January 26, 2025
Greetings:
For the second consecutive weeks, there are THREE ND changes this week, but this week TWO are in top 20 markets.
TWO of these changes are new news director openings and ONE change is a new solution to an ND opening, so our list of stations with openings grows to 44.
NO Paid Help Wanted ads this week, but both WMV and Sciline have ads, including Sciline’s offer of a crash course in science essentials for reporters. Both ads are below.
There’s an obit for a controller turned GM who later ran her city’s Chamber of Commerce.
And..again…lots of interesting items in Names in the News (and other stuff) including:
Winners of the DuPont Awards
Ever changing details on how a local group will cover weather
An update on how a former LA ND in coping after losing his house
Lots of news management changes
And a veteran GM…who succeeded her husband…is retiring.
All that and more below!
Newly Named News Directors:
Dallman
KREX/KRQX-TV, Grand Junction, CO…this opening has been resolved with a two-pronged solution. Production Manager SCOTT SHERIFF assumes an additional role as news operations manager, while GM BILL DALLMAN (a former ND in multiple large markets) will handle other duties. This combo replaces TERRI CHAPPELL-PAXSON who left last summer. Nexstar owns KREX (CBS) and KRQX (FOX).
New News Director Openings:
Carson
WJLA-TV, Washington, DC…the second of TWO Updates this week told you CHERYL CARSON is stepping down as ND for this Sinclair owned ABC affiliate at the end of February. Cheryl told the staff why in this staff memo. She’s been the ND there for six years, spent more than three years as ND for KING-TV in Seattle (in addition to three years as the Assistant ND at KING) Her complete career history is here.
McGinley
WKMG-TV, Orlando, FL…this week’s FIRST Update brought word of ALLISON McGINLEY’s pending departure from this Graham Media owned CBS affiliate. She’s off to a new job at her alma mater, the University of Central Florida. She’s been ND here since 2015. Allison joined the station in 1993, though she took a four year break to become a mom. She’s a past chair of RTDNA, as well.
Paid Help Wanted Ads:
No ads this week. If you want to reach a VERY targeted audience for your news management opening, please send me an email: rick@rickgevers.com
Other News Management Openings:
ASSISTANT NEWS DIRECTOR:
KSDK-TV, St. Louis, MO (listed 1/26/25)
WTAE-TV, Pittburgh, PA (listed 1/26/25)
WDAF-TV, Kansas City, MO (relisted 11/17/24)
WREG-TV, Memphis, TN (listed 1/19/25)
WBRE/WYOU-TV, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, PA (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)
WSYM-TV, Lansing, MI (listed 1/19/25)
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)
KING-TV, Seattle, WA (listed 1/26/25)
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)
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)
KXRM-TV, Colorado Springs, CO (listed 1/26/25
WVLA/WGMB-TV, Baton Rouge, LA (relisted 1/26/25)
WQAD-TV, Moline, IL (relisted 1/5/25)
More News Management Openings:
Listed 1/19/25:
WFTS-TV, Tampa, FL (Manager of Real-Time Depth)
KTXL-TV, Sacramento, CA (News and Content Manager)
WJET-TV, Erie, PA: (Digital Content Manager)
WSAV-TV, Savannah, GA (Digital Content Executive Producer)
Listed 1/12/25
WTMJ-TV, Milwaukee, WI (Senior Digital Content Producer)
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 12/1/24:
KSWB/KUSI-TV, San Diego, CA (Digital Content Manager)
Obituary:
Hooper
A long battle with cancer claimed DEBORAH HOOPER on January 20th. She was 67. Deborah spent 25 years at WFMY-TV in Greensboro, beginning as the controller and raising to General Manager, and played an important role when Harte-Hanks sold WFMY (and other stations) to Gannett. She also served as President of the Greensboro Chamber of Commerce. More on an interesting life in this obituary.
Names in the News (and other stuff):
The 2025 DuPont-Columbia Award winners and finalists were announced this week. KPRC-TV in Houston, WTVF-TV in Nashville, KXTV in Sacramento, KFOR-TV in Oklahoma City were winners, while finalists included Chicago’s WBBM-TV, WVUE-TV in New Orleans, and KUSA-TV in Denver. Apologies to any local stations I may have missed. The complete list is here and will reassure you that lots of good work is being done on the local level.
The ever evolving story of how weather will be covered at Allen Media Group stations continues to, well, evolve. Last week we told you that local meteorologists at Allen stations would be replaced by forecasts from (Allen owned) The Weather Channel. It was only a day or two later that several stations, including WTVA-TV in Tupelo and WAAY-TV in Huntsville posted stories that the decision had been reversed. As I said earlier this week, lots more to come there.
Before news of the possible reversal, veteran broadcaster HANK PRICE, whose work from TVNewsCheck.com we share with you from time to time, called it a tragedy and one of the saddest moves he’d ever seen.
In another TVNewsCheck story, EMILY BARR, formerly head of Graham Media and a one-time GM for WLS-TV in Chicago, praised the coverage of the California wildfires provided by local stations in Los Angeles.
Warren C.
Speaking of the fires, we have an UPDATE from longtime Los Angeles newsman WARREN CEREGHINO, who was among the many residents who lost their home…and most everything else…in the California wildfires. He emailed this update on his life after the fire. It’s worth a moment of your time. Warren’s a former ND at KTLA-TV and KTVU-TV in San Francisco/Oakland, and worked at several LA stations.
BRAD HYATT joins Nexstar’s WJZY/WMYT-TV (FOX/MyTV) in Charlotte as Assistant ND. He most recently was the ND for WIS-TV in Columbia, SC. ND CASEY CLARK shared the news with staff.
Higgins
NATHAN HIGGINS has been promoted to Assistant News Director at Tegna’s KUSA-TV (NBC) in Denver. But he won’t start the new role until mid-April. He’s got a good excuse, as explained in this Linkedin post.
But an Assistant ND job has opened at another Tegna station, KSDK-TV, (also NBC) in St. Louis.
They’re restructuring there, replacing retiring news director ART HOLLIDAY with an Assistant ND. We told you a few weeks ago that Art will leave in July on his 46th anniversary, a great career art KSDK, with four distinct chapters. Art reported (as will the new AND) to Director of Content MORGAN SCHAAB.
General Manager News and Notes:
Byrnes
Longtime Cleveland GM MICKI BYRNES will retire from Tegna’s WKYC-TV (NBC) in April. She’s been GM since 2015, succeeding her husband, BROOKE SPECTORSKY, and was station manager and marketing director before that, first joining the station in 1997. She’s also worked in Boston, Atlanta, San Francisco and Orlando and (fun fact) is a Trustee for the Cleveland based Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Our List of Open News Director jobs:
Here’s our list of open ND jobs as of Sunday, January 26, 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 **
WJLA-TV 1100 Wilson Blvd. Arlington, VA 22209
WTVT-TV 3213 W Kennedy Blvd, Tampa, FL 33609
KSTP-TV 3415 University Ave. St. Paul, MN 55114
WKMG-TV 4466 N John Young Pkwy, Orlando, FL 32804
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
WCIV-TV 88 Allbritton Blvd, Mount Pleasant, SC 29464
KNVO-TV, 801 North Jackson Rd., McAllen TX 78501 **
WRCB-TV 900 Whitehall Rd. Chattanooga, TN 37405
WSAV-TV 1430 East Victory Drive Savannah, GA 31404
KTBS-TV 312 E. Kings Highway. Shreveport, LA 71104
KINT-TV 5426 North Mesa Street El Paso, TX 79912
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
KIEM/KVIQ-TV 5650 S, Broadway St. Eureka CA 95503
KIDY-TV5 S. Chadbourne San Angelo, TX 76902
KYOU-TV 820 West 2nd Street; Ottumwa, IA 52501
**: Spanish language station