February 20, 2022
Saturday, February 26, 2022 UPDATE:
Greetings:
One item today, but it’s a big one.
CNN has apparently decided on a successor to JEFF ZUCKER who left the network earlier this month.
Licht
It’s CHRIS LICHT, currently the EP of the Late Show with Steven Colbert, who will take over once the sale to Discovery is complete.
These stories for you:
CNN:
While he may now be overseeing a comedy show, he’s a former EP for CBS This Morning and was the founding EP for ‘Morning Joe’ on MSNBC. He also worked for NBC owned stations in Los Angeles and San Francisco. More here.
And he wrote a book about a cerebral hemorrhage he suffered in 2010 entitled “What I Learned when I Almost Died.”
More in our full newsletter sometime Sunday.
regards,
Rick Gevers
Tuesday, February 22, 2022 UPDATE:
Greetings:
One item today.
After months of rumors, Tegna is selling to Standard General, with a few spinoffs, notably some big stations in Texas which will go to Cox.
More in our full newsletter this weekend.
regards,
Rick Gevers
**** ***** ****
Greetings:
We actually saw a small drop in the number of news director openings this week, as FIVE new ND’s were named, with just THREE new openings.
So our list of open ND jobs drops to 43. Still, that’s higher than usual.
SIX of those open jobs are featured in Paid Help Wanted ads.
In this week’s edition, there’s an obituary for a former Louisiana General Manager.
Also this week, we clear up a mystery that we described in last week’s edition.
News about TWO former CBS o-and-o GM’s, as ONE lands a new job while a current one is shown the door.
And a promotion for a Massachusettes ND…though she will still keep her day job.
The year is off to a busy start…we’ll have the latest in our full report for you next weekend.
Newly Named News Directors:
News 12 Long Island, New York, NY…ROBERT RIVAS has been named Senior News Director for the Altice owned hyper local cable news channel. Here’s the note from Altice SVP JACQUES NATZ. Robert’s spent most of his career at NBC News and the last eight months as an EP for Alongi Media. Robert replaces JIM WHITEMAN who retired last year after 35 years at News 12, where he was part of the original launch team.
KIAH-TV, Houston, TX…ANGEL COVARRUBIAS will be the next news director for this Nexstar owned CW affiliate. He’s been a regional news director for Entravision in some of its Texas markets and has also worked on air in San Antonio, Austin, and Brownsville. At KIAH, he replaces SCOTT FITZGERALD (whose title was Director of Operations) who left earlier this year for a sales job with Newtek.
WDRB-TV, Louisville, KY…JENNIFER KEENEY ascends to news director at this Block owned FOX affiliate. Details here. She’s a 24 year veteran of the station, most recently serving as the assistant news director. Jennifer has also worked in Philadelphia and San Francisco. She replaces BARRY FULMER who left to become ND for Scripps’ WCPO-TV in Cincinnati.
KOLD-TV, Tucson, AZ…JESSICA BOBULA continues her tour through Gray TV as she returns to this CBS affiliate as ND. You’ll learn in this memo from GM MICHAEL HORNFECK she was an EP here earlier. She’s currently ND for WITN-TV (NBC) in Greenville, NC and also worked at WIS-TV (NBC) in Columbia, SC. Jessica replaces JENELLE SHRINER who moved to Gray’s WAVE-TV (NBC) in Louisville as ND.
KERO-TV, Bakersfield, CA…this Scripps station has promoted VERONICA PLACENCIA to news director. She’s been the Assistant ND since she joined this ABC affiliate in 2019, and the interim ND since SUZANNE RODRIGUEZ left way back in September after two years as ND and four at the station. Veronica has been an ND for KTSM-TV in El Paso, TX before moving to Bakersfield.
New News Director Openings:
WITN-TV, Greenville, NC…you learned above that JESSICA BOBULA is returning to KOLD-TV as news director after two years here. Both stations are owned by Gray.
KADN/KLAF-TV, Lafayette, LA…BRIT STACK has left this Allen Media Broadcasting owned Fox/NBC duopoly after just about a year as the news director. She’s also worked in New Orleans and for two stations Johnson City, TN. You can learn more about this opportunity in the Paid Help Wanted ad just below.
KPLC-TV, Lake Charles, LA….and speaking of NBC affiliates along I-10 in Southern Louisiana, this NBC affiliate is also looking for a new ND to replace GREG DeBROSSE. Greg is leaving to become Director of Live Storytelling for The Weather Channel. Be sure to check out this note he sent me describing his time at KPLC. He’s been the ND here since August, 2018. His complete career history is here.
An update on an ND change we reported last week. We told you that J BATES was leaving KIVI-TV in Boise to join the Scripps recruiting team. I mentioned that I did not know what…if anything…the J stood for.
J kindly reached out and explained:
It actually is just J. In the 1800s the men in my family went from John to J according to Ancestry.com. We aren’t sure why, probably someone didn’t learn to write. But it’s been a family tradition ever since for the first born son. My grandfather, father and now my son all have just the letter J in our names.
Thanks for the shout out.
And thanks to J for the explanation!
Paid Help Wanted Ads:
News Director, KADN/KLAF-TV, Lafayette, LA:
NEWS15, the local FOX and NBC affiliate in Lafayette, LA is looking for a News Director to lead our news department. We are looking for someone with outstanding leadership skills who thrives on teaching, coaching and developing a strong and positive newsroom environment. In addition, the News Director leads and supervises all aspects of news, weather, and sports programming production.
The News Director will oversee a department that generates 40.5 hours of on-air content on the Lafayette market’s NBC and FOX stations. Lafayette is a great place to live and work with a culture all its own, and we are looking for a someone to oversee a department that produces professional and engaging content that reflects that culture in a way that appeals to our own families and communities.
Specific Job Duties:
Institutes training systems for new employees.
Makes decisions regarding hiring, evaluation, promotion and termination of employees.
Develops news coverage strategy for the station and its website.
Critiques newscasts daily to correct errors, improve coverage and provide mentoring feedback to news staff.
Prepare the department’s budget and manages expenses to meet established financial goals.
Skills & Qualifications:
Bachelor’s degree in Broadcast Journalism, or related field, or an equivalent combination of education and work-related experience preferred.
Minimum five years’ experience in news programming production, with at least two years’ experience in a leadership role.
Must be fully vaccinated against Covid-19 (subject to any medical or religious accommodations or other applicable law).
To be considered for this exciting opportunity, please click here.
Equal Opportunity Employer.
News Director, KTVX, Salt Lake City, UT:
Nexstar Inc., America’s largest local broadcasting company, is seeking a dynamic and collaborative News Director for one of the fastest growing, and largest geographic DMAs in the United States in Salt Lake City, Utah (Market #29.) The KTVX/ABC4 News Director will lead a staff of committed journalists, and will supervises all aspects of news, news content, weather, and sports programming production.
Work in one of the top “relocation” and “move-in” states in the country. Utah enjoys some of the best outdoor activities in the world, with unique natural wonders and topography, including amazing National and State Parks, and some of the best ski-resorts as well as world class hiking, climbing and biking trails.
Utah is home to many colleges and universities, and has the youngest-age population in the United States. The state is also one of the most business-friendly states in the country. It has become a magnet for SMB entrepreneurs, and digital and tech start-ups. Salt Lake City, Provo-Orem, and Ogden rank as top 10 cities for tech start-ups and starting SMB’s.
ABC4 & CW30 produce 10 hours of news and local content a day, with additional hours on the weekend. The station has the most accurate weather forecasting team (11 years in row) and airs the only weekly political program in the market, Inside Utah Politics. ABC4 is the most highly regarded news station for local, state, and federal political reporting in Utah, including our coverage of candidate debates.
News Director, WBNG-TV, Binghamton, NY:
WBNG is looking for a dynamic newsroom leader to take our team to the next level.
WBNG-TV, the CBS affiliate in Binghamton, NY, seeks a News Director to help guide our news department to new heights of journalistic and ratings success. This is an exciting opportunity to join a great team in one of New York’s most beautiful places to live.
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. The News Director is expected to work closely with other department managers to achieve the company’s overall performance goals.
A minimum of 4 years television news management experience and a college degree in broadcast journalism preferred. Must be able to demonstrate strong working knowledge of community issues, as well as sound journalistic principles. Must have the ability to make fast, accurate journalistic and logistical judgments.
If you have a passion for excellence, and a burning desire to lead the best local broadcast news operation in Binghamton, NY, we want to hear from you.
WBNG offers a competitive salary and traditional benefits package.
If you think you’re qualified, want to work with a great group of people and live in a great community, apply online by clicking here.
WBNG-TV is an Equal Opportunity Employer.
News Director, WLBT-TV, Jackson, MS:
WLBT is Mississippi’s flagship station and the dominant #1 local TV and digital media in Central Mississippi. We are a Gray Television NBC affiliate that consistently produces award-winning local news coverage. Jackson, MS is market #97 serving a 24 county region. WLBT produces 55 hours of news each week, including newscasts for WDBD Fox 40. The Jackson metro is the economic hub of Mississippi and a great place to work, live, and raise a family.
General Responsibilities:
– Five years of previous experience in newsroom leadership is required, as well as strong communication and organizational skills
– A degree in Journalism or Mass Communications is preferred
– Ability to work closely with other station department heads and managers within the company
– Ability to meet deadlines while handling multiple tasks
Qualifications:
• Utilize required software and systems (ENPS, Edius, Microsoft Teams, Excel). Strong computer knowledge preferred.
• A self-starter with a proven record of success in leadership, production, and distribution of local news, and development of talent.
• Strong leadership skills and excellent news judgment.
• A successful track record utilizing multi-media digital assets maximizing how news is covered and distributed.
• A passion for production and storytelling, combined with an unwavering commitment to journalistic ethics and standards.
• A community-minded spirit and vision to expand the station’s outreach and impact.
• Ability to meet deadlines while handling multiple tasks.
Interested applicants can click here to learn more and apply.
News Director, KBJR-TV, Duluth, MN:
Are you ready to lead an award-winning News Department? Are you ready to maintain our news staff’s reputation as the market leader? Are you ready to ensure that our staff of journalists remains relevant to our viewers? Do you have a vision for how local news will be shaped in the future? Are you a guide, a coach, a teacher, a mentor, a recruiter, and a trusted colleague?
If you fit that description, then the Gray Television station serving northeastern Minnesota and northwestern Wisconsin has an opportunity for you!
Located on the shores of the greatest of Great Lakes, Lake Superior in Duluth Minnesota, you will find KBJR Inc. situated in a state-of-the-art broadcast facility with resources generally found in larger markets.
If you are an outdoor enthusiast, you can consider our area paradise with the splendor of natural resources. If you are looking to grow your career professionally and personally, Gray Television excels at providing you with the resources to do so. In Duluth, the winters can be cold, but the hearts are warm, and the spring, summers and fall are a well-kept secret.
So, if you grow to call Duluth home, or merely consider it a step in your career journey, you will not regret your time spent here. If you’re ready to lead, what are you waiting for? Apply now!:
Other News Management Openings:
ASSISTANT NEWS DIRECTOR:
KTLA-TV, Los Angeles, CA (Digital AND, relisted 1/16/22)
KCNC-TV, Denver, CO (listed 1/23/22)
WRTV, Indianapolis, IN (listed 12/26/21)
WXIN/WTTV, Indianapolis, IN (relisted 1/30/22)
WNCN-TV, Raleigh, NC (listed 1/23/22)
WBNS-TV, Columbus, OH (relisted 12/26/21)
KXAN-TV, Austin, TX (listed 2/20/22)
WOOD-TV, Grand Rapids, MI (listed 2/6/22)
WBIR-TV, Knoxville, TN (relisted 12/26/21)
KOLR-TV, Springfield, MO (relisted 1/9/22)
WBTW-TV, Myrtle Beach/Florence, SC (listed 2/13/22)
KATC-TV, Lafayette, LA (listed 1/23/22)
WMBB-TV, Panama City, FL (listed 2/20/22)
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER:
KRON-TV, San Francisco, CA (Digital EP, listed 2/13/22)
WDCW-TV, Washington, DC (Digital EP, listed 2/13/22)
WFLA-TV, Tampa, FL (listed 2/13/22)
KTXL-TV, Sacramento, CA (listed 1/9/22)
Spectrum News, Charlotte, NC (relisted 1/30/22)
WJZY-TV, Charlotte, NC (listed 1/30/22)
WMAR-TV, Baltimore, MD (listed 1/9/22)
WRAL-TV, Raleigh, NC (Streaming EP, listed 12/19/21)
KSHB-TV, Kansas City, MO (listed 1/23/22)
WDJT-TV, Milwaukee, WI (listed 2/13/22)
WIAT-TV, Birmingham AL (listed 2/20/22)
WOOD-TV, Grand Rapids, MI (relisted 1/30/22)
WGNO/WNOL-TV, New Orleans (2 jobs, EP Spec. Proj., revised 2/13/22)
KFSN-TV, Fresno, CA (relisted 1/9/22)
KMTV, Omaha, NE (listed 2/13/22)
WNEM-TV, Saginaw, MI (relisted 1/9/22)
WAFF-TV, Huntsville, AL (relisted 1/2/22)
KRGV-TV, Weslaco, TX (AM EP, listed 1/16/22)
WSAV-TV, Savannah, GA (relisted 1/30/22)
WTVC-TV, Chattanooga, TN (listed 1/23/22)
KTSM-TV, El Paso, TX (relisted 1/30/22)
WSYM-TV, Lansing, MI (Digital EP, listing modified 12/26/21)
WKBN-TV, Youngstown, OH (listed 2/6/22)
WHBF-TV, Rock Island, IL (Digital EP, relisted 2/13/22)
KADN/KLAF-TV, Lafayette, LA (relisted 12/12/21)
KATC-TV, Lafayette, LA (relisted 1/23/22)
KFDX-TV, Wichita Falls, TX (listed 1/9/22)
SUPERVISING PRODUCER:
KOMU-TV, Columbia, Mo (listed 1/30/22)
MANAGING EDITOR:
KTNV-TV, Las Vegas, NV (listed 1/23/22)
KOMU-TV, Columbia, Mo (listed 1/30/22)
More News Management Openings:
Listed 2/13/22:
KNXV-TV, Phoenix, AZ (Digital Director)
KOAA-TV, Colorado Springs, CO (Assignment Desk Manager)
Relisted 2/13/22:
E.W. Scripps, Cincinnati, OH: National Director of News Platform Strategies and Special Projects
WSYR-TV, Syracuse, NY (Digital Content Manager)
Relisted 2/6/22:
WJW-TV, Cleveland, OH: (Digital Content Director)
Listed 1/30/22:
Missouri School of Journalism, Columbia, MO: (Director, Documentary Journalism Center)
Relisted 1/30/22:
Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY (Assistant Professor)
Relisted 1/23/22:
New York 1, New York, NY (Sr. Producer, Mornings on 1)
KTXL-TV, Sacramento, CA: (Digital Content Director)
Listed 1/9/22:
WTMJ-TV, Milwaukee, WI: (Senior Manager of Investigative and Enterprise Content)
Listed 12/26/21:
WIS-TV, Columbia, SC: Digital Content Manager
Listed 12/19/21:
University of Florida, Gainesville, FL: Director of Innovation News Center
Obituary:
GARY HARDESTY, a one time GM and part owner of Lake Charles KVHP-TV (FOX) died February 11 at the age of 76. More details about his life and career in this obituary.
Names in the News:
Congratulations to PATIENCE HETTRICK, news director for Gray’s WGGB-TV and WHSM-TV. Patience will assume additional duties as station manager for this ABC/CBS duopoly. More details in this news release. She’s been the news director here since 2015, and previously worked at sister stations WFSB-TV in Hartford. The ND at WFSB when she was there was DANA NEVES. Dana’s now the GM there, and Patience will report to her.
General Manager News and Notes:
JAY HOWELL will be the next GM for Nexstar’s KLAS-TV (CBS) in Las Vegas. More here. He most recently spent FOUR years as GM for THREE CBS owned stations, most recently KCBS/KCAL-TV in Los Angeles. He was GM for KOVR/KMAX-TV in Sacramento (one year) and KDKA-TV in Pittsburgh (13 months).
And another CBS owned station has a GM opening, as AUDRA SWAIN has left WJZ-TV in Baltimore. She’s been there about 4 1/2 years and is the latest of the GM’s named by ousted stations division president PETER DUNN to leave her post. ADRIENNE ROARK, one of the Presidents of the station’s division, will serve as interim GM.
Our Full List of Open ND Jobs:
Here’s our list of open ND jobs as of Sunday, February 20, 2022.
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
KPIX-TV 855 Battery St. San Francisco, CA 94111
KOVR/KMAX-TV 2713 KOVR Drive, West Sacramento, CA 95605
KTVX-TV 2175 West 1700 South Salt Lake City, UT 84104 (see ad above!)
WSYX-TV 1261 Dublin Road, Columbus, Ohio 43215
WGRZ-TV 259 Delaware Ave. Buffalo, NY 14202
WLNE-TV 10 Orms St. Providence, RI 02904
WDTN-TV 4595 S. Dixie Dr. Dayton OH 45439 (see ad above!)
WTVQ-TV 6940 Man O War Blvd., Lexington, KY 40511
WYMT-TV 199 Black Gold Blvd. Hazard, KY 41701
WOI-TV 3903 Westown Parkway West Des Moines, IA 50266
KHQ-TV 1201 W. Sprague Ave. Spokane, WA 99201
KMTV 10714 Mockingbird Drive Omaha, NE 68127
KOLR-TV 2650 E. Division Springfield, MO 65803
WSIL-TV 1416 Country Aire Dr. Carterville, IL 62918
KXXV-TV 1909 S. New Rd. Waco, TX 76711
WAND-TV 904 South Side Dr. Decatur, IL 62521
KWWL-TV 511 E 5th Street Waterloo, Iowa 50703
WLBT-TV 715 South Jefferson Street. Jackson, MS 39201 (see ad above!)
WNDU-TV 54516 State Road 933, South Bend, IN 46637
WITN-TV 275 East Arlington Blvd. Greenville, NC 27858
KIVI-TV 1866 E. Chisholm Dr. Nampa, ID 83687
KOLO-TV 4850 Ampere Dr., Reno, NV 89502
KNDO/KNDU 216 W. Yakima Ave., Yakima, WA 98902
KAPP/KVEW-TV 601 N. Edison Kennewick, WA 99336
WMBD/WYZZ-TV 3131 N. University, Peoria, IL 61604
KADN/KLAF-TV 1500 Eraste Landry Rd. Lafayette, LA 70506 (see ad above!)
WLTZ-TV 6140 Buena Vista Rd. Columbus, GA 31907
KVII-TV 1 Broadcast Center, Amarillo, TX 79101
KRCG-TV 10188 Old Highway 54 North. New Bloomfield, MO 65063
KBJR-TV 246 S Lake Ave. Duluth, MN 55802 (see ad above!)
KMIR-TV 72920 Park View Dr., Palm Desert, CA 92260
KCBD-TV 5600 Avenue A Lubbock, TX 79404
KBMT-TV 525 Interstate 10 South, Beaumont, TX 77701
KIMT-TV 135 E William St. Albert Lea, MN 56007
KTTC-TV 6301 Bandel Road NW Rochester, MN 55901
KOAM-TV 2950 NE Highway 69 Pittsburg, KS 66762
WBNG-TV 560 Columbia Dr. Johnson City, NY 13790 (see ad above!)
KPLC-TV 320 Division St. Lake Charles LA 70601
KALB-TV 605 Washington Street; Alexandria, LA 71301
WTOK-TV 815 23rd Ave. Meridian, Ms. 39301
Delta News 837 Washington Ave Greenville, MS 38701
KAEF-TV 540 E Street Eureka, CA 95501
KYOU-TV 820 West 2nd Street; Ottumwa, IA 52501
**: Spanish language station