21/21)
WVLA-TV, Baton Rouge, LA (listed 2/14/21)
KTSM-TV, El Paso, TX (relisted 2/21/21)
WJHL-TV, Johnson City, TN (Digital EP, listing revised 3/28/21)
WHBF-TV, Rock Island, IL (listed 1/31/21)
KLKN-TV, Lincoln, NE (AM EP, relisted 3/14/21)
WTVM-TV, Columbus, GA (listed 2/28/21)
KDRV-TV, Medford, OR (relisted 2/14/21)
WVNS-TV, Ghent, WV (Digital EP, new listing this week)

More News Management Openings:

Listed 3/28/21:

WKRG-TV, Mobile, AL. (Digital Content Manager)

Listed 2/21/21:

Spectrum Networks NY1 Senior Manager, News and Content

Listed 2/14/21:

Obituaries:

Kuelbs

TOM KUELBS, who is credited with launching JERRY SPRINGER’s career as an anchor and commentator in Cincinnati, died last Monday (March 29) at the age of 79. He was the news director for WLWT-TV in Cincinnati when he worked with Springer, and earlier had been an ND for KHOU-TV in Houston and a producer and assistant ND for WBBM-TV in Chicago before becoming ND at WLS-TV.

Andy O.

Longtime Washington (DC) broadcaster ANDY OCKERSHAUSEN died March 17. He was 92. He was GM at WMAL-AM for 27 years before becoming the GM for Channel 50 in Washington, then known as WFTY-TV. He also worked with Home Team Sports, now known as NBC Sports Washington. More details on his life and career in this Washington Post story.

Names in the News:

Media Moves has updates on new jobs for two news managers.

Landeros

PHIL LANDEROS returns to Orlando as an executive producer for WKMG-TV (Graham Media/CBS). He formerly worked at WOFL-TV (FOX) in Orlando before moving to Atlanta as the Assistant ND Senior Executive Producer for WGCL-TV (Meredith/CBS). He’s also worked in Chicago, Tampa, and Milwaukee.

And EDGARDO SANABRIA joins KTDO-TV (Telemundo) in El Paso as the new Assistant News Director. He had been an EP at sister station KSTS-TV in San Francisco.

Brink

PAT BRINK returns to a television newsroom as the new assistant news director for Nexstar’s CBS affiliate, KXMB-TV, in Bismarck, ND. He most recently was the news director for KYOU-TV (FOX) in Ottumwa, IA, a job he left in 2019. Earlier in his career he worked in Minneapolis, Austin, and Rochester, MN. He’s spent much of his career outside of TV, as his Linkedin page attests.

Mark

Longtime Houston broadcaster STEVE MARK moves to Denver as news director of WeatherNationTV and America’s Voice. More from Houston blogger MIKE McGUFF. During his time in Houston, Steve has worked both as a news manager and sportscaster at several stations, including KHOU-TV, KPRC-TV, KRIV-TV and KIAH-TV. He also worked in PR for the Houston Dynamo soccer team.

Summa

Scripps has hired veteran journalist KEITH SUMMA as deputy bureau chief of its Washington bureau, where he will oversee investigations. Learn more about Keith and his new responsibilities here.

Speaking of Scripps, check out this Variety interview with CEO ADAM SYMSON about his vision for the company.

The Hollywood Reporter details the Black News Channel’s prime reboot and its plans for the future.

General Manager News and Notes:

There were no GM moves this week as far as I know.

Our Full List of Open ND Jobs:

Here’s our list of open ND jobs as of Sunday, April 4, 2021:

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 Lincoln Square, New York, NY 10023
WPIX-TV 220 E. 42nd St., New York, N.Y. 10017 (see ad above!)
News Nation 2501 West Bradley Place Chicago, Illinois 60618
KNXV-TV 515 North 44th Street Phoenix, Arizona 85008
KING/KONG-TV 1501 1st Ave. South Suite 300 Seattle, WA 98134
KOMO-TV 140 4th Ave. N. Seattle, WA 98109
WFOR-TV 8900 NW 18th Terrace, Doral FL 33172
KTXL-TV 4655 Fruitridge Road Sacramento, CA 95820
WCCB-TV 1 Television Place Charlotte, NC 28205
WTIC-TV 285 Broad Street Hartford, CT 06115
WVIT-TV 1422 New Britain Avenue, West Hartford, CT 06110
KMPH/KFRE-TV 5111 E. McKinley Ave. Fresno, CA 93727
WNEP-TV 16 Montage Mountain Rd, Moosic, PA 18507
KAKE-TV 1500 N West St, Wichita, KS 67203 (see ad above!)
WCHS-TV 1301 Piedmont Rd. Charleston, WV 25301
WACH-TV 1400 Pickens Street, Suite 600 Columbia, SC 29201
KNVO-TV, 801 North Jackson Road McAllen TX 78501 **
WILX-TV 500 American Rd, Lansing, MI 48911
KYTX-TV 2211 E SE Loop 323, Tyler, TX 75701
WGXA-TV 599 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., Macon, GA, 31201
KIII-TV 5002 South Padre Island Drive Corpus Christi TX 78411
WKBT-TV 141 South 6th Street La Crosse, WI 54601
WLTZ-TV 6140 Buena Vista Rd. Columbus, GA 31907
KBMT-TV 525 Interstate 10 South, Beaumont, TX 77701
KOSA-TV 4101 E 42nd St. Ste 107 Odessa, TX 79762
KTXS-TV 4420 N. Clack Abilene, TX 79602
WDAM-TV 2362 US-11, Moselle, MS 39459
KAIT-TV 472 Craighead 766. Jonesboro, AR 72401