March 24, 2019
March 29, 2019 UPDATE:
Greetings:
We’re always pleased when a news director ascends to the GM chair, and that’s our report today.
Mokhtari
TODD MOKHTARI heads down I-5 to become GM of the NBC stations in San Diego, KNSD/KUAN-TV (NBC/Telemundo).
Todd’s an NBC veteran, having spent the last seven years as ND for KNBC-TV in Los Angeles, where he had earlier been the Managing Editor. He also spent time as the Assistant ND at NBC’s KNTV in San Jose/San Francisco.
Todd’s non-NBC stops included ND jobs at KCPQ-TV and KIRO-TV in Seattle. He began his career in Sacramento.
At KSND, he replaces DICK KELLEY who is retiring.
More on all this week’s developments in our full newsletter later this weekend.
regards,
Rick Gevers
**** ***** ****
Greetings:
Is your bracket destroyed yet? 🙂
We have just ONE new news director to introduce to you this weekend, but he’s no rookie…having been an ND in Los Angeles and Chicago. Read on to learn about his move to market 154.
And we have TWO new ND openings to report. That brings out count of open ND jobs to 28.
Just below you’ll see the new ad from a frequent advertiser, Weather Metrics. Please check out their booth at NAB, along with the booth for longtime advertiser Devlin Design Group. The booth addresses are in their ads.
Just ONE GM item this week, and several stories in Names in the News, including details about a longtime AP exec leaving the company and headed to the open road!
All that and more as you read on.
Newly Named News Director:Â
Hume
KAAL-TV, Rochester/Austin, MN…CRAIG HUME is headed north to be ND for this Hubbard Broadcasting owned ABC affiliate. Here’s the station’s news release. Many of you know Craig, who’s career as taken him from ND jobs in Los Angeles to Chicago to Orlando, and many other stops. His career is outlined in his Linkedin page. My records (not always accurate) list DAVID SPRINGERÂ as ND here from 2012 until last December.
New News Director Openings:Â
Levy
WOWK-TV, Charleston-Huntington, WV…GRENDEL LEVY has left this Nexstar Broadcasting owned CBS affiliate. She’s been the ND here for just about a year. Grendel spent six years at KIVI-TV in Boise, the last four as ND for that Scripps’ owned ABC affiliate. She’s also worked in New Orleans, Baton Rouge, and Biloxi. Her replacement will be the fourth ND here in less than three years.
Saxton
WECT-TV, Wilmington, NC…SCOTT SAXTON will leave this Gray Television owned NBC affiliate when his contract expires in May. Scott tells me he and his wife have bought the local franchise for Soccer Shots, which he describes as Soccer Shots, a soccer education program for children. Here’s the note from his GM. Scott’s been there almost ten years. He spent much of his earlier career at WSAZ-TV in Huntington, WV, beginning as a reporter and working his way up to ND.
News Management Openings:
ASSISTANT NEWS DIRECTOR:
KTVT-TV, Dallas/Ft. Worth, TX (listed 2/10/19)
KXAS-TV, Dallas/Ft. Worth, TX (relisted 2/3/19)
KGO-TV, San Francisco, CA (listed 2/3/19)
WESH-TV, Orlando, FL (listed 3/17/19)
KUSI-TV, San Diego, CA (relisted 3/3/19)
WCMH-TV, Columbus, OH (relisted 3/3/19)
KSTU-TV, Salt Lake City, UT (listed 2/3/19)
WBND-TV, South Bend, IN (relisted 3/10/19)
WJAC-TV, Johnstown, PA (relisted 3/10/19)
KRNV-TV, Reno, NV (new listing this week)
KDLT-TV, Sioux Falls, SD (relisted this week)
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER:
WFAA-TV, Dallas, TX (relisted 1/20/19)
KGO-TV, San Francisco, CA (Dayside EP, relisted 1/13/19)
WXIA-TV, Atlanta, GA (relisted 1/20/19)
Spectrum News, Charlotte, NC (listed 2/24/19)
WSMV-TV, Nashville, TN (PM EP, relisted 2/10/19)
WBNS-TV, Columbus, OH (Senior EP, relisted 3/10/19)
KLAS-TV, Las Vegas, NV (Digital EP, listed 3/10/19)
WOOD-TV, Grand Rapids, MI (listed 3/3/19)
WJAR-TV, Providence, RI (relisted 3/10/19)
WINK-TV, Ft. Myers, FL (TWO EP openings, relisted 1/27/19)
WKRG-TV, Mobile, AL (listed 3/3/19)
KJRH-TV, Tulsa, OK (PM EP, listed 1/27/19)
KXRM-TV, Colorado Springs, CO (Digital EP, relisted 3/10/19)
WCTV, Tallahassee, FL (relisted 3/24/19)
WQOW-TV, Eau Claire, WI (new listing this week)
MANAGING EDITOR:
OTHER NEWS MANAGEMENT OPENINGS:
Listed 3/17/19:
WTNH-TV, Hartford/New Haven, CT (Digital Content Manager)
Listed 3/10/19:
KOIN-TV, Portland, OR (Digital Director)
WKRG, Mobile, AL (Digital Content Manager)
KGET-TV, Bakersfield, CA (Digital Content Manager)
KFDX-TV, Wichita Falls, TX (Digital Content Manager)
Listed 3/3/19:
Rocky Mountain Public Media, Denver, CO (Chief Content Officer)
KLAS-TV, Las Vegas, NV Digital Executive Producer)
KXRM-TV, Colorado Springs, CO (Digital Executive Producer)
Relisted 2/10/17:
WCPO-TV, Cincinnati, OH (Senior Manager of Editorial Content)
E.W. Scripps, Denver, CO (National Executive Producer)
WTOC-TV, Savannah, GA (Digital Content Manager)
Names in the News (and other items):
RTDNA executive director DAN SHELLEY penned this nice response defending our business to a letter to the editor to a column written by a local blogger that was printed (corrected 3/25/19) in the Joplin Globe (Dan’s from Southwest Missouri).
Vann
We told you that longtime GM and former ND LES VANN was stepping down as GM for Meredith’s WHNS-TV, the FOX affiliate in Greenville, SC, to concentrate on his battle with Parkinson’s. More details in this note that Les sent me, which includes his email address for anyone wanting to wish him well. Les has been at WHNS for two years, and his been a GM in eight stations and spent 17 years as an anchor and ND in Springfield, IL.
Young
Congratulations to longtime Associated Press Regional Television Executive BOB YOUNG who left the AP on Friday after 33 years. Bob told me he bought an RV and he and his wife Diane will be traveling the country. Before the AP, Bob was an ND in Wilkes-Barre, PA, and Jackson, MS, and an anchor/reporter in Wilmington, NC, and Chattanooga.
Apologies for an error last week…we reported that VICKI BRADLEY was joining WTXL-TV in Tallahassee as its new Assistant ND. In fact, Vicki is the new morning EP at that Scripps owned ABC affiliate.
General Manager News and Notes:
JENNIFER HANSEN has been named General Manager of Sinclair’s WRLH-TV in Richmond, VA. That’s the FOX and MyTV network affiliate.
Our Full List of Open ND Jobs:
Here’s our list of open ND jobs as of Sunday, March 24, 2019:
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 New Jersey 450 Raritan Center Parkway Edison, NJ 08837
News 12 The Bronx 930 Soundview Avenue Bronx, NY 10473
Verizon Fios 1 News 800 Westchester Avenue, Rye Brook, NY 10573
WUVG-TV 3350 Peachtree Road #1250, Atlanta, GA 30326 **
KING-TV 1501 1st Ave. South, Suite 300 Seattle, WA 98134
KIRO-TV 2807 Third Ave., Seattle WA 98121
KUVS-TV 1710 Arden Way, Sacramento CA 95815 **
KSDK-TV 1000 Market St. St. Louis MO 63101
KFMB-TV 7677 Engineer Road San Diego, CA 92111
WSPA-TV 250 International Drive Spartanburg, SC 29303
KTNV-TV 3355 S. Valley View Blvd. Las Vegas, NV 89102
WHBQ-TV 485 S. Highland. Memphis, TN 38111
KSEE/KGPE-TV 5035 E McKinley Ave, Fresno, CA 93727
KARK-TV 1401 West Capitol Avenue, # 104 Little Rock, AR 72201
WOWK-TV 350 Quarrier St, Charleston, WV 25301
WLEX-TV P.O. Box 1457 Lexington, KY 40588-1457
KHQ-TV 1201 W. Sprague Ave. Spokane, WA 99201
WHEC-TV 191 East Avenue, Rochester, NY 14604
WGME-TV 81 Northport Drive. Portland, ME 04103
WFFT-TV 3707 Hillegas RD Ft. Wayne IN 46807
WLTZ-TV 6140 Buena Vista Rd. Columbus, GA 31907
KIII-TV 5002 South Padre Island Dr. Corpus Christi, TX 78411
WECT-TV 322 Shipyard Blvd, Wilmington, NC 28412
KVII-TV 1 Broadcast Center, Amarillo, TX 79101
KBMT-TV 525 Interstate 10 South, Beaumont, TX 77701
WBNG-TV 560 Columbia Dr. Johnson City, NY 13790
WOAY-TV P.O. BOX 3001 Oak Hill, WV 25901
WJMN-TV 3165 Wright Street, Suite 101 Marquette, MI 49855
**: Spanish language station