February 23, 2020
February 25, 2020 UPDATE:
Greetings:
We have TWO news director hires to report today.
Hoyt
CJ HOYT stays within Nexstar and heads to Indianapolis where’ll be the next ND for WTTV/WXIN-TV (CBS-FOX). CJ has been the ND for WHTM-TV (ABC) in Harrisburg, PA, since the summer of 2017, and has also run newsrooms in Huntsville, Toledo, Evansville, and Lafayette, LA. He’s also worked in Dallas, Knoxville, Greenville, SC, and Lincoln, NE.
Here’s the news release from the station and CJ’s email to his staff.
He replaces MATT WAGGONER who left in December to become ND for Scripps’ KSHB-TV (NBC) in Kansas City.
Ginn
And in Austin, TX, CHRISTINA GINN has been named ND for Tegna’s KVUE-TV (ABC). She’s spent the last ten years in network news, most recently as an EP for MSNBC. Christina’s also worked at CNN, but spent the first part of her career in local news, working in Orlando, Nashville (two stations) and Little Rock.
The station posted this announcement on its website.
Ryan
Christina replaces TIM RYAN who left last year to return to Tegna’s KUSA-TV in Denver (NBC) as Director of Content. Tim was ND in Austin for just over two years but earlier served 27 years at KUSA, the last 17 as the Assistant ND.
More in our complete newsletter this weekend.
regards,
Rick Gevers
**** ***** ****
Greetings:
A very busy week with FIVE new ND openings in a wide range of market sizes. But to my knowledge, NO open jobs were filled this week.
Our list of open ND jobs jumps to 36!
There are THREE paid help wanted ads, all for interesting management jobs in larger markets.
TWO obituaries, one for a former network newsman who spent a few years as a news director in San Francisco. You’ll like the way he described the format of a new network show he was launching. And a former Minnesota GM died last week.
In our Names in the News segment, a recent Ohio news director is on the mend from a head-on car accident which left him with a brain injury. An about-to-exit Florida news director spends 30 minutes talking about the business on a local radio station. A former ND turned educator is honored for his new book, new EPs at several medium market stations, and two management moves at Scripps.
And we have FIVE items in our General Manager section, including GM changes at THREE top 25 market stations.
All that and move below!
Newly Named News Directors:
For a week with a lot of new openings, to my knowledge there are NO new NDs named.
New News Director Openings:
McGarvy
WEWS-TV, Cleveland, OH…SEAN McGARVY is heading to parent company Scripps’ corporate staff as a Director of Digital Content Strategy. He’s been the ND for this ABC affiliate since August, 2018, coming from the Assistant ND job at the company’s KMGH-TV (also ABC) in Denver. His Linkedin page explains his other stops.
KOAT-TV, Albuquerque, NM…GREG SHEPPERD will leave this Hearst owned ABC affiliate March 19th. He told me why in this email:
Shepperd
After 20 years exploring this great country in five markets in four time zones, my husband and I have made the decision to put some roots down with our family in Chicago. I’m so grateful for the wonderful experiences in the last 15 years with the exceptional team at Hearst, and we’re excited about what’s next!
Greg joined KOAT in October, 2015 after three years as ND at sister Hearst’s KHBS-KHOG-TV in Fayetteville. He’s also worked for Hearst in Sacramento and New Orleans and began his career at WCNC-TV in Charlotte.
Chism
WGAL-TV, Lancaster/Harrisburg, PA…another Hearst station, another opening. MICHELLE CHISM has left this Hearst NBC affiliate after about 2 1/2 years as news director. She had been the Assistant ND at Hearst’s WBAL-TV in Baltimore for the previous 2 1/2 years. Michelle’s also worked in Austin, TX (KVUE-TV), Little Rock (KTHV-TV), and Kansas City (WDAF-TV).
Alexander
KRIS-TV, Corpus Christi, TX…we’ve had a news director opening posted for this Scripps station for several months. Now we’ve learned that PAUL ALEXANDER (who’d been the ND there before a promotion to Director of Local Content last fall) has resigned. Paul had been ND there since 2013, and had previously been an ND in Brownsville, TX. He’s began in sports, working as an anchor in Tucson, Austin, TX, San Antonio and St. Louis, a news anchor for the statewide News of Texas, and a news and sports radio talk show host.
KAVU-TV, Victoria, TX…ROXANN FISHER has left this Morgan Murphy Media owned ABC affiliate after about six months as news director. She’s a veteran Texas newswoman who’s worked for several stations in Houston and San Antonio. The local newspaper reports there has been a lot of management changes there.
Paid Help Wanted Ads:
Investigative Producer, WJLA-TV, Washington, DC:
ABC7-DC seeks an enterprising and aggressive Investigative Producer to join our 7 On Your Side investigative and consumer unit. Knowledge of the FOIA (Freedom of Information Act) process, computer-assisted reporting, and data-driven reporting is required along with familiarity of legal issues related to investigative television news reporting. Strong writing skills and knowledge of current events is essential. Dynamic storytelling skills are a must.
Responsiblilites:
Develop and maintain contacts and sources in the community to enterprise story ideas
Identify and pitch investigative angles on both long-form enterprise and big daily news stories
Work closely with Producer and Executive Producer to refine investigative pitches and story scripts
Write online versions of investigative reports and work with Digital Producers on “web extra” content for each investigation
Other duties as assigned
Requirements:
3 years of investigative producing experience preferred
History of award-winning investigative journalism preferred
Must be a strong storyteller with the ability to make the complicated understandable
Must be able to use all available tools to enhance stories, from graphics to social media
Should be able to generate story ideas and determine the legitimacy of viewer tips
Strong writer, storyteller. Must be naturally inquisitive with an interest in holding government officials accountable
While applying please provide an online portfolio link for review.
To learn more about this job and to apply, just click here!
Sinclair Broadcast Group, Inc. is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer and Drug Free Workplace!
Executive Producer of Innovation, WBNS-TV, Columbus, OH:
Are you a motivated, innovative leader that wants to work in a newsroom where creativity has no limit?
WBNS 10TV is looking for an Executive Producer of Innovation. You’ll work to create engaging and compelling content for all platforms, plan special projects, work with news, sales and marketing and be the “go to” for new adventures. This person will oversee newsroom projects such as podcasts, digital episodic content and other innovative media as we look to meet our audience where they are and elevate our brand.
The ideal candidate will identify engaging content opportunities within the newsroom and understand where that content best aligns with emerging product goals and our brand. Come help us champion ideas and create new ways of doing business that cut through the noise and inform our community.
If this job is for you, click here to learn more and apply!
Executive Producer/Special Projects, KPHO/KTVK-TV, Phoenix, AZ:
I. Job Summary
Executive Producer/Special Projects at Arizona’s Family CBS5 & 3TV (Meredith Corp.) is a driven, detail-oriented and creative EP who manages our special projects team including investigative/consumer units, sports and community coverage. The EPSP wears many hats generating a large quantity of high quality, branded stories; producing one-time specials; planning and executing our election coverage and contributing to daily newscasts as needs arise. Manages other special projects, including sweeps features, documentaries, station events, and awards entries. Candidate will be a proactive self-starter, managing large numbers of ongoing projects with little supervision while seeking to create new ones. Requires a high-level understanding of TV strategy, tactics, including visual storytelling, graphics, teases, and promotional opportunities. Willing to work long or unusual hours, weekends and holidays as needed. Work performed is for all media platforms and initiatives, including on-air, web, digital and social media.
II. Essential Job Functions
Accountabilities, Actions and Expected Measurable Results
50% Produce high quality, promotable, branded stories per station strategy and research priorities.
20% Assist in development and execution of Sweeps coverage
15% Plan and execute special coverage, including elections and community events
10% Produce one-time specials
5% Other duties as assigned
III. Minimum Qualifications and Job Requirements
Education: College degree required
7 yrs. experience as an EP, producer, reporter, or equivalent in daily news operation. Exp. with investigative reporting and producing.
Specific Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:
Knowledge of libel/slander/privacy laws.
Advanced computer and web publishing skills. Knowledge of editing.
Travel Required (Approximate): 5%
Please apply here:
EEO
Other News Management Openings:
ASSISTANT NEWS DIRECTOR:
WFTS-TV, Tampa/St. Petersburg, FL (listed 1/19/20)
KCPQ/KZJO-TV, Seattle, WA (listed 2/2/2020)
KCPQ-TV, Seattle, WA (listed 1/26/20)
WSFL-TV, Miami, FL (listed 2/2/2020)
KUSI-TV, San Diego, CA (relisted 2/9/20)
WDJT-TV, Milwaukee, WI (listed 2/9/20)
Spectrum News, Milwaukee, WI (listed 1/19/20)
WGBA-TV, Green Bay, WI (new listing this week)
WJAC-TV, Johnstown, PA (relisted 1/12/20)
KRCG-TV, Jefferson City, MO (relisted 1/26/20)
KTIV-TV, Sioux City, IA (relisted 1/19/20)
KNPN/KNPG/KCJO-TV, St. Joseph, MO (relisted 2/16/20)
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER:
Nexstar’s News Nation, Chicago, IL (2 openings, listed 2/2/20)
Nexstar’s News Nation, Chicago, IL (Digital EP, listed 2/2/20)
WCAU-TV, Philadelphia, PA (relisted 2/16/20)
KPHO/KTVK-TV, Phoenix, AZ (EP Special Projects, listed 2/16/20, see ad above!)
WWSB-TV, Sarasota, FL (relisted 1/26/20)
KING/KONG-TV, Seattle, WA (listed 2/16/20)
KDVR-TV, Denver, CO (AM EP and Digital EP, listing revised 2/9/20)
KMGH-TV, Denver, CO (listed 2/2/20)
Rocky Mountain PBS, Denver, CO (listed 11/24/19)
WNCN-TV, Raleigh, NC (PM EP, listing modified 1/19/20)
KGTV, San Diego, CA (listed 2/9/20)
KSND-TV, San Diego, CA (PM EP, listed 12/22/19)
KSWB-TV, San Diego, CA (listed 2/16/20)
WBNS-TV, Columbus, OH (EP/Innovation, listing revised this week, see ad above!)
WPTV, West Palm Beach, FL (new listing this week)
KVVU-TV, Las Vegas, NV (relisted 2/16/20)
WKBW-TV, Buffalo, NY (listed 1/12/20)
WDTN-TV, Dayton, OH (relisted 2/16/20)
WCBD-TV, Charleston, SC (relisted 1/5/20)
KNWA-TV, Fayetteville, AR (relisted 1/5/20)
KRNV-TV, Reno, NV (AM EP, new listing this week)
KERO-TV, Bakersfield, CA (relisted this week)
WVNS-TV, Beckley, WV (relisted 1/26/20)
KLST-TV, San Angelo, TX (listed 2/16/20)
MANAGING EDITOR:
Nexstar’s News Nation, Chicago, IL (2 openings, listed 2/2/20)
KOIN-TV, Portland, OR (relisted 2/9/16)
More News Management Openings:
New listings this week:
WJLA-TV, Washington, DC (Investigative Producer, see ad above!)
E.W. Scripps @ WCPO-TV, Cincinnati, OH (News Manager Apprentice)
Relisted this week:
WOWK-TV, Charleston, WV (Digital Content Manager)
Listed 2/16/20:
E. W. Scripps, Cincinnati, OH (Director of News Content Strategy)
WWSB-TV, Sarasota, FL (Digital Content Manager)
Listed 1/19/20:
WRAL-TV, Raleigh, NC (Senior Multiplatform Producer)
WBOC-TV/Draper Media, Salisbury, MD (Director of Digital Content)
University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY (Professor)
Listed 1/5/20:
WTKR-TV, Norfolk, VA (Assignment Desk Manager)
Obituaries:
Dudnick
HERB DUDNICK died Monday at the age of 86. Here’s the obituary. Herb’s a former ND for KRON-TV in San Francisco and worked briefly at ABC News. But he spent most of his long career at NBC News, where he helped develop the short-lived program NBC News Overnight. You’ll enjoy this blog post which has a fun description (about five paragraphs down) detailing how Herb described the format of Overnight to prospective anchors LINDA ELLERBEE and LLOYD DOBYNS.
Rhodes
KEYC-TV in Mankato, MN, is mourning the death of former GM MARVIN RHODES who died unexpectedly on Friday, February 14. He was 65. Marvin had been only the fifth GM in the station’s history, from 2013-2019. He’s remembered in this obituary from the KEYC website.
Names in the News (and other items):
Knopps
Former WTOL-TV Toledo (Tegna/CBS) news director ANTHONY KNOPPS has a new battle on his hands. He suffered a serious traumatic brain injury after a head-on car accident last July. (How serious? Normally an 80% mortality rate.) Interestingly, symptoms didn’t manifest for almost five weeks. Now he’s working hard on his recovery and trying to educate people about such injuries. More here.
Parcell
Outgoing WFTV Orlando (Cox Media Group/ABC) news director MATT PARCELL is about to retire. But before he exits, he sat for an interview with Orlando news radio station WDBO-FM about changes in broadcast news, what the industry does well, and what it doesn’t. You can hear that 35 minute interview here. Matt spent more than 22 years at WFTV, the last 7+ as news director.
Conway
Another award for news director turned educator/author MIKE CONWAY. The Library of American Broadcasting Foundation has given its 2020 Broadcast Historian Award to Mike’s well reviewed book: Contested Ground: The Tunnel and the Struggle over Television News in Cold War America. More details about the book (and how to buy it!) on Mike’s website.
Philadelphia’s WCAU-TV is adding a 7:00 newscast, which caught the attention of the TV writer for the Delaware County Times. (Apparently he doesn’t know that many markets have 7:00 newscasts.) But he does provide a little context to news in that time period and how most stations’ first newscasts were at 7:00.
Speaking of NBC owned stations, WVIT-TV, the NBC o-and-o in Hartford/New Haven, CT, filled its open EP position with JOSEPH HEGARTY. Joe’s spent the last 13 years working for WGME-TV in Portland, ME, as you’ll learn in this staff email from VP/News JANET HUNDLEY.
WBNS-TV (CBS) in Columbus, OH, filled one of its two open EP jobs by luring VICKI ZEAL from sister Tegna station WVEC-TV in Norfolk, VA. She starts in mid-March. The hunt continues for another position, EP of Innovation, as you will learn in the paid help wanted ad above.
Some hires at Scripps stations to share:
Producer LOGAN McCRARY has been bumped up to executive producer at KOAA-TV in Colorado Spring. And News Manager Apprentice Lisa Reyes will be the Assistant ND at WTXL-TV in Tallahassee. She’s been training at Scripps’ WFTV in Nashville and is the second successful candidate to come out of the program.
General Manager News and Notes:
Barrett
Thanks to our UPDATE Tuesday, you know (or should!) that news director turned general manager JOAN BARRETT is off to her next challenge. She’s the new GM for Tegna’s WCNC-TV (NBC) in Charlotte. Joan shared the news with her staff at Nexstar’s KDVR/KWGN-TV (FOX/CW) in Denver. She’s been the GM there for the last four years, had been an GM (and ND) in Wichita, and has had a wide variety of jobs, beginning on air in Lubbock, TX.
Loving
Joan’s wasn’t the only TEGNA general manager appointment this week. The company named DAVID LOVING to run its Des Moines station, WOI-TV (ABC). He previously worked for Univision for 21 years, most recently as GM of the company’s Houston station. David also oversaw four radio stations in Houston and, during his time at Univision, held senior management jobs in Austin, TX, San Antonio and San Francisco.
White
And the aforementioned Joan Barrett’s departure from Nexstar’s Denver station wasn’t the only general manager departure from the company this week. LEIGH WHITE has left KTXL-TV in Sacramento after almost 4 1/2 years at this FOX affiliate, most of that time as general manager after starting there as the sales manager. She’s also worked in Charlotte, Knoxville, and for several stations in Jackson, MS.
Poduska
Unlike the popular song from years ago, Kansas City, here we, uh, go (not come) for KCTV General Manager CHUCK PODUSKA. He’s announced his retirement after 38 years with the company, the last 2 1/2 as GM for this CBS affiliate. Chuck came up the bean counter route, having worked at headquarters in Des Moines, as business manager at KCTV, and in Orlando when the company owned a station there. More in this news release.
Palmer
Finally, CHRISTOPHER PALMER has been named VP/GM for Morgan Murphy Media’s WKBT-TV in La Crosse-Eau Claire, WI. Palmer joins from Gray’s WMC-TV in Memphis, where he has been since 2015. He’s previously worked in Toledo, Las Vegas, for WorldNow in New York and in Orlando.
Our Full List of Open ND Jobs:
Here’s our list of open ND jobs as of Sunday, February 23, 2020:
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
WNJU-TV, 2200 Fletcher Avenue Fort Lee, NJ 07024
WFMZ-TV 300 E Rock Rd, Allentown, PA 18103
WGCL-TV 425 14th St NW, Atlanta, GA 30318
WUVG-TV 3350 Peachtree Road #1250, Atlanta, GA 30326 **
WEWS-TV 3001 Euclid Ave., Cleveland, OH 44115
WTTV/WXIN-TV 6910 Network Place Indianapolis, IN 46278
WBFF-TV 2000 W 41st St, Baltimore, MD 21211
KVUE-TV 3201 Steck Avenue, Austin, TX 78757
KOAT-TV 3801 Carlisle Blvd. NE Albuquerque, NM 87107
WGAL-TV 1300 Columbia Avenue. Lancaster, PA 17603
WPMT-TV 2005 South Queen Street York, PA 17403
KTUL-TV 3333 S. 29th West Ave Tulsa, Ok 74101
WRGB-TV 1400 Balltown Road, Schenectady, NY 12309
KOLD-TV 7831 N Business Park Dr, Tucson, AZ 85743
WOI-TV 3903 Westown Parkway West Des Moines, Iowa 50266
KREM-TV 4103 S Regal St, Spokane, WA 99223
WITN-TV 275 E Arlington Blvd #275, Greenville, NC 27858
WTAJ-TV 5000 6th Ave # 1, Altoona, PA 16602
KYTX-TV 2211 E SE Loop 323, Tyler, TX 75701
KSBW-TV 238 John Street, Salinas, CA 93901
KRIS-TV 301 Artesian Street Corpus Christi, TX 78401
WLTZ-TV 6140 Buena Vista Rd. Columbus, GA 31907
KRCR-TV 755 Auditorium Dr. Redding, CA 96001
WSAW-TV 1114 Grand Ave, Wausau, WI 54403
WREX-TV 10322 Auburn Rd, Rockford, IL 61101
KSWO/KAUZ-TV 1401 SE 60th St, Lawton, OK 73501
WBNG-TV 560 Columbia Dr. Johnson City, NY 13790
WCAV-TV 999 2nd St SE, Charlottesville, VA 22902
WTVY-TV 285 N Foster St # 7, Dothan, AL 36303
KULR-TV 2045 Overland Ave. Billings, MT 59102
WDHN-TV P.O. Box 6237, Dothan, AL 36302
KHQA-TV 301 S 36th St, Quincy, IL 62301
Delta News 837 Washington Av. Greenville, MS 38701
KIDY/KXVA-TV 5 S. Chadbourne Street San Angelo, TX 76903
KAEF-TV 540 E St Eureka, California 95501
KAVU-TV 3808 N Navarro St, Victoria, TX 77901
**: Spanish language station