November 24, 2024
Tuesday, November 26, 2024 UPDATE:
Greetings:
An early Thanksgiving gift for you…and for two former news directors who are returning to the ND chair.
Neerman
MARK NEERMAN returns to Sinclair as he’s been named ND for KOMO/KUNS-TV (ABC/CW) in Seattle. Two notes for you: one from GM CHAD CONKLIN announcing the hire, and the other from Mark to the staff, in which (among other things) he pays tribute to the man he’s replacing, veteran newsman PHIL BRUCE who is retiring at the end of the year. Mark was the ND for Sinclair’s KSNV-TV (NBC), one of his TWO ND jobs in Las Vegas, as well as ND jobs in THREE other markets…all detailed here.
Darrah
And MIKE DARRAH returns to a newsroom as he’s taking over Tegna’s WATN/WLMT-TV (ABC/CW) in Memphis. He’s been working out of TV news since leaving KTNV (ABC) in Las Vegas two years ago, where he was the Assistant ND. Mike’s been a news director before, for three years at KITV-TV in Honolulu where he was promoted from Assistant ND, and also spent eight years as an EP in Orlando.
It’s a holiday shortened week, so to sure how much more news there will be, but we’ll have everything in our full newsletter this weekend.
Happy Thanksgiving!
regards,
Rick Gevers
**** ***** ****
Greetings:
A rare week with NO new ND hires and ONE ND announcing his retirement, but that won’t happen until July so the job hasn’t been posted yet, so I’m not adding it to the list…yet.
That means there are still 42 stations with ND openings, with TWO of those openings featured in paid help wanted ads.
We have an ad for a relatively new awards program which offers four $25,000 awards to winners…click on that ad just below.
We have an obituary for a longtime Midwest news director with an unusual…if somewhat appropriate…request in lieu of flowers.
There are TWO new assistant NDs to report, a new job for a former ND and GM, and why some group owners are looking forward to a new administration in Washington.
We also have a bunch of GM retirements. ONE involves a GM who is often remembered for a hire he made 26 years ago…who lasted just four days. And Gray is losing THREE GMs to retirements, TWO of them from stations that just underwent big cuts in their news departments.
Have a great Thanksgiving…and we’ll see you next weekend.
Newly Named News Directors:
To the best of my knowledge…no news directors were hired this week. Always welcome your tips if you know something that I’ve missed.
New News Director Openings:
Holliday
KSDK-TV, St. Louis. MO…the job has not been posted yet…and for all I know may never be…but ART HOLLIDAY has announced his retirement next July on his 46th anniversary at this NBC affiliate. Art had FOUR very distinct careers here as he explained in his email to the staff. Art reports to Director of Content MORGAN SCHAAB. Full disclosure: Art and I worked together here and at KOMU-TV in Columbia, MO.
Paid Help Wanted Ads:
News Director, WHNS-TV, Greenville, SC:
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Greenville has an amazing downtown scene, revolving around the Reedy River, five-star restaurants and breweries, and miles and miles of walking trails. For outdoor enthusiasts, the Upstate and Western North Carolina offer lakes, mountains, and historical landmarks all within a short drive. Greenville continues to be named a top small city, a top foodie city, and one of the best places for young professionals in the country.
WHNS/Fox Carolina is seeking an innovative, passionate News Director with experience leading teams and growing talent.
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The News Director oversees all content operations and is a leader in the strategic vision for station viewership growth. The ideal candidate has excellent news judgment and strong management skills to own the big story each day.
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News Director, NBC Montana:
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NBC Montana is seeking an experienced, hands-on news leader with strong multi-platform skills and a bold style to lead one of the strongest local newsrooms in the country.
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Check it out and apply by clicking here.
Interview an Expert
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Tuesday, December 3 (3-5 p.m. EDT)
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Other News Management Openings:
ASSISTANT NEWS DIRECTOR:
KUSA-TV, Denver, CO (relisted 9/29/24)
WDAF-TV, Kansas City, MO (relisted 11/17/24)
WHAS-TV, Louisville, KY (relisted 9/29/24)
WJAR-TV, Providence, RI (listed 11/3/24)
WBRE/WYOU-TV, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, PA (relisted 11/10/24)
WDTN-TV, Dayton, OH (listed 11/10/24)
WFRV-TV, Green Bay, WI (relisted 11/10/24)
WROC-TV, Rochester, NY (listed 11/10/24)
WSYR-TV, Syracuse, NY (listed 11/3/24)
WCIA-TV, Champaign, IL (listed 9/22/24)
KIVI-TV, Boise, ID (listed 9/29/24)
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER:
Spectrum Noticias, New York, NY (Senior EP, listed 10/27/24)
KPRC-TV, Houston, TX (AM Broadcast EP, relisted 10/6/24)
WUSA-TV, Washington, DC (listed 11/3/24)
Spectrum News, Tampa, FL (National EP, listed 9/29/24)
WFLA-TV, Tampa, FL (relisted 10/13/24)
WXYZ-TV, Detroit, MI (listed 10/13/24)
Spectrum News, Orlando, FL (relisted 10/27/24)
WESH-TV, Orlando, FL (relisted 10/20/24)
WCNC-TV, Charlotte, NC (listed 9/29/24)
Spectrum News 1, Raleigh NC (relisted 11/17/24)
KSDK-TV, St. Louis, MO (listed 9/29/29)
WTVF-TV, Nashville, TN (Senior Content Producer, listed 11/10/24)
WCMH-TV, Columbus, OH (Digital EP, listing modified 10/6/24)
WYFF-TV, Greenville-Spartanburg-Ashville, (listed 10/20/24)
WTLV/WJXX-TV, Jacksonville, FL (relisted 9/29/24)
WXMI-TV, Grand Rapids, MI (EP Lifestyle Show, listed 11/10/24)
WGAL-TV, Lancaster, PA (relisted 10/20/24)
WXII-TV, Winston-Salem NC, (Weekend EP, relisted 10/20/24)
KOAT-TV, Albuquerque, NM (listed 10/20/24)
WDSU-TV, New Orleans, LA (listed 10/20/24)
WWL-TV, New Orleans, LA (listed 9/29/24)
WVLA/WGMB-TV, Baton Rouge, LA (relisted 11/17/24)
WQAD-TV, Moline, IL (listed 9/29/29)
KPAX-TV, Missoula, MT (relisted 9/2/24)
More News Management Openings:
Listed 11/24/24:
KETK-TV, Tyler TX (Digital Content Manager)
Relisted 11/17/24:
Spectrum News, Austin, TX (Managing Director)
Listed 11/3/24:
KGW-TV, Portland OR (Digital Director)
Listed 10/27/24:
WGNO/WNOL-TV, New Orleans, LA (Digital Content Manager)
KARK/KLRT-TV, Little Rock, AR (Digital Webmaster & Content Dir.)
Listed 10/20/24:
WFTS-TV, Tampa, FL (Manager of Real Time Depth)
WVLA/WGMB-TV, Baton Rouge, LA (Digital Content Manager)
Listed 9/29/24:
WTSP-TV, Tampa, FL (Digital Director)
Listed 9/22/24:
KSWB/KUSI-TV, San Diego, CA (Digital Content Manager)
WTVF-TV, Nashville, TN (Digital Director)
Obituary:
Heller
RON HELLER, a former news director at KTVO-TV in Kirksville, MO, and KHQA-TV in Quincy, IL, died last week at the age of 82. Ron’s wish was to be cremated, and the family had an unusual but appropriate request in lieu of flowers, as you’ll learn in this story from KHQA.
Names in the News (and other stuff):
ANDREW GUTIERREZ will be the next Assistant ND for Nexstar’s St. Louis duopoly, KTVI-KPLR-TV (FOX/CW). Here’s the staff note from ND OLIVIA DANGLER. Andrew’s spent much of his career at KTTV in Los Angeles.
Pepin
WCYB-TV in the Tri-Cities market in Tennessee filled its vacant Assistant News Director position by promoting anchor REBECCA PEPIN. News Director KEITH WEISS told the staff via this memo. Rebecca will continue to anchor the 5:00 PM news. She’s worked here for almost 20 years after five years in Columbia, SC.
Hofmann
CARRIE HOFMANN has been named President and CEO of The Greenwood Promise, a non-profit in Greenwood, SC. She explains what that is in her LinkedIn post. Carrie most recently was the GM for WLTX-TV (Tegna/CBS) in Columbia, SC, and previously had been an ND for WCNC-TV (Tegna/NBC) in Charlotte and KSHB-TV (Scripps/NBC) in Kansas City. Carrie’s also worked in Phoenix, Denver, and Milwaukee.
The Hollywood Reporter believes the new administration in Washington will be good news for large station group owners.
General Manager News and Notes:
Wade
After 40 years in television, JAN WADE is retiring as GM of Hearst’s WISN-TV (ABC) in Milwaukee. The station posted this story on its website. She’s been GM here since 2007 and previously served as the GM for WATE-TV in Knoxville, TN. She’s also worked in Nashville, Tampa, Providence, Minneapolis and Louisville where she began as an assistant promotion manager.
Banks
LYLE BANKS, GM for WISC-TV (CBS) in Madison, WI, is retiring at the end of the year after four years there. He’s a former GM for WGCL-TV in Atlanta and WMAQ-TV in Chicago where his tenure is most remembered for hiring talk show host JERRY SPRINGER to do commentaries on the 10:00 news. Several veteran anchors quit in protest and Springer lasted less than a week. Banks later admitted the hire was a mistake, and was gone himself less than three months later, as the Chicago Tribune recounted. Lyle went on to a varied career.
A flurry of general managers retirements at Gray Television. Details here. Is it a coincidence that at least two of those retiring GMs ran stations that recently had major newsroom cuts? One was WAGM-TV in Presque Isle, ME, as detailed here, and another was WYMT-TV in Hazard, KY, which reported on itself here.
Longtime WYMT GM NEIL MIDDLETON said his goodbye on-air.
Our List of Open News Director jobs:
Here’s our list of open ND jobs as of Sunday, November 24, 2024:
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
KHOU-TV 5718 Westheimer Rd Houston, Texas 77057
KIAH-TV 7700 Westpark Drive Houston, TX 77063
KOMO-TV 140 4th Ave. N. Seattle, WA 98109
KSTP-TV 3415 University Ave. St. Paul, MN 55114
KSL-TV 55 North 300 West, Salt Lake City, UT 84180
WOAI-TV 4335 NW Loop 410, San Antonio, TX, 78229
WHNS-TV 21 Interstate Court. Greenville, SC 29615 (See ad above!)
WHTM-TV 3235 Hoffman Street. Harrisburg, PA 17110
WOLF-TV 1181 Highway 315 Wilkes-Barre, PA 18702 (News Manager)
WATN-TV 1725 Shelby Oaks Dr N. Memphis, TN 38134
KFSN-TV 1777 G St, Fresno, CA 93706
KATV 10 Turtle Creek Lane Little Rock, AR 72202
KWCH-TV 2815 E. 37th Street North Wichita, KS 67219
KLEW-TV 2626 17th St, Lewiston, ID 83501
WOWK-TV 350 Quarrier St, Charleston, WV 25301
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 **
KTBS-TV 312 E. Kings Highway. Shreveport, LA 71104
WSIL-TV 1416 Country Aire Drive Carterville, IL 62918
KIVI-TV 1866 E. Chisholm Dr. Nampa, ID 83687
WNCT-TV 3221 South Evans Street. Greenville, NC 27834
WANE-TV 2915 W. State Blvd. Fort Wayne, IN 46808
WGXA-TV 599 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. Macon, GA 31201
KHSL-TV 3460 Silverbell Rd. Chico, CA 95973
KDRV-TV 1090 Knutson Ave. Medford, OR 97504
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
WJET/WFXP-TV 8455 Peach Street Erie, PA 16509
WTWO-TV 10849 N US Highway 41, Farmersburg, IN 47850
WTRF-TV 96 16th St, Ste 2, Wheeling, WV 26003
WDTV 5 Television Dr. Bridgeport, WV 26330
KECI/KCFW/KTVM-TV, 340 W. Main St. Missoula, MT 59802 (see ad above!)
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
KIDY-TV 5 S. Chadbourne San Angelo, TX 76902
KYOU-TV 820 West 2nd Street; Ottumwa, IA 52501
**: Spanish language station