December 23, 2018
Greetings:
Consider this early delivery of this week’s edition my holiday gift to you.
Is there any limit to my largess? (Don’t answer that.)
And it’s a very full early newsletter, with lots of new news directors and FOUR new openings. My count of open ND jobs stands at 29.
Lots of items in Names in the News as well. There’s a handful of news managers on the move, RTDNA wants YOUR help with a brief survey, and we’ll share interesting articles on lessons that might be learned from a radical change to our business which is 50 years old and an interview with the head of Nexstar who’s preaching local as the key to success.
We have ONE obituary of a North Dakota general manager and details about SUSANA SCHULER’s move to a GM job in Birmingham,
I plan on publishing next week as well, though I’m guessing it will be fairly slow.
Until then, no matter which holiday you celebrate, I hope it’s terrific and send you best wishes for a safe, health and prosperous 2019.
Newly Named News Directors:
News 12 Networks, New York, NY…this memo from Altice Executive Vice President MIKE SCHREIBER will fill you in on lots of changes at this cable news network, with promotions for news directors RANDAL STANLEY and MANOJ SHAMDASANI while JIM WHITEMAN gets promoted to news director for News 12 Long Island.
Gin
KITV, Honolulu, HI…we told you in an UPDATE earlier this week that JANICE GIN is going as far west as you can for her first news director job at this ABC affiliate operated by Lilly Broadcasting. More from the station’s website. Janice is a 20 year veteran of the San Francisco market, most recently as Assistant ND for KRON-TV. She’s worked in Phoenix, Sacramento, and Greensboro. Janice is active in RTDNA and AAJA. She replaces MIKE DARRAH who left this week to become the Assistant ND for KTNV in Las Vegas after 2+ years as ND here.
Hamblen
KOLR-TV, Springfield, MO…a promotion here for LISSA HAMBLEN who becomes ND for this Mission Broadcasting owned but operated by Nexstar CBS affiliate. GM LEO HENNING told the staff. She first joined the station in 1987 as a creative services producer, left for a while, but returned as a news producer, rising to executive producer and assistant ND in 2000. Lissa replaces CHUCK MAULDEN who departed last month to become Director of Content for KOTV in Tulsa after 5+ years as ND.
Takahashi
WJTV/WHLT-TV, Jackson/Hattiesburg, MS…TAI TAKAHASHI returns to the news director chair. He’ll run the newsroom at this Nexstar owned CBS operation. More from his new GM, JEFF GUY. Tai had been the Assistant News Director for KGW-TV in Portland until September, and has been and ND in Decatur, IL, and Lexington, KY. He’s also worked in Seattle, Atlanta, Jacksonville, FL, Wichita and Topeka. He replaces CHRIS TURNER who left last month after less than a year as ND.
Spadea
WVLA/WGMB-TV, Baton Rouge, LA…JOE SPADEA heads south to become the next ND for this White Knight Broadcasting owned but Nexstar operated NBC/FOX duopoly. We have the staff email from GM ERIC THOMAS. It was a short time on the beach for Joe, who left KMTV (Scripps/CBS) in Omaha last month after six years as news director. Joe’s been an ND in Oklahoma City and has worked in Los Angeles, Boston, Providence, and Lancaster, PA.
Wordlaw
He’ll replace GARY WORDLAW as ND there. We reported Gary’s departure earlier this month and promised details on his next stop soon. Soon is now. He will be the first VP/Programming and News Director for the Black Television News Channel. Gary sent me this email with more details. Many of you know Gary who’s been an ND in Washington and Baltimore, and a general manager in Seattle, New Orleans, Syracuse, and Tallahassee and has worked in Chattanooga.
Good
KADN/KLAF-TV, Lafayette, LA…JOSH GOOD will be the next news director for this Bayou City Broadcasting owned NBC/FOX operation. My records show he’ll replace DWAYNE FATHERREE who was promoted to ND just about a year ago, when he replaced someone who’d been in the job a year. Josh has been working in Knoxville and earlier spent time in Lexington, KY, and Fort Wayne, IN.
New News Director Openings:
Patti M.
WHBQ-TV, Memphis, TN…our Thursday UPDATE also shared the sad news that PATTI McGETTIGAN is taking a medical retirement from the Cox owned (for now) FOX affiliate. The company’s VP/News, MIKE DREADEN, spread the word with this email. Patti’s also been a news director for WISH-TV in Indianapolis and WOOD-TV in Grand Rapids, where she worked twice (before and after my time as ND there). She also worked in Pittsburgh. Send Patti a kind email by clicking here: patti.mcgettigan@gmail.com
Moravchik
WGBA-TV, Green Bay, WI…JULIE MORAVCHIK is leaving this Scripps owned NBC affiliate to become the Assistant News Director for Spectrum’s new 24 hour state wide cable channel based in Milwaukee. Julie’s been ND here for 2 1/2 years, earlier was a news director in Jefferson City/Columbia, MO, Grand Forks, ND, and in Duluth, and has also worked in Minneapolis.
Brovold
KDLT-TV, Sioux Falls, SD…JESSICA BROVOLD left this Red River Broadcasting owned NBC affiliate in July according to her Linkedin page and is now working as a marketing manager for a health care company. She spent just over a year as news director here.
KAAL-TV, Austin, MN…this Hubbard Broadcasting owned ABC affiliate has an opening for a new news director on its website. My records (granted, not ALWAYS accurate) show that DAVID SPRINGER had been news director here since July, 2012.
News Management Openings:
ASSISTANT NEWS DIRECTOR:
WSNS-TV, Chicago, IL (relisted 10/21/18)
KXAS-TV, Dallas/Ft. Worth, TX (listed 11/18/18)
WBTS-TV, Boston, IL (listed 10/28/18)
New England Cable News (listed 10/28/18)
WKRN-TV, Nashville, TN (new listing this week)
WBND-TV, South Bend, IN (listed 10/28/18)
WJHL-TV, Johnson City, TN (new listing this week)
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER:
KNBC-TV, Los Angeles, CA (AM EP, relisted 12/16/18)
WUSA-TV, Washington, DC (Dayside EP, relisted 11/25/18)
KPRC-TV, Houston, TX (Special Projects EP, listed 11/4/18)
KGO-TV, San Francisco, CA (Dayside EP, listed 11/11/18)
KOMO-TV, Seattle, WA (PM EP, relisted 11/18/18)
WCCO-TV, Minneapolis, MN (AM EP, new listing this week)
WEWS-TV, Cleveland, OH (new opening this week)
WSMV-TV, Nashville, TN (PM EP, relisted 12/9/18)
KCTV, Kansas City, MO (AM EP, relisted 12/2/18)
WINK-TV, Ft. Myers, FL (TWO EP openings, relisted 11/25/18)
WIS-TV, Columbia, SC (relisted 12/9/18)
KIVI-TV, Boise, ID (AM EP, listed 10/28/18)
WCTV, Tallahassee, FL (relisted 10/14/18)
MANAGING EDITOR:
WMAQ-TV, Chicago, IL (relisted 10/21/18)
KXAS-TV, Dallas/Ft. Worth (listed 11/18/18)
OTHER NEWS MANAGEMENT OPENINGS:
Listed 12/9/18:
WTOC-TV, Savannah, GA (Digital Content Manager)
Re-listed 11/11/18:
WCPO-TV, Cincinnati, OH (Senior Manager of Editorial Content)
Obituary:
Out best wishes to the staff at KVLY-TV in Fargo, ND, after the death of the station’s general manager, JIM WAREHAM. He was 67 years old when he passed December 14th. More in this story from the station’s website.
Names in the News (and other items):
KGW-TV in Portland, OR, promoted EP JOHN TIERNEY to assistant news director. John’s been the EP here since 2014 and has worked at another Portland station and in Eugene.
Two management moves at Scripps stations. JULIAN JOHNSON moves within the company from WFTS-TV in Tampa, where he was an EP, to WFTX-TV in Ft. Myers where he will be the Managing Editor. Also at WFTX, DOMINGO RAMOS has been promoted to AM Content Manager from producer.
CHRIS PAYNE returns to WRIC-TV in Richmond as Assistant News Director. He began there as a video editor, later went on to stations in Memphis and Charlottesville and most recently has been an EP for Spectrum’s cable channel in Raleigh.
RTDNA is looking for your help to make sure the annual conference is as relevant as it can be. It will only take a few minutes.
- If you’re a news professional, this survey is for you.
- And click here if you’re a vendor or supplier to stations.
Sook
Variety profiles PERRY SOOK, head of Nexstar, which is likely about to become the largest group owner in the country. And he’s preaching local as the way to success.
The Knight-Ridder Lab wonders if there are lessons to be learned from AL PRIMO’s original Eyewitness News which debuted 50 years ago last month in New York.
General Manager News and Notes:
Schuler
Our Tuesday update first brought you the news of SUSANA SCHULER’s appointment as general manager for Hearst’s WVTM-TV in Birmingham. Susana most recently was executive vice president of content & operations for Raycom where she worked for 12 years before leaving last month. She previously has been VP/News for Nexstar, a news director in Terre Haute, and worked in Dallas and Harrisburg, PA.
Our Full List of Open ND Jobs:
Here’s our list of open ND jobs as of Sunday, December 23, 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
Verizon Fios 1 News 800 Westchester Avenue, Rye Brook, NY 10573
WJLA-TV 1100 Wilson Blvd. , 6th Fl. Arlington, VA 22209
WUVG-TV 3350 Peachtree Road #1250, Atlanta, GA 30326 **
KIRO-TV 2807 Third Ave., Seattle WA 98121
KSTP-TV 3415 University Ave W Saint Paul, MN 55114
KUVS-TV 1710 Arden Way, Sacramento CA 95815 **
WTHR-TV 1000 N. Meridian Street Indianapolis, IN 46204
WPBF-TV 3970 RCA Boulevard, # 7007, Palm Beach Gardens, FL 33410
WTLV/WJXX-TV 1070 E Adams St, Jacksonville, FL 32202
WHBQ-TV 485 S. Highland. Memphis, TN 38111
WLEX-TV P.O. Box 1457 Lexington, KY 40588-1457
WGBA-TV 1391 North Rd, Green Bay, WI 54313
KMTV 10714 Mockingbird Dr, Omaha, NE 68127
KHQ-TV 1201 W. Sprague Ave. Spokane, WA 99201
WHEC-TV 191 East Avenue, Rochester, NY 14604
WCSH/WLBZ-TV One Congress Square Portland, ME 04101
KKTV 520 E. Colorado Colorado Springs, CO 80903
WAPT-TV 7616 Channel 16 Way Jackson, MS 39209
KYTX-TV 2211 ESE Loop 323 Tyler, TX 75701
KDLT-TV 3600 S. Westport Ave Sioux Falls, SD 57106
WFFT-TV 3707 Hillegas RD Ft. Wayne IN 46807
WCTI-TV 225 Glenburnie Dr. New Bern, NC 28560
KRNV-TV 1790 Vassar St. Reno, NV 89502
WLTZ-TV 6140 Buena Vista Rd. Columbus, GA 31907
KIII-TV 5002 South Padre Island Dr. Corpus Christi, TX 78411
WTVA-TV P.O. Box 320 Tupelo, MS 38802
KRCG-TV, 10188 Old Highway 54 North. New Bloomfield, MO 65063
KAAL-TV 1320 Salem Rd SW, Rochester, MN 55902
WOAY-TV P.O. BOX 3001 Oak Hill, WV 25901
**: Spanish language station