April 15, 2018
Monday, April 16, 2018 UPDATE:
Dear Rick:
A busy Monday, with TWO new news directors to tell you about.
A veteran news director fills the open ND job at Meredith’s KVVU-TV in Las Vegas.
Bell
TOM BELL will be the new ND for that FOX affiliate. He’s spent the last five years as ND for the CBS o-and-o in Sacramento, KOVR-KMAX-TV. Here’s the email from GM JAY HOWELL to the staff.
While on the surface this may seem like an unusual move, Tom owns a home in Las Vegas, has family there, and used to work for Meredith. He was ND of the company’s Phoenix station, KPHO-TV, from 2003-2008. Tom’s also been an ND in Detroit, Salt Lake City, and San Antonio, and has also worked in St. Louis.
At KVVU, he replaces CRISTI JESSEE who left the station in February after about two years as news director.
Jacoby
And in Knoxville, another veteran ND, MARY BETH JACOBY, takes over at Gray’s CBS affiliate, WVLT-TV. She’s a former ND in Columbia, SC, a job she left after nine years. She’s also worked in Dallas, Charlotte, Milwaukee and Jacksonville.
She replaces TONY BERNHARDT who left the station in December after 2 1/2 years. We told you in yesterday’s report that he is now the Assistant ND for KUSI-TV in San Diego.
More later.
regards,
Rick Gevers
**** ***** ****
Greetings:
Indiana Pacers 98, Cleveland Cavaliers 80.
80!
Sorry…I was distracted.
THREE new ND openings in our report this week, TWO in top 20 markets. And just ONE ND job filled this week (also in a top 20 market) so our list of open ND jobs increases to 33.
ONE of those ND openings is featured in our only Paid Help Wanted ad this week.
But we have many interesting items in Names in the News, including TWO local stations nominated for Peabody Awards, honors for TWO longtime journalists, new jobs for a handful of news managers, and we’ll tell you about an Ohio station that’s hired a ‘comics journalist’. And it’s no joke.
And there’s ONE new GM for a Tegna station.
All that…and more…below.
Newly Named News Director:
Frank
WTSP-TV, Tampa-St. Petersburg, FL…you learned in our UPDATE on Thursday that KELLY FRANK had been named News Director for this Tegna owned CBS affiliate. Click here for both the news release and the email to staff. Kelly will finish her almost three years at WBNS-TV at the end of May. She’s also worked in Atlanta, Washington, Phoenix, Milwaukee, and for Columbus station. Kelly replaces BOB CLINKINGBEARD who quit last October after two years here.
New News Director Openings:
Plotnik
WBTS-TV, Boston, MA…KENNY PLOTNIK‘s last day as News Director for this relatively new NBC owned station was Friday. He helped launched this operation when it started a little over a year ago. He’d been the ND for NBC’s New England Cable News before that. Kenny spent most of his career at WABC-TV in New York, including ten years as ND, ending in 2012. He’s also worked in Philadelphia and Buffalo.
Donnellan
WKYC-TV, Cleveland, OH…our Wednesday UPDATE brought you the news that BRENNAN DONNELLAN is leaving this Tegna owned NBC affiliate after the May ratings period. Here’s the email from GM MICKI BYRNES to the staff. Brennan told me he couldn’t go into too many details about his future plans but that he was excited. He’s been ND since December, 2012, was Managing Editor before that, is a former ND in Cincinnati and Syracuse, and worked in Boston, Atlanta, Columbus, OH (two stations) and Norfolk.
Pickey
WOAY-TV, Beckley-Oak Hill WV…SCOTT PICKEY is out as the news director for locally owned Thomas Broadcasting’s ABC affiliate after about 18 months. Scott and his GM, DENNIS ADKINS, were both released about the same time. Scott’s a former ND for two stations in Wilmington, NC, and in Fayetteville, AR. He’s also worked in El Paso, Huntsville, Raleigh, Richmond, and Syracuse.
And while not a new opening, please note the paid help wanted ad just below for the news director opening at WBNS-TV, the CBS affiliate in Columbus, OH.
Paid Help Wanted Ad:
Director of News and Digital Content, WBNS-TV, Columbus, OH:
WBNS-TV, Central Ohio’s News Leader, has a rare and unique opportunity as it seeks a dynamic visionary to be its’ next Director of News and Digital Content. 10TV is one of the last family-owned power houses in the industry. We are nationally recognized as an industry leader with a focus on journalistic excellence. We are never satisfied at being #1 as we continue to seek ways to grow our dominance.
The Director of News and Digital Content will oversee a large news operation that is focused on enterprise and investigative reporting, creative storytelling, and compelling content. Must have the track record and skillset to produce compelling and distinctive content on all multi-media platforms. Must have a strong digital acumen and knowledge of how and where the audience consumes content and how to best optimize the opportunities to capture their attention and loyalty. Will collaborate with the General Manager and Director of Digital Strategy on digital strategy and innovation.
Must demonstrate a passion for the product with strong oversight and consistent communication and feedback with the team. Quality drives our success and we’re eager to have a leader join us and lead this exceptional news team. Minimum 7 years experience in news management and proven track record in audience growth on all screens. Please include your news philosophy when applying.
Apply online at www.10tv.com
WBNS 10TV is an equal opportunity employer.
Other News Management Openings:
ASSISTANT NEWS DIRECTOR:
Spectrum News, Los Angeles, CA (listed 3/18/18)
KTNV, Las Vegas, NV (relisted this week)
WAAY-TV, Huntsville, AL (relisted 3/25/18)
WAND-TV, Decatur, IL (listed 3/31/18)
KSBW-TV, Monterey, Salinas, Santa Cruz, CA (relisted 3/31/18)
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER:
KRIV-TV, Houston, TX (Evening EP, relisted this week)
KOMO-TV, Seattle, WA (PM EP, listing revised 2/18/18)
WRAL-TV, Raleigh, NC (AM EP, listed 3/18/18)
WXIN/WTTV, Indianapolis, IN (relisted 3/25/18)
KUSI-TV, San Diego, CA (AM EP, listed 2/25/18)
KSTU-TV, Salt Lake City (AM EP, listed 3/18/18)
WTVF-TV, Nashville, TN (Nightside EP, listed 3/11/18)
WLUK-TV, Green Bay, WI (Nightside EP, listed 3/11/18)
KIVI-TV, Boise, ID (2 openings, AM & PM, listed 3/11/18)
Names in the News (and other items):
Congratulations to KXAS-TV in Dallas/Ft. Worth and WVUE-TV in New Orleans, the only two commercial stations to be honored with Peabody Awards. Here’s the entire list of winners.
Reynolds
SHAWN REYNOLDS has joined AccuWeather as Director of Network Programming. Shawn says that means he’ll be editorial lead for the AccuWeather Network. He most recently was an EP for WGCL-TV in Atlanta, news director for WTVM/WXTX-TV in Columbus, GA, and has worked in Indianapolis, for the Weather Channel, and for another Atlanta station.
Bernhardt
TONY BERNHARDT joins KUSI-TV (an independent station in San Diego) as its next Assistant News Director. He most recently spent three years as the news director for WVLT-TV in Knoxville, and has worked in Washington, Orlando, Hartford/New Haven, for NBC News, and in Colorado Springs.
CAROL MORGAN, a former EP at Bay News 9, has joined WTXL-TV in Tallahassee, FL, as an EP. She’s also worked in Orlando, Milwaukee, Huntsville, and Greenville, SC.
Miller
Let’s take a moment to pay tribute (as did his station) to JACK MILLER, who’s retiring after a remarkable 17 years producing the morning news at WWNY-TV in Watertown, NY.
Poynter’s AL TOMPKINS profiles a ‘comics journalist’ hired by Cincinnati’s WCPO-TV…and it’s no joke, he’s a serious newsman.
Honors for two former longtime news managers, (one now a general manager):
Vann
One time news director turned multi-market general manager LES VANN will be honored tomorrow (Monday, April 16th) as the Outstanding Journalism Alum of Illinois State University’s School of Communication.
York
And longtime Kentucky newsman STEVE YORK, who spent 13 years as the Assistant News Director for Louisville’s WAVE-TV, has been inducted into the University of Kentucky Journalism School Hall of Fame. Steve also worked in Lexington.
Post
We told you last September that longtime KXLY-TV (Spokane) News Director JERRY POST was leaving news to operate a ‘Mathnasium’ franchise in Spokane. The Spokane Journal of Business followed up to see how it’s going.
Finally, TED CANOVA, a former news manager in Boston (PBS station WGBH-TV), Minneapolis (WCCO-TV) and Providence (WJAR-TV) offers his thoughts on how to make TV news relevant again.
General Manager News and Notes:
MARTY SCHACK, who’s been the interim GM of Tegna’s Little Rock station, KHTV, has been promoted to GM there. Where he’s been, and why is there an opening? Answers here.
Our Full List of Open ND Jobs:
Here’s our list of open ND jobs as of Sunday, April 15 2018:
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
WBBM-TV 22 West Washington St., Chicago, IL 60602
Verizon Fios 1 News 800 Westchester Avenue, Rye Brook, NY 10573
WBTS-TV 160 Wells Avenue Newton, MA 02459
WFXT-TV 25 Fox Drive. Dedham, MA 02026
WUSA-TV 4100 Wisconsin Ave NW Washington DC 20016
WUVG-TV 3350 Peachtree Road #1250, Atlanta, GA 30326 **
KARE-TV 8811 Olson Memorial Hwy, Golden Valley, MN 55427
WKYC-TV 1333 Lakeside Ave E, Cleveland, OH 44114
KUVS-TV 1710 Arden Way, Sacramento CA 95815 **
WFSB-TV 333 Capital Blvd. Rocky Hill, CT 06067
WBNS-TV 770 Twin Rivers Drive Columbus OH 43215 (see ad above)
KVVU-TV 25 TV 5 Dr. Henderson, NV 89014
WHAS-TV 520 W Chestnut St, Louisville, KY 40202
WVLT-TV 6450 Papermill Drive Knoxville, TN 37919
WFXR-TV 5305 Valleypark Drive, Suite 1. Roanoke, VA 24019
WNEM-TV 107 N. Franklin St. Saginaw, MI 48607
WIS-TV 1111 Bull St, Columbia, SC 29201
WLBT/WDBD-TV 715 South Jefferson Street Jackson, MS 39201
KTVB-TV 5407 West Fairview Ave. Boise, ID, 83706
KHSL/KNVN-TV 3460 Silverbell Rd. Chico, CA 95973
WAOW-TV 1908 Grand Ave. Wausau WI 54403
WTVO/WQRF-TV P.O. Box 470 Rockford, IL 61105
KMIR-TV 72920 Parkview Dr. Palm Desert, CA 92260
KCAU-TV 5993 Gordon Drive Sioux City, IA 51106
KPVI-TV 902 E Sherman St, Pocatello, ID 83201
WOAY-TV 7113 Legends Hwy, Oak Hill, WV 25901
KOTA-TV 2001 Skyline Dr, Rapid City, SD 57701
WETM-TV 101 E Water St, Elmira, NY 14901
WNKY-TV 325 Emmett Ave # N, Bowling Green, KY 42101
KXLF/KZBK-TV 1003 S Montana St, Butte, MT 59701
KMVT-TV 1100 Blue Lakes Blvd N. Twin Falls, ID 83301
WABG-TV 849 Washington Ave. Greenville MS 38701
**: Spanish language station