November 22, 2020
Greetings:
Another burst of news director hiring with THREE jobs filled this week, with ONE new opening.
That brings our list of open news director jobs to 18. (If that trend continues, I may get my Sunday nights back.)
There’s a rare blind box ad for an attractive Assistant News Director job in a medium market. (Puh-leeze don’t ask me what station…every time I run a blind box ad, someone does.)
We have an obituary for a former EP of America’s Most Wanted who started in local news before moving on to CBS.
There’s another national news network in the works. Details on that are below, in our Names in the News segment, along with a new EP at a Florida station and more news about job cuts in Buffalo.
And there’s a GM opening in a top 20 market, with a GM job filled in market 163.
That’s all below, of course.
Have a great Thanksgiving.
Newly Named News Directors:
Parquet-Taylor
KCBS/KCAL-TV, Los Angeles, CA…our Friday UPDATE brought word of the appointment of ANDREA PARQUET-TAYLOR as the next ND for this CBS owned station. Details here. She’s currently station manager at CBS’s KTVT-TV in Dallas/Ft. Worth, where she began as the news director, and has been an ND in Detroit, Baltimore, and for two stations in Raleigh. She replaces TARA FINESTONE who left last month. Tara returned to Seattle as ND for KIRO-TV after 2 1/2 years as ND for KCBS.
Sakai
KION-TV, Monterey/Salinas, CA…STACY SAKAI will be the next news director for this News Press & Gazette owned operation. More in this email to me from NP&G’s Director of News and Marketing, MICHAEL FABAC. She replaces RON KELLER who left in September to become an executive producer for KVVU-TV, Meredith’s FOX affiliate in Las Vegas.
Wood
KMID-TV, Midland, TX…TERRY WOOD moves from market #2 to market 145 but gets his first ND job as he takes over at this Nexstar owned ABC affiliate. He’s also worked in Boston, Phoenix, Las Vegas (twice) and Albuquerque. Terry replaces veteran ND DAVID LOWELL who left last month after three years as ND.
New News Director Openings:
Moll
WSLS-TV, Roanoke, VA…longtime news director RICK MOLL is retiring next February after 30 years as an ND and 40 years in the business. His GM at this Graham Media owned NBC affiliate, JAIMIE LEON, told the staff in this email. He’s also been a news director in Peoria, Ft. Wayne, Columbus, GA and Wausau, WI.
Blind Box Ad:
Assistant News Director, market 85-100, Southern U.S.:
Aggressive news operation seeks Assistant News Director. Vacancy has not been announced to staff. Opening created as current Assistant News Director plans to fill retiring News Director’s position.
Market 85-100, southern United States. Great college town. Competitive local news market with big market coverage. Bold production. Station needs dynamic leader to take reins of owning breaking news, digital and be a mentor to young reporters.
Station is part of great, small ownership group. Local owners care about journalism and investigative reporting. Station does about 45 hours of local news each week. Candidates should have knowledge of Gulf Coast with 2-4 years’ experience in mid or senior-level news management roles.
Make connection with the hiring manager: Email resume to gulfcoastANDopening@yahoo.com.
Hiring ASAP to start in January.
Other News Management Openings:
ASSISTANT NEWS DIRECTOR:
WGCL-TV, Atlanta, GA (relisted this week)
KUSI-TV, San Diego, CA (relisted 9/27/20)
WATN/WLMT-TV, Memphis, TN (listed 11/15/20)
KXXV-TV, Waco, TX (listed 11/1/20)
KFSM-TV, Ft. Smith, AR (relisted 11/15/20)
WTXL, Tallahassee, FL (listed 10/4/20)
WFFT-TV, Ft. Wayne, IN (listing revised 11/15/20)
KBMT-TV, Beaumont, TX (listed 11/15/20)
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER:
WGCL-TV, Atlanta, GA (relisted this week)
KCPQ-TV, Seattle, WA (AM EP, relisted 11/8/20)
WOFL-TV, Orlando, FL (Dayside EP, listed 10/25/20)
KXTV, Sacramento, CA (Nightside EP, listed 11/15/20)
WTHR-TV, Indianapolis, IN (Nightside EP, listed 11/15/20)
WTTV/WXIN-TV, Indianapolis, IN (Digital EP, listed 11/1/20)
WNCN-TV, Raleigh, NC (PM EP, relisted 11/15/20)
WTNH-TV, New Haven, CT (Digital Content EP, listed 10/25/20)
WSMV-TV, Nashville, TN (Listed 9/27/20)
WBNS-TV, Columbus, OH (AM EP, relisted 11/15/20)
WHTM-TV, Harrisburg, PA (listed 11/8/20)
WATN-TV Memphis TN (relisted this week)
WIVB-TV, Buffalo, NY (Digital EP, relisted 10/11/20)
WRIC-TV, Richmond, VA (AM EP, listed 10/4/11)
KSEE/KGPE-TV, Fresno, CA (Digital EP, listed 10/25/20)
WLUK-TV, Green Bay, WI (PM EP, listed 10/4/11)
WDBJ-TV, Roanoke, VA (listed 9/27/20)
WFXR-TV, Roanoke, VA (Digital EP, listed 11/8/20)
WNEM-TV, Flint/Saginaw, MI (listed 9/27/20)
KVEO-TV, Brownsville, TX (relisted this week)
KTSM-TV, El Paso, TX (listed 10/25/20)
WBTW-TV, Florence/Myrtle Beach, SC (Digital EP, relisted 10/25/20)
KNWA-TV, Fayetteville, AR (PM EP, relisted 10/25/20)
KATC-TV, Lafayette, LA (listed 11/15/20)
KRIS-TV, Corpus Christi, TX (relisted 11/15/20)
KDRV-TV, Medford, OR (relisted 10/11/20)
MANAGING EDITOR:
WSLS-TV, Roanoke, VA (relisted 10/25/20)
More News Management Openings:
Listed 11/15/20:
KTXV, Sacramento, CA (News Content Manager)
Listed 11/1/20:
WCPO-TV, Cincinnati, OH (Content Manager)
WFTX-TV, Ft. Myers, FL (Content Manager)
Listed 10/25/20:
Vice President/News, Altice USA’s News 12- New York
Relisted 10/25/20:
WOWK-TV, Charleston, WV (Digital Content Manager)
Relisted 10/4/20:
WFRV-TV, Green Bay, WI (Digital Content Director)
Listed 9/6/20
WFTX-TV, Ft. Myers, FL (Content Manager)
Relisted 9/6/20
KOKI-TV, Tulsa, OK (AM Content Manager)
Obituary:
Heflin
LANCE HEFLIN died last Sunday, 11/15, six days before his 68th birthday. Lance had a great career, beginning at KOMU-TV, the University of Missouri’s NBC affiliate. He went on to Miami, where worked for two stations, then to CBS where he was a founding producer of 48 Hours. But he may best be known as the EP for FOX’s America’s Most Wanted. Many more details about his life, career (and post-TV career) in this obituary. He’s survived by his wife, JAN EVANS, a former TV reporter, and their two sons.
Names in the News (and other items):
Another week, another story about job consolidations and cuts at a Spectrum news operation, this time from Buffalo.
Gutierrez
JOE GUTIERREZ heads south to West Palm Beach, FL, where he’ll be an executive producer for Scripps’ WPTV (NBC) there. He spent the last two months at the Black News Channel and earlier worked as an assistant news director for a station in Tallahassee. His Linkedin page has his complete background.
There could be another national news network in our future. The owner of WISH-TV here in Indianapolis has partnered with Cox Media Group and plans to launch the Multicultural News Network (MNN), which is described as a non-partisan, national news network. Learn more in this story from the WISH-TV website.
General Manager News and Notes:
Levy
CBS’s WFOR-TV in Miami is looking for a new general manager following what some would say is the the somewhat sudden departure of ten year veteran GM ADAM LEVY. The station announced earlier this week that he was leaving, and his last day was Friday. More from The Miami Herald. He also worked for eight years at CBS’s KTVT-TV in Dallas/Ft. Worth.
Joyce
For the second consecutive week, we can tell you about another new general manager for a Scripps station. This time it’s BRIAN JOYCE, who will take over at KPAX-TV (CBS) in Missoula MT. He’s been the sales director at Scripps’ Denver station, KMGH-TV (ABC) in Denver.
Our Full List of Open ND Jobs:
Here’s our list of open ND jobs as of Sunday, November 22, 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
WFMZ-TV 300 E Rock Rd, Allentown, PA 18103
WCAU-TV 1800 Arch Street, Philadelphia, PA 19103
KHOU-TV 5718 Westheimer Rd. Houston TX 77057
WUVG-TV 3350 Peachtree Road #1250, Atlanta, GA 30326 **
WTMO-TV 1650 Sand Lake Rd. # 340 Orlando, FL 32809 **
WBFF-TV 2000 W 41st St, Baltimore, MD 21211
WTVD-TV 411 Liberty St Durham, NC 27701
KAKW-TV 2233 W. North Loop Austin,TX 78756 **
WDSU-TV 846 Howard Ave New Orleans, LA 70113
WNYT-TV 715 North Pearl Street, Albany, NY 12204
WSLS-TV 401 3rd Street SW Roanoke, VA 24011
WFXR-TV 5305 Valleypark Dr. #1, Roanoke, VA 24019
KYTX-TV 2211 E SE Loop 323, Tyler, TX 75701
WLTZ-TV 6140 Buena Vista Rd. Columbus, GA 31907
WCBI-TV, 201 5th Street South, Columbus, MS 39701
KOMU-TV 5550 Old 63 S, Columbia, MO 65201
WTVO/WGRF-TV P.O. Box 470. Rockford, IL 61105
KIDY/KXVA-TV 5 S. Chadbourne Street San Angelo, TX 76903 ***
**: Spanish language station
***: News Director and Anchor