February 18, 2024
Tuesday, February 20, 2024:
Greetings:
Tegna fills its third open ND job in a month…and second in seven days…with the hire of a veteran newsman.
Spessard
TODD SPESSARD will start March 4th as ND for WCNC-TV (NBC) in Charlotte. Details in the station’s news release. Todd most recently was the Corporate VP of Content for Griffin Media which owns CBS stations in Oklahoma City and Tulsa. He’s been a news director in several other markets and has also worked in Kansas City and Grand Rapids, MI, where (full disclosure) he worked for me at WOOD-TV. Todd’s Linkedin page is pretty complete and tells the whole story.
He replaces CARRIE HOFMANN who left in September to become GM for sister Tegna station WLTX-TV (CBS) in Columbia, SC. Carrie was ND here for three years.
More in our full newsletter this weekend.
regards,
Rick Gevers
**** ***** ****
Greetings:
Apologies for the late post. A long flight to the West Coast on a Southwest flight without functioning WiFi is to blame.
What we make up this week in lack of ND changes (only ONE!) we more than make up for with a packed Names in the News section. Some good stories there so be sure to check it out.
That one change leaves 33 stations on our list of openings, with no paid help wanted ads this week.
But we do welcome back Heller Weather as an advertiser. Meteorologist TIM HELLER offers on-site coaching for your weather team…and has added virtual coaching. Worth considering if you don’t speak meteorologist. Check out Tim’s ad just below.
And our friends at Sciline have a full roster of interview and training options.
In addition to a packed Names in the News section, we have news of TWO new GMs. both returning to states where they have worked before. And ONE of them will be running THREE stations, TWO in top 20 markets.
Read on, and have a great week.
Newly Named News Directors:
Di Santo
KUSA-TV, Denver, CO…Wednesday’s UPDATE reported that LINDA KICAK DI SANTO was going up (down?) Speer Boulevard to be the next ND for this Tegna/NBC station. She’s spent the last 21 years at KDVR/KWGN-TV (FOX/CW), most recently as the Assistant ND. She’s replacing TIM RYAN who said January 31 that he was leaving to pursue other projects.
New News Director Openings:
To my knowledge, NO new openings this week.
SciLine has several expert interview opportunities over these next few weeks. With topics ranging from youth sports to invasive species, childcare costs to lead pipes, and veterinary staffing shortages to zoning and land use, SciLine has experts ready to help strengthen the science in local news stories.
Interview an expert:
- Feb. 22 (noon-2 p.m. ET): The consequences of sports specialization (Dr. Nirav Pandya – UCSF)
- Feb. 29 (2-4 p.m. ET): Veterinary staffing shortages (Dr. Laura Molgaard – U. of Minnesota)
- Mar. 7 (1-3 p.m. ET): Eating invasive species (Dr. Joe Roman – U. of Vermont)
- Mar. 14 (2-4 p.m. ET): Zoning and land use reform (Dr. Jennifer Trounstine, Vanderbilt U.)
- Mar. 25 (1-3 p.m. ET): Childcare costs (Dr. Taryn Morrissey, American U.)
- April 10 (1-3 p.m. ET): Lead pipes (Dr. Mary Jean Brown, Harvard)
Recent videos (free for download and use in your stories):
SciLine, a philanthropically funded, free service for reporters, arranges 1-on-1, broadcast-quality interview opportunities with articulate scientists. Reporters can book 15 mins with them via Zoom or request a SciLine interview clip for your use. SciLine also runs a free expert matching service that connects reporters rapidly to scientist-sources on deadline.
Paid Help Wanted Ad:
No paid ads this week. If you want to highlight your news management opening to the most targeted audience available, let me know via email: rick@rickgevers.com
Other News Management Openings:
ASSISTANT NEWS DIRECTOR:
KNBC/KVEA-TV, Los Angeles, CA (relisted 1/7/24)
WDCW-TV, Washington, DC (listed 2/11/24)
KUSA-TV, Denver, CO (listed 2/4/24)
KOVR/KMAX-TV, Sacramento, CA (listed 2/11/24)
WBNS-TV, Columbus, OH (relisted 1/7/24)
KVVU-TV, Las Vegas, NV (relisted 1/21/24)
WHTM-TV, Harrisburg, PA (listed 1/7/24)
WACH-TV, Columbia, SC (listed 1/14/24)
WLTX-TV, Columbia, SC (relisted 1/7/24)
WTVC-TV, Chattanooga, TN (listed 1/14/24)
WSYR-TV, Syracuse, NY (listed 2/11/24)
WCIV-TV, Charleston, SC (listed 1/14/24)
KBOI-TV, Boise, ID (listed 1/14/24)
WGXA-TV, Macon, GA (listed 1/14/24)
KVII-TV, Amarillo, TX (listed 1/14/24)
KBMT-TV, Beaumont, TX (relisted 1/7/24)
KTVO-TV, Kirksville, MO (also PM anchor, listed 1/14/24)
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER:
WPIX-TV, New York, NY (Sports EP, relisted 2/11/24)
KNBC-TV, Los Angeles, CA (relisted 1/7/24)
WJLA-TV, Washington, DC (PM EP, relisted 1/14/24)
The Hill, Washington, DC (Rising Program, listed 1/21/24)
Nexstar DC Bureau, Washinton, DC (listed 12/24/23)
WSNN-TV, Sarasota, FL (listed 1/7/24)
WTSP-TV, Tampa/St. Petersburg (AM EP, relisted 1/7/24)
KUSA-TV, Denver, CO (relisted 1/7/24)
KATU-TV, Portland, OR (2 openings, AM and Digital, modified 2/4/24)
WTHR-TV, Indianapolis, IN (AM EP, relisted 1/7/24)
WXIN/WTTV, Indianapolis, IN (relisted 12/24/23)
WKRN-TV, Nashville, TN (relisted 12/24/23)
KFMB-TV, San Diego, CA (Supervising Producer, listed 2/4/24)
WBNS-TV, Columbus, OH (AM EP, relisted 1/7/24)
WTIC-TV, Hartford, CT (relisted 1/7/24)
WTNH-TV, Hartford/New Haven, CT (relisted 1/7/24)
WISN-TV, Milwaukee, WI (listed 2/4/24)
WPEC-TV, W. Palm Beach, FL (listed 1/14/24)
KSNV-TV, Las Vegas, NV (listed 1/14/24)
WVEC-TV, Norfolk, VA (AM EP, (relisted 1/7/24)
WXII-TV, Winston-Salem, NC (listed 2/4/24)
WGNO-TV, New Orleans, LA (AM EP, listed 1/28/24)
WRIC-TV, Richmond, VA (Digital EP, listed 1/21/24)
WRGB-TV, Albany, NY (listed 1/14/24)
KHON-TV, Honolulu, HI (listed 1/28/24)
KCCI-TV, Des Moines, IA (listed 2/4/24)
KETV, Omaha, NE (listed 2/4/24)
WHNT-TV, Huntsville, AL (Digital EP, listed 2/18/24)
WTVC-TV, Chattanooga, TN (relisted 1/14/24)
KTSM-TV, El Paso, TX (listed 2/4/24)
WBTW-TV, Myrtle Beach, SC (AM EP, listed 1/21/24)
WJHL-TV, Johnson City, TN (relisted 1/7/24)
WCTI-TV, New Bern, NC (listed 1/14/24)
WTAJ-TV, Altoona, PA (Digital EP, relisted 2/18/24)
WJAC-TV, Johnstown, PA (listed 1/14/24)
WRDW/WAGT-TV, Augusta, GA (listed 1/14/24)
WMBB-TV, Panama City, FL (Digital EP, listed 1/21/24)
MANAGING EDITOR:
KHON-TV, Honolulu, HI (listed 1/28/24)
More News Management Openings:
Relisted 1/7/24:
WATN-TV, Memphis, TN (Director of Digital Content)
WBNS-TV, Columbus, OH (Director of Digital Content)
Names in the News:
Zehnder
The man accused in the death of longtime KTVU-TV (Oakland, CA) News Director FRED ZEHNDER has been released from jail, placed on probation, and ordered to go to rehab. MICHAEL ALEXANDER WILLIAMS pleaded no contest in October to charges of felony vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated. His pickup truck hit Zehnder in a crosswalk in 2021, killing the 87 year old Zehnder, who spent more than 20 years as ND for KTVU.
Kneeland
KVUE-TV in Austin, TX, has dedicated its newsroom to its former news director and VP of News, CAROLE KNEELAND. Carole died of breast cancer in 1998 but hopefully you are familiar with the Carole Kneeland Project for Responsible Journalism which was created to teach many of the things she believed in. Hundreds of news people have gone through the training, including the current KVUE news director, TRAVIS SATTIEWHITE.
Boxx
Congratulations to old friend and longtime news director PERRY BOXX and his team at WPSD-TV in Paducah, KY. Lawyers for the station won a big open records case against Murray State University when the judge granted summary judgement. The station reported on the ruling here. Perry’s been ND here for six years: his long career is recapped on his Linkedin page.
O’Connell
Longtime ABC executive DEBRA O’CONNELL will head a new division, overseeing both ABC News and the owned station group. The New York Times has more. And this story from Variety points out that current ABC News president KIM GODWIN and stations group president CHAD MATTHEWS will report to O’Connell. Both Godwin and Matthews are former local news directors.
Linscheid
We have TWO new Assistant News Directors to share with you.
LEAH LINSCHEID, who’s been the morning anchor at WISC-TV in Madison, WI, will return to the station after her maternity leave as the Assistant ND. She’s worked for this CBS affiliate since 2014.
Williams
And at WSIL-TV in Carterville, IL, NATASHA WILLIAMS joins as the Assistant ND and Anchor. She’s worked in a variety of markets and for the Black information Network.
More in this news release.
Finally, the future of industry newsletter TvNewsCheck is apparently up in the air. Monday it posted a story saying it would suspend publication of its newsletter and website, blaming money issues. TWO DAYS later, saying it had been inundated with calls and emails, it began offering TVN Plus, saying they would revive the publication IF it gained 1,500 subscribers…at $199/each. Stand by.
(Hmm…$199 per subscriber…and I have more than that…where’s my calculator?)
General Manager News and Notes:
Suarez
JOSE SUAREZ is on the move again, returning to Florida where he will oversee THREE Telemundo stations in Tampa, Orlando and Ft. Myers. He’s been running three Telemundo stations on the other side of the country…in Sacramento, Fresno, and Las Vegas. More on his new job here. Jose’s a former news director in several markets. Jose began his career in Miami as an intern. More on his extensive background here.
Salas
ANGIE SALAS returns to Nexstar and Illinois where she’ll be the next GM for Nexstar’s WCIA/WCIX-TV (CBS-My Network) in Champaign, IL. Since 2019, she’s been the sales manager for Scripps’ WRTV (ABC) in Indianapolis, but earlier in her career she was the sales manager for Nexstar’s WHBF-TV in Rock Island, IL.
Our List of Open News Director jobs:
Here’s our list of open ND jobs as of Sunday, February 18, 2024:
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
News 12 Bronx/Brooklyn, 930 Soundview Ave. Bronx, NY 10473
KXTX-TV 4805 Amon Carter Boulevard, Ft. Worth, TX, 75155 **
KDVR/KWGN-TV 100 East Speer Blvd. Denver, CO 80203
WCNC-TV 1001 Wood Ridge Center Dr. Charlotte, NC 28217
KUTV 299 South Main Street, #150 Salt Lake City, UT 84111
WXIX-TV 635 W 7th. Cincinnati, OH 45944
KBLR-TV 450 Fremont St STE 310. Las Vegas, NV 89101 **
WHP-TV, 2300 N Cameron St Harrisburg PA 17110
WVTM-TV 1732 Valley View Dr. Birmingham, AL 35209
WBMA-TV 800 Concourse Pkwy Ste 200. Hoover, AL 35244
WBRE/WYOU-TV, 62 S. Franklin St. Wilkes-Barre, PA 18701
WOLF-TV 1181 Highway 315 Wilkes-Barre, PA 18702 (News Manager)
WHEC-TV 191 East Ave, Rochester, NY 14604
WZDX-TV 1309 N. Memorial Parkway Huntsville, AL 35801
KNVO-TV, 801 North Jackson Rd., McAllen TX 78501 **
WAND-TV 904 W. South Side Drive. Decatur, IL 62526
WBRZ-TV 1650 Highland Road, Baton Rouge, LA 70802
KLEW-TV 2626 17th St, Lewiston, ID 83501
WNCT-TV 3221 South Evans Street. Greenville, NC 27834
WFXG-TV, 3933 Washington Rd., Augusta, GA 30907
KYTX-TV 2211 ESE Loop 323. Tyler, TX 75701
KNDU/KNDO-TV 216 W. Yakima Ave. Yakima, WA 98902
KDRV-TV 1090 Knutson Avenue Medford, OR 97504
KBJR-TV 246 S Lake Ave, Duluth, MN 55802
KXMB-TV 1811 N 15th Street Bismarck, ND 58501
KOSA-TV 4101 E. 42nd. Suite J-7. Odessa, TX. 79761
WTWO-TV 10849 N US Highway 41, Farmersburg, IN 47850
WDTV 5 Television Dr. Bridgeport, WV 26330
WWNY-TV 120 Arcade St. Watertown, NY 13601
KGNS-TV 120 W. Del Mar Blvd. Laredo TX 78041
KGWN-TV, 2923 E. Lincolnway. Cheyenne, WY 82001
KYOU-TV 820 West 2nd Street; Ottumwa, IA 52501
KQTV 4000 Faraon St. Joseph, MO 64506
**: Spanish language station