January 12, 2025
Greetings:
It appears I missed a BIG discount or sale on GM and upper management hires, as TEN such moves were revealed this week. We have the details below in our GM section.
THREE new news director openings and TWO new NDs were named, all the result of intra company moves. That brings the total of stations with ND openings to 42.
ONE of those openings (in what sounds like a beautiful part of California) is featured in a Paid Help Wanted ad.
Sorry to report the death of a longtime photographer who reinvented himself as a web expert. And while you didn’t know him, if you’re reading this newsletter you may owe him a small debt of gratitude.
CBS is making more changes on how it presents weather. That’s in Names in the News, along with the retirement of a long-ago ND who also reinvented himself…and later benefited from the services of his world famous last employer.
Finally, check out the new ad (and new format) from our friends at Sciline, which offers you free Zoom interviews with experts of a variety of topics, and weather consultant TIM HELLER is advertising as well.
Have a great week.
Plantinga
Newly Named News Directors:
Stanley
WHNS-TV, Greenville, SC…MATT STANLEY moves with Gray Media to become the new ND for this FOX Affiliate. Since 2019, he’s been the ND at WMBF-TV in Myrtle Beach. GM BRYCE CALDWELL sent this memo to the staff. Matt’s also worked in Shreveport, Baton Rouge, and Montgomery, AL. At WHNS, he replaces MARYBETH JACOBY who moved to Gray’s WIS-TV in Columbia, SC as ND.
WOWK-TV, Charleston/Huntington, WV…STEPHEN SHAW returns to this Nexstar/CBS affiliate as its next news director. Earlier in his career he was the Assistant ND here before moving up the Nexstar food chain to ND jobs at WTAJ-TV (CBS) in Altoona, PA, and KSEE-KGPE-TV (NBC/CBS) in Fresno, where he’s been since July, 2023. He replaces BOB SCHAPER who left in October to become ND for Scripps’ WGBA-TV in Green Bay.
New News Director Openings:
Smith
KCCI-TV, Des Moines, IA…ALLISON SMITH has been promoted to General Manager for sister Hearst station KETV in Omaha. She’s been ND here since 2018. Allison graduated from high school in Nebraska and worked in news at stations in Pennsylvania and Ohio before moving to KCCI. More on her new job in our General Manager News and Notes section below.
KSEE/KGPE-TV, Fresno, CA…you read above that STEPHEN SHAW has accepted a transfer within Nexstar to become ND for WOWK-TV in Charleston/Huntington, WV.
WMBF-TV, Myrtle Beach, SC…you also learned above that MATT STANLEY will be the next ND for sister Gray Media station WHNS-TV (FOX) in Greenville, SC.
Paid Help Wanted Ad:
News Director, Redwood News, Eureka, CA:
KIEM/KVIQ in beautiful Eureka, California is currently on the lookout for a dynamic individual to fill the role of News Director. The role demands a great deal of patience and a knack for mentoring, making it essential for the candidate to possess strong leadership and coaching skills.
The person stepping into this role will be responsible for overseeing all news, weather, and sports content and execution. You won’t be bogged down by budgets and endless reports. Newsroom experience a must: producers and executive producers are welcome to apply.
Redwood News is situated in Eureka, CA which is the largest city in the two county DMA: Humboldt and Del Norte. Route 101 runs from the top to the bottom of the DMA with breathtaking views of the ocean and weaving in and out of the magnificent Redwoods. There are numerous rivers for kayaking and fishing. The area has a temperate climate, but if it’s heat or snow you seek it’s an hour away inland. The area boasts a significant population of artists and performers and is home to Cal Poly Humboldt University. In recent times Cal Poly has been a feeder to our news staff so you will have a recruiting pipeline.
If you love the outdoors and a laid-back vibe then Eureka is the place to be!
Salary $68,640
Imagicomm Communications, LLC is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate against applicants on the basis of race, color, creed, religion, genetic information, ancestry, age, sex, gender, marital status, national origin, disability or handicap, veteran status, or any other status or characteristics protected by federal, state and/or local laws. Applicants may notify the appropriate local, state or federal agency if they believe they have been the victims of discrimination.
Other News Management Openings:
ASSISTANT NEWS DIRECTOR:
KUSA-TV, Denver, CO (relisted 1/5/25)
WJZY-TV, Charlotte, NC (listed 12/8/24)
WDAF-TV, Kansas City, MO (relisted 11/17/24)
WBRE/WYOU-TV, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, PA (relisted 1/12/25)
WDTN-TV, Dayton, OH (relisted 1/12/25)
KREM-TV, Spokane, WA (listed 1/5/25)
WSYR-TV, Syracuse, NY (listed 11/3/24)
WCIA-TV, Champaign, IL (relisted 12/1/24)
WANE-TV, Ft. Wayne, IN (listed 1/12/25)
WMBD-TV, Peoria, IL (listed 1/5/25)
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER:
Spectrum Noticias, New York, NY (Senior EP, relisted 1/12/25)
KPRC-TV, Houston, TX (AM Broadcast EP, relisted 10/6/24)
Spectrum News, Tampa, FL (National EP, released 12/22/24)
WFLA-TV, Tampa, FL (relisted 1/12/25)
WTSP-TV, Tampa, FL (Digital EP, listed 1/5/25)
WXYZ-TV, Detroit, MI (relisted 1/12/25)
Spectrum News, Orlando, FL (relisted 1/12/25)
WCNC-TV, Charlotte, NC (relisted 1/5/25)
Spectrum News 1, Raleigh NC (relisted 12/22/24)
WNCN-TV, Raleigh, NC (listed 12/22/24)
KSDK-TV, St. Louis, MO (relisted 1/5/25)
WTVF-TV, Nashville, TN (listing modified 1/12/25)
WCMH-TV, Columbus, OH (Digital EP, relisted 1/12/25)
WDAF-TV, Kansas City, MO (listed 1/5/25)
WDJT-TV, Milwaukee, WI (Nightside EP, listed 1/5/25)
WTLV/WJXX-TV, Jacksonville FL (listed 1/5/25)
WWL-TV, New Orleans, LA (relisted 1/5/25)
WHO-TV, Des Moines, IA (listed 1/12/25)
WVLA/WGMB-TV, Baton Rouge, LA (relisted 11/17/24)
WQAD-TV, Moline, IL (relisted 1/5/25)
More News Management Openings:
Listed 1/12/25:
WTMJ-TV, Milwaukee, WI (Senior Digital Content Producer)
Listed 1/5/25:
WATN-TV, Memphis, TN (Digital Director)
Relisted 1/5/25:
KGW-TV, Portland, OR (Digital Director)
WGNO/WNOL-TV, New Orleans, LA (Digital Content Manager)
KARK/KLRT-TV, Little Rock, AR (Digital Webmaster & Content Dir.)
WVLA/WGMB-TV, Baton Rouge, LA (Digital Content Manager)
Listed 12/15/24:
KRON-TV, San Francisco, CA (Streaming/Weekend Executive Producer)
Relisted 12/8/24:
Tegna, Jacksonville, or Tampa, FL (Florida Digital Director)
Relisted 12/1/24:
KSWB/KUSI-TV, San Diego, CA (Digital Content Manager)
Obituary:
Mills
Funeral services for WARREN MILLS will be held Tuesday, January 21, here in Indianapolis. He was 69 and suffered from cancer and kidney disease which returned after a 2014 kidney transplant. (Many of you may owe him a debt of thanks as he did my first website for the newsletter.)
Warren was an early webmaster for WTHR-TV in Indianapolis where he began as a photographer, and also worked in Shreveport, Savannah, and Columbia, MO. This obituary has visitation and service information…but little else. I am hoping it gets updated so keep checking.
Names in the News (and other stuff):
CBS has apparently abandoned (at least temporarily) its partnership with The Weather Channel and turned in house for its weather coverage. Details in this memo from President, Editorial and News Gathering, ADRIENNE ROARK and in this story from Newscast studio.
At Sinclair’s WJAR-TV (NBC) in Providence, RI, morning producer DAN PAQUET has been promoted to assistant news director.
Petrovich
Former News Director RON PETROVICH has retired from his second career, finishing at the Mayo Clinic, leaving with the title of Emeritus, Communications Director. Check out his post on his retirement AND his first party tale from 2015 of how he benefited a few years ago from Mayo’s medical expertise. He’s a former ND in Milwaukee, Indianapolis and Saginaw.
General Manager News and Notes:
Apparently there was a BIG sale on filling GM and other senior management jobs. We missed out, though I did get a free bag of chips for my birthday at a local sub shop.
There is one apparent opening which I’ve had trouble confirming. RIC HARRIS has apparently left WCAU-TV after almost ten years as GM of that NBC o-and-o. We’ll keep trying to confirm.
Plantinga
We’ll start with Scripps, which promoted LYN PLANTINGA to Senior VP of Local Media. She’ll also keep the day job as GM for WTVF-TV (CBS) in Nashville, which she’s been since 2015 and assumed regional responsibilities last year. Her background is unique, serving at WTVF (at different times, of course) as Assistant ND AND national sales manager. She replaces (and will report to) DEAN LITTLETON, who was promoted to EVP of media broadcast operations last month.
Rogers
TRACEY ROGERS will oversee Nexstar stations in Panama City, Dothan, AL, and Columbus, GA. She’s a long ago news director in Huntsville and Memphis, and has held general manager jobs in Jonesboro, AR, Memphis, and Nashville, and also served as a regional SVP for Nexstar. More on her background here.
MIKE MORSE will run Nexstar stations KSEE/KGPE-TV (NBC/CBS) in Fresno.
JON McGUIRE moves from Columbus, GA, to Charlotte, where he’ll oversee WJYZ/WMYT-TV.
MITZI COLEMAN leaves WTRF-TV Wheeling, WV, where she was GM for about 18 months to WEHT-TV in Evansville, IN, as GM there.
And TINA CASTANO gets a promotion from GM in Elmira and Binghamton, NY, to run stations in Burlington, VT.
But wait! There’s more!
Hearst made TWO GM moves, shifting SHAWN OSWALD from KETV in Omaha to WISN-TV in Milwaukee, and promoted ALLISON SMITH, ND at KCCI-TV in Des Moines, to replace Shawn at KETV.
Not to be left out, Tegna names SCOTT DEMPSEY GM for WLTX-TV in Columbia, SC. He’s a former GM for WBTV in Charlotte and a former regional GM for Raycom.
And Sinclair promoted JON KRAMER to GM for WMSN-TV (FOX) in Madison, WI. He’d been the GSM there and is also (ya gotta’ like this) the founder and President of the Wisconsin Billiards Hall of Fame, as detailed in the link above.
Our List of Open News Director jobs:
Here’s our list of open ND jobs as of Sunday, January 12, 2025:
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
WPHL-TV 5001 Wynnefield Ave. Ste 3. Philadelphia, PA 19131
KDFW-TV 400 N. Griffin Street Dallas, TX 75202
WKTB 4675 River Green Pkwy, Duluth, GA 30096 **
WTVT-TV 3213 W Kennedy Blvd, Tampa, FL 33609
KSTP-TV 3415 University Ave. St. Paul, MN 55114
WISH-TV 1950 N. Meridian St., Indianapolis, IN 46202
KSL-TV 55 North 300 West, Salt Lake City, UT 84180
WOAI-TV 4335 NW Loop 410, San Antonio, TX, 78229
WHTM-TV 3235 Hoffman Street. Harrisburg, PA 17110
WHAS- 520 W Chestnut St, Louisville, KY 40202
WOLF-TV 1181 Highway 315 Wilkes-Barre, PA 18702 (News Manager)
KFSN-TV 1777 G St, Fresno, CA 93706
KSEE/KGPE-TV 5035 E McKinley Ave, Fresno, CA 93727
KATV 10 Turtle Creek Lane Little Rock, AR 72202
KOKI-TV 2625 S Memorial Dr, Tulsa, OK 74129
KLEW-TV 2626 17th St, Lewiston, ID 83501
KCCI-TV 888 9th St. Des Moines, Iowa 50309
WZDX-TV 1309 N. Memorial Parkway Huntsville, AL 35801
WCIV-TV 88 Allbritton Blvd, Mount Pleasant, SC 29464
KNVO-TV, 801 North Jackson Rd., McAllen TX 78501 **
WSAV-TV 1430 East Victory Drive Savannah, GA 31404
KTBS-TV 312 E. Kings Highway. Shreveport, LA 71104
WSIL-TV 1416 Country Aire Drive Carterville, IL 62918
WMBF-TV 918 Frontage Rd. East; Myrtle Beach, SC 29577
WNCT-TV 3221 South Evans Street. Greenville, NC 27834
KSFY-TV 325 S 1st Ave, Ste 100, Sioux Falls, SD 57104
WGXA-TV 599 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. Macon, GA 31201
KHSL-TV 3460 Silverbell Rd. Chico, CA 95973
WREX-TV 10322 Auburn Road, Rockford, IL 61101
KQDS-TV 2001 London Road Duluth, MN 55812
KOSA-TV 4101 E. 42nd. Suite J-7. Odessa, TX 79761
KMID/KPEJ-TV 1550 West I-20 Odessa, TX 79763
KWES-TV 11320 West County Rd. 127. Odessa, TX 79765
WTWO-TV 10849 N US Highway 41, Farmersburg, IN 47850
WDTV 5 Television Dr. Bridgeport, WV 26330
KECI/KCFW/KTVM-TV, 340 W. Main St. Missoula, MT 59802
KTVQ-TV 3203 3rd Ave N., Billings, MT 59101
WWNY-TV 120 Arcade St. Watertown, NY 13601
KREX-TV 345 Hillcrest Drive Grand Junction, CO 81501
KIEM/KVIQ-TV 5650 S, Broadway St. Eureka CA 95503 (see ad above!)
KIDY-TV5 S. Chadbourne San Angelo, TX 76902
KYOU-TV 820 West 2nd Street; Ottumwa, IA 52501
**: Spanish language station