Rick Gevers & Associates

January 30, 2010

Greetings:

We have a modest amount of activity involving news director changes this week.  There are  FIVE new news directors and just  ONE new opening.  This flurry of activity means there are now just 18 stations with known ND openings.

But that’s not all!

You’ll get the opportunity to watch me shamelessly beg for the chance to buy Super Bowl tickets.  We have a handful of Names in the News, including a VERY close call for a veteran, well liked ND.  We also have two help wanted ads if you’re looking for a new challenge, and an ad for the Devlin Design Group where you’ll learn that are two people with the same name in a fairly small newsroom in a large market.

Before we get to this week’s changes, let me once again pander shamelessly before you in my quest to take my wife to her first Super Bowl.  Our local team is once again headed to Miami to play the Saints.  My wife and I have plane tickets.  We have a place to stay.  We lack game tickets (an important item, to be sure.)  If you have access to two ducats at (or near) face value, please email me: rick@rickgevers.com or call: 317-769-7900. Anyone who comes through will get an automatic one year extension of their subscription to this newsletter, and I can also come up with Indy 500 tickets if someone wants to see the 2010 Greatest Spectacle in Racing.

Enough pandering…on to this week’s changes and all the other news:

NEW NEWS DIRECTORS NAMED:

KTVX-TV, Salt Lake City, UT…PAT LIVINGSTON fills the vacant ND chair at this Newport TV-owned ABC affiliate.  Pat’s currently the VP/News for Barrington Broadcasting, and earlier he’d been the ND for the company’s WNWO-TV in Toledo.  He’s also been an ND in Youngstown and Peoria.  At KTVX, Pat replaces TOM BELL who was promoted to the company’s San Antonio, TX, station, WOAI-TV late last year after about a year and a half as ND there.

WPTV, West Palm Beach, FL…has reached across the Scripps family as it hires JEFF BROGAN as ND.  Jeff is currently the Assistant ND for the company’s WCPO-TV in Cincinnati.  He started in Cincinnati as a producer, became Executive Producer before moving up to AND in 2008.  He’s a Cincinnati native and earlier had worked at WXIX-TV there.  At WPTV, he replaces PETER ROGHAAR who left the station last fall to become ND for WTSP-TV in Tampa, FL.

Julie S.

KOB-TV, Albuquerque, NM…JULIE SZULCEWSKI will be the next news director for this Hubbard Broadcasting owned NBC affiliate.  Julie is currently the Managing Editor for WSOC-TV in Charlotte.   She’s also worked in Orlando, Miami, St. Louis, and Ft. Myers, FL.  At KOB, she replaces JAMIE IOOS who left the station last month after about 17 months as news director.

Vincent

KQDS-TV, Duluth, MN…has named JASON VINCENT news director.  He’s currently the morning anchor at WDAY-TV in Fargo, ND.  Jason is a Minnesota native and worked in Mankato before moving to Duluth in 2006.  At KQDS, he replaces JULIE MORAVCHICK who left the station earlier this month after four years as ND.  She was the first ND in the station’s history.

KUPB-TV, Midland-Odessa, TX…this Entravision owned Spanish language station has named JOSE ANTONIO PESQUEIRA as its next news director.  He previously worked as a sports anchor here and also worked as a reporter in Lubbock.  KUPB is a Univision affiliate.

NEW NEWS DIRECTOR OPENING:

KMTV, Omaha, NE…SCOTT PICKEN has left this CBS affiliate after just more than a year as ND for this Journal Broadcasting owned station. Scott moved to Omaha from Journal’s station in Boise, one of two Boise stations where he’s been an ND.  He also worked at Journal’s Green Bay station, and has also worked in Honolulu, Rockford, IL, and Ft. Smith, AR.

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HELP WANTED ADS:

NEWS CONTENT MANAGER, WAVE-TV, LOUISVILLE, KY

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FACULTY OPENING, UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI SCHOOL OF JOURNALISM

The Missouri School of Journalism seeks a journalist with extensive newsroom experience and a talent for teaching at the university level.

The ideal candidate will have at least five years of television newsroom experience. Some newsroom management experience is preferred.  Duties include a minimum of 30 hours per week in the KOMU-TV (NBC-affiliate) newsroom supervising the work of student reporters, anchors, newscast producers and videographers.  Duties also include classroom teaching and service to the journalism school and the university.

Screening of applicants will begin immediately and continue until the position is filled. Hiring is expected to be completed in the spring of 2010 with a start date as soon as possible. Applications must include an academic CV or professional resume, video of recent television stories or television newscasts produced by the candidate, the names of three references in the field of television journalism, and a cover letter explaining the candidate’s interest in teaching and in students. This cover letter must also include an analysis of the television news profession’s transition from solely broadcast to broadcast and digital/internet news platforms.

Applications may be sent electronically (preferred) to: hardte@missouri.edu

or by mail to:

Elizabeth Hardt
Staff Assistant to the Dean
Missouri School of Journalism
120 Neff Hall
Columbia MO 65211

If sending the application electronically, please send as a Word or PDF attachment with candidate’s last name as title. Please reference position number 100005.

The University of Missouri is committed to cultural diversity and it is expected that the successful candidate will share this commitment. MU is an Equal Employment Opportunity/ADA institution and encourages applications from women and minority candidates.

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OTHER NEWS MGMT. OPENINGS:

ASSISTANT NEWS DIRECTOR:

KHOU-TV, Houston, TX (listed 12/12/09)
WLWT-TV, Cincinnati, OH (relisted 1/15/09)
KOCO-TV, Oklahoma City, OK (listed 1/8/10)

EXECUTIVE NEWS PRODUCER:

News 12 The Bronx/Brooklyn, NY (listed 1/8/10)
KTVT-TV, Ft. Worth/Dallas, TX (2 jobs, Special Projects & AM EP, listing revised 1/8/10)
KING-TV, Seattle, WA (AM EP, relisted 12/18/09)
KOVR-TV, Sacramento, CA (listed 1/15/09)
KXTV,    Sacramento, CA (PM EP, listing revised this week)
KPTV, Portland, OR (two openings, one is EP/Special Proj., listing revised this week)
KTVX-TV, Salt Lake City, UT (AM EP, listed 12/26/09)
WDAF-TV, Kansas City, MO (W/E Supervising Producer, listed 1/8/10)
WPEC-TV, West Palm Beach, FL (relisted 12/12/09)
WPBF-TV, West Palm Beach, FL (Digital EP, listed 12/18/09)
KOAT-TV, Albuquerque, NM (relisted 1/15/10)
WBRZ-TV, Baton Rouge, LA (PM EP, listed 1/22/09)
WPTA/WISE, Ft. Wayne, IN (relisted 12/18/09)

MULTI MEDIA CONTENT DIRECTOR:

The Weather  Channel, Atlanta, GA (listed 12/12/09)

ASSIGNMENT MANAGER:

The Weather  Channel, Atlanta, GA (listed 12/18/09)

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NAMES in the NEWS:

CHRIS PASSON has been named Director of Content for KPTV/KPDX in Portland, OR.  He has been the nightside EP there.  That move creats one of two EP openings for this Fox affiliate, as noted above.

JOSE SUAREZ returns to the NBC/Universal family as Director of Digital Platforms for the Telemundo Station Group.  Earlier he’d been the Director of Digital for NBC’s WTVJ-TV in Miami.  Most recently he served a short stint as ND for WSFL-TV in Ft. Lauderdale.  He’s also been an ND in Toledo.

Former News Director WALTER CHRISTOPHERSEN has written A Temporary European about his experience working in Europe on a newsmagazine that aired on PBS.  Earlier in his career, Walt was an ND at WNCT-TV in Greenville, NC, and later at WCMH-TV in Columbus, OH.  He’s also worked for Radio Free Europe and CNN International in Atlanta.

Finally, we’re pleased to report that veteran newsman PAUL STEUBER is on the mend after a very close call.  Many of you know Paul, who most recently was an ND in Wilkes-Barre Scranton, but has worked in a number of markets like Miami, Indianapolis, and Grand Rapids.  Seems Paul went in to the hospital for a routine procedure, was released, and almost bled to death at home.  His rehab’s been tough but he proudly told me he went up 18 steps one foot over the other (instead of one at a time) earlier this week.  When you email him your good wishes – rpaulstu@aol.com – have him tell you the whole story.  It’s a well written, entertaining (yet somewhat scary) read.

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Here’s a complete list of all stations that I believe have an ND opening, as of Friday, January 29, 2010.

And if you know of updates, corrections, or additions to this list, please let me know via email: rick@rickgevers.com

KNBC-TV   3000 W. Alameda Ave.            Burbank CA 91523
WGBO-TV  541 N. Fairbanks Ct., #110 Chicago IL 60611
KTVT-TV,  5233 Bridge St.                        Ft. Worth TX 76103
WXYZ-TV   20777 W. 10 Mile Road           Southfield MI 48037
KUVS-TV   1710 Arden Way                         Sacramento CA 95815 ***
WZTV-TV   631 Mainstream Drive            Nashville TN 37228
WAVE-TV 725 S. Floyd St.         Louisville KY 40203 (see ad above)
WTEN-TV   341 Northern Blvd.              Albany, NY 12204
WFTX-TV   621 SW Pine Island Rd.          Cape Coral FL 33991
KGMB-TV 1534 Kapiolani Blvd. Honolulu HI< 96814
WNWO-TV   300 S. Byrne Rd.                Toledo OH 43615
KMTV, 10714 Mockingbird Dr. Omaha NE 68127
WHAM-TV   4225 W. Henrietta               Rochester NY 14623
WJHL-TV 338 E. Main St. Johnson City TN 37601
WFFF-TV   298 Mountain View Dr.           Colchester VT 05446
WMGT-TV   PO Box 4328                     Macon GA 31208
KMIR-TV   72920 Parkview Drive            Palm Desert, CA 92260
KGNS-TV   120 W. Delmar Blvd.             Laredo TX 78045

*** (Spanish language)

January 23, 2010

Greetings:

Welcome to the latest edition of your free weekly newsletter covering news director and news manager moves.

We have THREE new news directors to tell you about, while there are  TWO new openings.

By my admittedly unofficial and inexact count, there are  21 stations with open news director positions.

One of those stations is running a paid ad this week with more details about its opening.  (If you love horse racing, you’d love this job!).  And we also have a paid ad for a faculty position at the University of Missouri School of Journalism.

I received a lot of feedback from an UPDATE last week on the changes ahead for the RTDNA convention.  Chairman STACEY WOELFEL responded and the situation is better than I may have believed, at least if you like a RTDNA convention that’s held in different cities each year.  Read his response below.

Also this week, we have one new EP listing to share with you, an obituary for a veteran news director who died this week, along with a few moves among news managers.  And happy birthday wishes to one former ND who held his large market ND job for 35 years!

All that and more after this week’s changes:

NEW NEWS DIRECTORS NAMED:

Boling

KHQ-TV, Spokane, WA…NEAL BOLING has been named Executive News Director of Content and Promotion, and JANA GRAY has been promoted to News Director for this Cowles-owned NBC affiliate.  Neal has been the ND for WJHL-TV in Johnson City, TN, and previously worked as an EP in Tampa.  Jana has been an EP at KHQ.  Neal and Jana replace JONATHAN MITCHELL who left the station in December to become ND for NBC’s KNTV in San Francisco/San Jose, CA.

Dugle

KHBS/KHOG, Ft. Smith/Fayetteville, AR…has named DAWN DUGLE as the next ND for this Hearst-owned ABC station.  Dawn’s currently the Assistant ND for Hearst’s WAPT-TV in Jackson, MS.  She’s also worked in Austin, TX, and Tampa…and worked for one year in Kwajalein-the Republic of Marshal Islands, creating and producing a weekly news magazine for the island community.  At KHBS/KHOG, she replaces MIKE COURINGTON who left the station last fall after more than six years as ND.

WVVA-TV, Bluefield, WV…MARK RIGSBY will be the next ND for this Quincy Newspapers-owned NBC affiliate.  Mark’s been the Assistant ND for KGAN-TV in Cedar Rapids, IA.  He’s also worked in Charleston/Huntington, WV, Clarksburg, WV, and Wilmington, NC.  At WVVA, he replaces GREG CARTER who remains with the station as an anchor and Content Manager.  Greg had been the ND/Anchor for almost six years.

NEW NEWS DIRECTOR OPENINGS:

KGMB-TV, Honolulu, HI…CHRIS ARCHER is leaving this Raycom-owned CBS affiliate to follow his wife, CANDACE HIRLEMAN to California, where she’s been named News Promotion Manager for KABC-TV in Los Angeles.  Chris has been ND here since May, 2006.  He plans to stay at the station until May to help recruit and train his successor.

WJHL-TV, Johnson City, TN…as reported above, NEAL BOLING is headed to Spokane as Executive News Director of Content and Promotion for KHQ-TV.  He’s been ND for this Media General owned CBS affiliate for just over two years.

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HELP WANTED ADS:

NEWS CONTENT MANAGER, WAVE-TV, LOUISVILLE, KY

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FACULTY OPENING, UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI SCHOOL OF JOURNALISM

The Missouri School of Journalism seeks a journalist with extensive newsroom experience and a talent for teaching at the university level.

The ideal candidate will have at least five years of television newsroom experience. Some newsroom management experience is preferred.  Duties include a minimum of 30 hours per week in the KOMU-TV (NBC-affiliate) newsroom supervising the work of student reporters, anchors, newscast producers and videographers.  Duties also include classroom teaching and service to the journalism school and the university.

Screening of applicants will begin immediately and continue until the position is filled. Hiring is expected to be completed in the spring of 2010 with a start date as soon as possible. Applications must include an academic CV or professional resume, video of recent television stories or television newscasts produced by the candidate, the names of three references in the field of television journalism, and a cover letter explaining the candidate’s interest in teaching and in students. This cover letter must also include an analysis of the television news profession’s transition from solely broadcast to broadcast and digital/internet news platforms.

Applications may be sent electronically (preferred) to: hardte@missouri.edu

or by mail to:

Elizabeth Hardt
Staff Assistant to the Dean
Missouri School of Journalism
120 Neff Hall
Columbia MO 65211

If sending the application electronically, please send as a Word or PDF attachment with candidate’s last name as title. Please reference position number 100005.

The University of Missouri is committed to cultural diversity and it is expected that the successful candidate will share this commitment. MU is an Equal Employment Opportunity/ADA institution and encourages applications from women and minority candidates.

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OTHER NEWS MGMT. OPENINGS:

ASSISTANT NEWS DIRECTOR:

KHOU-TV, Houston, TX (listed 12/12/09)
WLWT-TV, Cincinnati, OH (relisted 1/15/09)
KOCO-TV, Oklahoma City, OK (listed 1/8/10)

EXECUTIVE NEWS PRODUCER:

News 12 The Bronx/Brooklyn, NY (listed 1/8/10)
KTVT-TV, Ft. Worth/Dallas, TX (2 jobs, Special Projects & AM EP, listing revised 1/8/10)
KING-TV, Seattle, WA (AM EP, relisted 12/18/09)
KOVR-TV, Sacramento, CA (listed 1/15/09)
KXTV,    Sacramento, CA (AM EP, relisted 9/25/09)
KTVX-TV, Salt Lake City, UT (AM EP, listed 12/26/09)
WDAF-TV, Kansas City, MO (W/E Supervising Producer, listed 1/8/10)
WPEC-TV, West Palm Beach, FL (relisted 12/12/09)
WPBF-TV, West Palm Beach, FL (Digital EP, listed 12/18/09)
KOAT-TV, Albuquerque, NM (relisted 1/15/10)
WBRZ-TV, Baton Rouge, LA (PM EP, new listing this week)
WPTA/WISE, Ft. Wayne, IN (relisted 12/18/09)

DIRECTOR OF CONTENT:

KPTV/KPDX-TV, Portland, OR (listed 11/21/09)

MULTI MEDIA CONTENT DIRECTOR:

The Weather  Channel, Atlanta, GA (listed 12/12/09)

ASSIGNMENT MANAGER:

The Weather  Channel, Atlanta, GA (listed 12/18/09)

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OBITUARY:

Chipman

Funeral services will be held tomorrow (Saturday, January 23, 2010) in Boise, ID, for longtime news director BRINK CHIPMAN who died earlier this week after a bout with colon cancer.  Brink was 66, and had been an ND in Salt Lake City, Tucson, and Boise.  One of his former stations, KSL-TV in Salt Lake City aired this obituary.  The Salt Lake Tribune reported on his passing here.  Brink is survived by his wife and two sons.

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RTDNA Convention update:

Woelfel

RTDNA Chairman STACEY WOELFEL offers this view on our report last week on the organization’s convention plans.  We told you in an UPDATE last week that 2010 was the last year of RTDNA’s concurrent conference with NAB, and plans in 2011 are to hold a joint conference with SPJ.  Stacey clarifies the situation:

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NAMES in the NEWS:

WBIR-TV (Knoxville, TN) News Director BILL SHORY stood his ground recently at a news conference where University of Tennessee football coach LANE KIFFIN was going to explain his early departure.  Shory objected to Kiffin’s plan to do part of the news conference off-camera.  Video of the situation can be found in this commentary from RTDNA Chairman STACEY WOELFEL.

AMY WENTWORTH returns to California as Dayside EP for KTVU-TV in Oakland/San Francisco, CA.  Amy’s been working in Buffalo for family reasons, but earlier in her career worked at several California stations, including KCRA-TV in Sacramento when KTVU ND ED CHAPUIS was the ND there.  She’s also worked in Tampa, Milwaukee, and Las Vegas.

Congratulations to MATT CAMPBELL who’s been promoted to Executive Producer at WZZM-TV, the Gannett-owned ABC affiliate in Grand Rapids, MI.  Matt has been a producer here.

Giles

Finally, birthday wishes to longtime WISH-TV (Indianapolis) News Director LEE GILES, who turned 73 today (Friday, January 22nd).  Lee’s only wish today was probably for warmer weather so he could get back out on the golf course.  Your birthday wish would wind through cyberspace and land in his mailbox if you send it to:  leegiles8@gmail.com

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Here’s a complete list of all stations that I believe have an ND opening, as of Friday, January 22, 2010.

And if you know of updates, corrections, or additions to this list, please let me know via email: rick@rickgevers.com

KNBC-TV   3000 W. Alameda Ave.            Burbank CA 91523
WGBO-TV  541 N. Fairbanks Ct., #110 Chicago IL 60611
KTVT-TV   5233 Bridge St.                 Fort Worth TX 76103
WXYZ-TV   20777 W. 10 Mile Road           Southfield MI 48037
KUVS-TV   1710 Arden Way                         Sacramento CA 95815 ***
WZTV-TV   631 Mainstream Drive            Nashville TN 37228
KTVX-TV   2175 W. 1700 South              Salt Lake City UT 84104
WPTV,     1100 Banyan Blvd.,              W. Palm Beach, FL 33401
KOB-TV    4 Broadcast Plaza SW            Albuquerque NM 87104
WAVE-TV 725 S. Floyd St.                      Louisville KY 40203 (see ad above)
WTEN-TV   341 Northern Blvd.              Albany, NY 12204
WFTX-TV   621 SW Pine Island Rd.          Cape Coral FL 33991
KGMB-TV 1534 Kapiolani Blvd Honolulu HI 96814
WNWO-TV   300 S. Byrne Rd.                Toledo OH 43615
WHAM-TV   4225 W. Henrietta               Rochester NY 14623
WJHL-TV 338 E. Main St. Johnson City TN 37601
WFFF-TV   298 Mountain View Dr.           Colchester VT 05446
WMGT-TV   PO Box 4328                     Macon GA 31208
KQDS-TV, 2001 London Rd. Duluth MN 55812
KMIR-TV   72920 Parkview Drive            Palm Desert, CA 92260
KGNS-TV   120 W. Delmar Blvd.             Laredo TX 78045

*** (Spanish language)

January 15, 2010

January 20, 2010 UPDATE:

BRINK CHIPMAN

1943-2010

I’m sorry to report that longtime news director BRINK CHIPMAN died Monday (January 18, 2010) at his home in Boise, ID.  Brink was 66 and died after a long battle with colon cancer.

He retired in 2004 after four years as ND for Salt Lake City’s KSL-TV, where he had worked since 1996.  He began his career at KUTV in Salt Lake City, and later worked as an ND in Boise, Tucson, and Portland, OR.  He also worked as a consultant for Magid.

More on Brink’s passing in these stories from KSL-TV and the Salt Lake Tribune.

He is survived by his wife, Bev, and sons Toby and Brook.  Funeral services will be held this Saturday, January 23, 2010, at 2:00 at Boise’s Unitarian Universalist Fellowship Church.

January 15, 2010 UPDATE:

RTDNA today announced that the 2010 convention in Las Vegas will be the last multi-day event held in concert with NAB.  That’s been the format since 2002.  As many of you will remember, the 2001 Convention, scheduled for mid-September in Nashville of that year, was canceled in the wake of 9/11.  Previously the (then) RTNDA conference would be held in different cities each year.

As this news release explains, in 2011 and 2012 RTDNA will produce a ‘day of programming’ during the NAB conference in Las Vegas.  The organization is also in continued talks with SPJ to hold a joint convention in 2011 at a time and location T-B-D.

I understand why the decision had to be made, but, as someone who’s been to every convention since 1979, I’m very sorry to see this happen.

(Editor’s note:  RDTNA Chairman Stacey Woelful has passed along an interesting update about the 2011 convention plans:  we’ll have that for you in our next edition.)

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Greetings:

A news director change announced late Thursday in Los Angeles (and a lot of other news) is why we’re early with this week’s update.  Plus our report is quite lengthy and we wanted to give you plenty of time to wade through it!

That ND change in LA is one of an amazing  NINE new ND’s this week, while there are THREE new openings.

By my count, all these changes mean there are now 22 news director openings.

Also this week, we have two help wanted ads for management positions in New York and Kansas City.  There are a few changes in our list of management openings, and some Names in the News, as well, including a longtime consultant and one-time ND running for office in South Carolina.

All that and more after this week’s many changes:

NEW NEWS DIRECTORS NAMED:

Diener

KCBS/KCAL, Los Angeles, CA…SCOTT DIENER has been named VP/News for this CBS owned duopoly.  It’s a return to his native California for Diener, who has been the ND for CBS’s Dallas/Ft. Worth duopoly, KTVT/KTXA since August, 2007.  The move also reunites him with GM STEVE MAULDIN who was the GM in Texas until he moved to KCBS/KCAL last month.  Scott’s also been an ND in Phoenix, San Jose/San Francisco, Louisville, and Cincinnati.  He replaces longtime Los Angeles ND NANCY BAUER-GONZALEZ who has left the station after more than seven years as ND.

Labbe

KCTV, Kansas City, KS...this Meredith owned CBS affiliate has named BLAISE LABBE as its next ND.  Blaise is currently Director of Online Content for KWTV in Oklahoma City, a title he’s held since March, 2009.  He’d been the ND there for six years before that.  Blaise had been the Assistant ND for Belo’s KENS-TV in San Antonio before moving to KWTV.  He’s also worked in Houston, Wichita Falls, TX, and Amarillo.  During his career, he’s worked as a studio cameraman, news photographer, reporter, and even did the weather!  At KCTV, he replaces TRACY BROGDEN-MILLER who left the station in December after more than two years as ND.

Manson

KSEE-TV, Fresno, CA…CHRIS MANSON will be the next ND for this Granite-Broadcasting owned NBC affiliate.  Chris most recently was VP/News for Nexstar until his job was eliminated last fall.  Earlier in his career, Chris had been the ND for Nexstar’s WMBD-TV in Peoria.  He’s also worked in Scranton, PA, and Monterey-Salinas, CA.  At KSEE, he replaces GEOFF ROTH who left the station last August to take a teaching position at Hofstra University after two years as ND.

KRNV-TV, Reno, NV…General Manager MARY BETH FARRELL has assumed the ND duties for this Sunbelt Communications owned NBC affiliate.  And she’s hired a new Assistant ND, MATT McCONICO who most recently had been an EP for WINK-TV in Ft. Myers, FL.

WPBN/WTOM-TV, Traverse City, MI…after an eight month search, this Barrington Broadcasting owned NBC affiliate has named GREG BALDWIN as its next ND.  He had been the ND for WAGT-TV in Augusta, GA.  He replaces DOUG DeYOUNG, who left the station last May to Director of Government Relations for the Traverse City Chamber of Commerce, after more than 10 years as ND.

WWAY-TV, Wilmington, NC…SCOTT PICKEY returns to Wilmington the new ND for this Morris-owned ABC affiliate.  Most recently, Scott was the interim ND at KDBC-TV in El Paso, TX, but earlier in his career he was the ND at WECT-TV in Wilmington.  He’s also been an ND in Fayetteville, AR, and has worked in Huntsville, Raleigh, Richmond, and Syracuse.  At WWAY, he replaces veteran ND PAUL PAOLICELLI who left the station in October after two years as ND.

Bilyeu

KFDX-TV, Wichita Falls, TX/Lawton, OK…longtime main anchor DOUG BILEYU has been named News Director for this Nexstar-owned NBC affiliate.  He replaces CHRIS HUSTON who’s been named ND for KIDK-TV in Idaho Falls after more than five years as ND (more on that below).  Doug’s a native of the area and has been at the station since 1995.  He’s also been an ND in Garden City, KS.

KIDK-TV, Idaho Falls, ID…as noted above, veteran news director CHRIS HUSTON will be the next ND for this Fisher Broadcasting owned CBS affiliate.  As we told you above, Chris is currently the ND at KFDX-TV in Wichita Falls, TX/Lawton, OK.  Chris tells me the move puts him close to lots of family.  He’s also been an ND in Erie, PA, (twice) and Altoona, PA.  He replaces TED DAWSON who continues at the station as the Sports Director.  Ted has pulled double duty for about a year.

WLFI-TV, Layafette, IN…anchor JEFF SMITH is assuming the responsibilities of News Director following the departure of longtime station employee CHRIS MORISSE. She was one of four station employees (and two department heads) who lost their jobs in a downsizing last week.  Morisse had been with this LIN-owned CBS affiliate for more than 20 years and had been a reporter before becoming news director.

NEW NEWS DIRECTOR OPENINGS:

WGBO-TV, Chicago, IL…this Univision station is looking for a new ND to replace ISIS CHAVERRI who left the station last month after two years as ND.  Isis moved to Canada to be closer to family.

KTVT/KTXA-TV, Ft. Worth/Dallas, TX…we told you above that SCOTT DIENER is following his former GM (STEVE MAULDIN) to KCBS/KCAL as VP/News.  Scott’s been ND here since 2007, and had been the Assistant ND there before that.

WAVE-TV, Louisville, KY…LEE ELDRIDGE has resigned as ND for this Raycom-owned NBC affiliate after three years as ND.  He’s apparently headed to California to pursue opportunities out of the business.  Lee’s also been an ND in Rochester, NY, Chattanooga, and Greenville, NC.

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HELP WANTED ADS:

Executive Producer, News 12 The Bronx/Brooklyn, NY

News 12 The Bronx/Brooklyn is seeking the right person to supervise newsgathering in concert with Managing Editor, including overseeing editorial content, and managing story assignments for newscasts and provide guidance and help coordinate all phases of production/programming, including graphic elements, and technical elements in coordination with operations staff.

Will provide coaching, training, and performance reviews for staff as well as coordinate scheduling of staff.  Will supervise hiring of newsroom personnel as required and manage costs within budget.  Responsible to monitor the product across all platforms to ensure quality control and maximize added value on the web, infobar, and added content channel.  Will assist in developing special programming, including elections and town meetings, the coordination of network coverage of news stories and specialized programming.

Responsible to develop and implement news coverage and format changes that reflect the News 12 brand and specialized segments and franchise pieces that can be sponsored.  Will coordinate computer usage for staff and work with IS to troubleshoot issues that arise and work on special projects and perform other duties as assigned.

The ideal candidate needs a minimum of five years in journalism, including 3 in television news producing, or equivalent. Must also have experience in managing teams. Must have excellent communication, management and leadership skills with good news judgment and teaching ability. Must have the ability to produce news programming with excellent verbal skills, including writing and editing. Competency in technical side of television production as well as thorough knowledge of journalism and television news is required. Bachelor’s degree is preferred.

To submit resume, please click here.  Cablevision is an equal opportunity employer and drug-free workplace.

**** ***** ****

Weekend Supervising Producer, WDAF-TV, Kansas City, MO

WDAF-TV is seeking a weekend supervising producer to produce 10:00 p.m. newscasts on Saturday and Sunday nights.  Weekday duties include assisting in the producing of evening newscasts, producing 30-minute specials, assisting the sports department in planning and execution of sports coverage and fill-in producing as needed.

This position requires strong producing skills, excellent news judgment, the ability to supervise others and the ability to lead a talented, highly motivated weekend team.

The successful candidate will have previous television producing experience and a college degree in journalism or a related field.  Management experience is a plus but not a requirement.

Excellent phone, p.c. and communication skills are required.  The position will also necessitate working in a stressful, deadline oriented environment in which multiple, split second decisions critical to the success of the operation may be required.

This is not an entry level position.  Candidates lacking previous television newsroom experience will not be considered.  Successful candidates must be organized, detail oriented, deadline driven, capable of working well with others and capable of supervising others well.

Apply with a resume and DVD of a recent newscast you’ve produced to:

Bryan McGruder
V.P., News
WDAF-TV
3030 Summit
Kansas City, MO  64108

No phone calls please.

**** ***** ****

OTHER NEWS MGMT. OPENINGS:

ASSISTANT NEWS DIRECTOR:

KHOU-TV, Houston, TX (listed 12/12/09)
WLWT-TV, Cincinnati, OH (relisted this week)
KOCO-TV, Oklahoma City, OK (listed 1/8/10)

EXECUTIVE NEWS PRODUCER:

News 12 The Bronx/Brooklyn, NY (listed 1/8/10, see ad above)
KTVU-TV, Oakland/San Francisco, CA (Dayside EP, listed 12/4/09)
KTVT-TV, Ft. Worth/Dallas, TX (2 jobs, Special Projects & AM EP, listing revised 1/8/10)
KING-TV, Seattle, WA (AM EP, relisted 12/18/09)
KOVR-TV, Sacramento, CA (new listing this week)
KXTV,    Sacramento, CA (AM EP, relisted 9/25/09)
KTVX-TV, Salt Lake City, UT (AM EP, listed 12/26/09)
WDAF-TV, Kansas City, MO (W/E Supervising Producer, listed 1/8/10, see ad above)
WPEC-TV, West Palm Beach, FL (relisted 12/12/09)
WPBF-TV, West Palm Beach, FL (Digital EP, listed 12/18/09)
KOAT-TV, Albuquerque, NM (relisted this week)
WPTA/WISE, Ft. Wayne, IN (relisted 12/18/09)

DIRECTOR OF CONTENT:

KPTV/KPDX-TV, Portland, OR (listed 11/21/09)

MULTI MEDIA CONTENT DIRECTOR:

The Weather  Channel, Atlanta, GA (listed 12/12/09)

ASSIGNMENT MANAGER:

The Weather  Channel, Atlanta, GA (listed 12/18/09)

**** ***** ****

HONORS:

Congratulations to seven local TV stations (six commercial, one PBS) who’ve been honored with Alfred I. duPont Awards which were announced today (Thursday, January 14).  Honored were KHOU-TV, WTVF-TV, WSVN-TV, WWL-TV, KMGH-TV, and WCAX-TV in Burlington, VT, along with PBS’s WGBH-TV in Boston.  Click here to learn more about the outstanding stories that were cited in the awards, and please join me in congratulating the winners.

**** ***** ****

OBITUARIES:

The first man to appear on what his now KARE-TV in Minneapolis died last Tuesday at the age of 87 after a long battle with pancreatic cancer.   Among his many roles in his 34 years at the station was ND.  The station’s report on his passing can be found here.

And we have obituaries for two former journalism educators this week:

ARCHIE GREER, a longtime professor at Ohio University, died at the age of 87 last week.  You’ll read in this obituary that ROGER AILES credited Mr. Greer for jump-starting his career in broadcasting.

Schultz

And St. Edward’s’ University Associate Professor of Communication MARYILYN SCHULTZ died after a brief illness at the age of 64.  She had a long career at NBC, where she helped lead a class action suit against the network that called for equality in opportunity and pay for women.  Take a few moments to read about her career here.

**** ***** ****

NAMES IN THE NEWS:

Chaggaris

The Albritton-owned NEWSCHANNEL 8 cable channel in Washington, DC, has named STEVE CHAGGARIS Director of Television Projects/Senior Executive Producer.  He’s the former Political Director for CBS.  He replaces JEREMY SETTLE whose title was ND.  Jeremy is now ND for WBRE-TV in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, PA.

Callaway

Former ND CAL CALLAWAY returns to a newsroom without having to move.  He’s joined WGCL-TV in Atlanta as the Nightside Executive Producer.  That’s the Meredith owned CBS affiliate there.  Cal had been the ND for Gannett’s NBC affiliate, WXIA-TV, in Atlanta until July 2008, when he assumed a different role in the newsroom until leaving the station last August.  He spent 15 years at WXIA, starting in 1993 as Assignment Manager.

KATINA McCOY has been named Morning Executive Producer for Hearst’s KMBC/KWCE in Kansas City.  She’s been in that position in an acting capacity since last November.

Former WNDU-TV (South Bend, IN) News Director NORM STANGLAND is the new Assistant ND for WLNS-TV in Lansing, MI.  Norm has also worked at WSBT-TV in South Bend as an anchor/reporter.

Taylor

Finally, one-time news director and longtime consultant BILL TAYLOR is running for State Representative in South Carolina as a Republican.  You can learn more about his campaign on his website.

**** ***** ****

Here’s a complete list of all stations that I believe have an ND opening, as of Friday, January 15, 2010.

And if you know of updates, corrections, or additions to this list, please let me know via email: rick@rickgevers.com

KNBC-TV   3000 W. Alameda Ave.            Burbank CA 91523
WGBO-TV  541 N. Fairbanks Ct., #110 Chicago IL 60611
KTVT-TV   5233 Bridge St.                 Fort Worth TX 76103
WXYZ-TV   20777 W. 10 Mile Road           Southfield MI 48037
KUVS-TV   1710 Arden Way                         Sacramento CA 95815 ***
WZTV-TV   631 Mainstream Drive            Nashville TN 37228
KTVX-TV   2175 W. 1700 South              Salt Lake City UT 84104
WPTV,     1100 Banyan Blvd.,              W. Palm Beach, FL 33401
KOB-TV    4 Broadcast Plaza SW            Albuquerque NM 87104
WAVE-TV 725 S. Floyd St. Louisville KY 40203
WTEN-TV   341 Northern Blvd.              Albany, NY 12204
WFTX-TV   621 SW Pine Island Rd.          Cape Coral FL 33991
WNWO-TV   300 S. Byrne Rd.                Toledo OH 43615
KHQ-TV    1201 W. Sprague Ave.            Spokane, WA 99201
WHAM-TV   4225 W. Henrietta               Rochester NY 14623
WFFF-TV   298 Mountain View Dr.           Colchester VT 05446
KHBS/KHOG-TV 2809 Ajax Avenue, # 200      Rogers AR 72758
WMGT-TV   PO Box 4328                     Macon GA 31208
KQDS-TV, 2001 London Rd. Duluth MN 55812
KMIR-TV   72920 Parkview Drive            Palm Desert, CA 92260
WVVA-TV   Rte. 460 Bypass                 Bluefield WV 24701
KGNS-TV   120 W. Delmar Blvd.             Laredo TX 78045

*** (Spanish language)

January 9, 2010

Thursday, January 14, 2010 UPDATE:

Congratulations to SEVEN television stations (six commercial, and one PBS) who were awarded Alfred I. duPont Awards today by Columbia University.  That’s the largest number of local stations to win in more than 20 years.

Here’s the news release with all the winners, both local and network.

By the way, it’s been a pretty busy week on the news director movement front.  We’ll have lots of news in our next newsletter.

**** ***** ****

Greetings:

There’s  ONE new ND to share with you this week, and  ONE new opening.  That new ND is moving up to replace her boss, who’s moving up the corporate ladder.

And two other ND jobs have been filled but we won’t have the names for you until next week.

With those changes, my total of open ND jobs now stands at 24.

Also this week, two new ads for management jobs…one in New York City and one in the Midwest.  Be sure to check those out, as well as other new news management openings in our listing of Open Management jobs.

We have a few items in Names in the News, including a new job for a four-time ND.  And we’ve sad news of the deaths of four TV news veterans over the past few weeks.

That’s all below, after this week’s changes:

NEW NEWS DIRECTOR NAMED:

Smith

Silbermann

WTOC-TV, Savannah, GA…JAN SMITH has been promoted to ND for this Raycom-owned CBS affiliate.  She’s been the Assistant ND at WTOC, and earlier was an ND in Bangor, ME.  She spent much of the earlier part of her career on-air, in both Bangor and El Paso, TX.  Jan replaces LARRY SILBERMANN who will now devote his full attention to his role as Regional News Director for Raycom.  He’s been doing that in addition to being ND at WTOC.  Larry’s been ND here for seven years, and has also worked in Syracuse, Cincinnati, Louisville, and Portland.  Congrats to both Jan and Larry.

Also, I’m told the KSEE-TV (Fresno) and WWAY-TV (Wilmington, NC) openings have been filled and I’ve removed them from the list of opening at the bottom of this list.  We should have the names next week.

NEW NEWS DIRECTOR OPENING:

Moravhick

KQDS-TV, Duluth, MN…JULIE MORAVCHICK, the only ND this Red River Broadcasting-owned FOX affiliate has ever had, has left the station.  Julie has been the ND since the station began doing news in 2006.  She was also the assignment editor and did some reporting.  She’s also worked at another Duluth station as well as in Minneapolis-St. Paul.

**** ***** ****

HELP WANTED ADS:

Executive Producer, News 12 The Bronx/Brooklyn, NY

News 12 The Bronx/Brooklyn is seeking the right person to supervise newsgathering in concert with Managing Editor, including overseeing editorial content, and managing story assignments for newscasts and provide guidance and help coordinate all phases of production/programming, including graphic elements, and technical elements in coordination with operations staff.

Will provide coaching, training, and performance reviews for staff as well as coordinate scheduling of staff.  Will supervise hiring of newsroom personnel as required and manage costs within budget.  Responsible to monitor the product across all platforms to ensure quality control and maximize added value on the web, infobar, and added content channel.  Will assist in developing special programming, including elections and town meetings, the coordination of network coverage of news stories and specialized programming.

Responsible to develop and implement news coverage and format changes that reflect the News 12 brand and specialized segments and franchise pieces that can be sponsored.  Will coordinate computer usage for staff and work with IS to troubleshoot issues that arise and work on special projects and perform other duties as assigned.

The ideal candidate needs a minimum of five years in journalism, including 3 in television news producing, or equivalent. Must also have experience in managing teams. Must have excellent communication, management and leadership skills with good news judgment and teaching ability. Must have the ability to produce news programming with excellent verbal skills, including writing and editing. Competency in technical side of television production as well as thorough knowledge of journalism and television news is required. Bachelor’s degree is preferred.

To submit resume, please click here.  Cablevision is an equal opportunity employer and drug-free workplace.

**** ***** ****

Weekend Supervising Producer, WDAF-TV, Kansas City, MO

WDAF-TV is seeking a weekend supervising producer to produce 10:00 p.m. newscasts on Saturday and Sunday nights.  Weekday duties include assisting in the producing of evening newscasts, producing 30-minute specials, assisting the sports department in planning and execution of sports coverage and fill-in producing as needed.

This position requires strong producing skills, excellent news judgment, the ability to supervise others and the ability to lead a talented, highly motivated weekend team.

The successful candidate will have previous television producing experience and a college degree in journalism or a related field.  Management experience is a plus but not a requirement.

Excellent phone, p.c. and communication skills are required.  The position will also necessitate working in a stressful, deadline oriented environment in which multiple, split second decisions critical to the success of the operation may be required.

This is not an entry level position.  Candidates lacking previous television newsroom experience will not be considered.  Successful candidates must be organized, detail oriented, deadline driven, capable of working well with others and capable of supervising others well.

Apply with a resume and DVD of a recent newscast you’ve produced to:

Bryan McGruder
V.P., News
WDAF-TV
3030 Summit
Kansas City, MO  64108

No phone calls please.

**** ***** ****

OTHER NEWS MGMT. OPENINGS:

ASSISTANT NEWS DIRECTOR:

KHOU-TV, Houston, TX (listed 12/12/09)
WLWT-TV, Cincinnati, OH (listed 11/14/09)
KOCO-TV, Oklahoma City, OK (new listing this week)

EXECUTIVE NEWS PRODUCER:

News 12 The Bronx/Brooklyn, NY (new opening this week, see ad above)
KTVU-TV, Oakland/San Francisco, CA (Dayside EP, listed 12/4/09)
KTVT-TV, Ft. Worth/Dallas, TX (2 jobs, Special Projects & AM EP, listing revised this week)
KING-TV, Seattle, WA (AM EP, relisted 12/18/09)
WXYZ-TV, Detroit, MI (listed 9/4/09)
WOFL-TV, Orlando, FL (listed 8/28/09)
KXTV,    Sacramento, CA (AM EP, relisted 9/25/09)
KTVX-TV, Salt Lake City, UT (AM EP, listed 12/26/09)
WDAF-TV, Kansas City, MO (W/E Supervising Producer, new listing, see ad above)
KMBC-TV, Kansas City, MO (AM EP, listed 8/28/09)
WPEC-TV, West Palm Beach, FL (relisted 12/12/09)
WPBF-TV, West Palm Beach, FL (Digital EP, listed 12/18/09)
WZZM-TV, Grand Rapids, MI (listed 8/7/09)
KOAT-TV, Albuquerque, NM (listed 10/2/09)
WFTX-TV, Ft. Myers, FL listed 8/28/09)
WLTX-TV, Columbia, SC (relisted 9/18/09)
WPTA/WISE, Ft. Wayne, IN (relisted 12/18/09)

DIRECTOR OF CONTENT:

KPTV/KPDX-TV, Portland, OR (listed 11/21/09)

MULTI MEDIA CONTENT DIRECTOR:

The Weather  Channel, Atlanta, GA (listed 12/12/09)

ASSIGNMENT MANAGER:

The Weather  Channel, Atlanta, GA (listed 12/18/09)

**** ***** ****

**** ***** ****

OBITUARIES:

Four veteran newsmen died in the last few weeks.

RON FORSELL, an early News Director for Seattle’s KIRO-TV, died Christmas Eve at the age of 81.  This obituary says at one point in his career he was promoted from News Director to Sports Director.  (I suspect much of my readership might quarrel with that!)  Ron left KIRO-TV in 1976 for a long career in non-TV jobs.  Of note:  Ron is survived by his wife of 59 years.

REX STANLEY,  the first photojournalist for KENS-TV in San Antonio, died December 29 at the age of 84 after a long battle with leukemia.  He was the first photojournalist hired by the station and worked there until 1987.  More details of his life in this article. Also of note:  Rex is survived by his wife of 62 years.

PHIL MUSICK, a one-time Managing Editor at KDKA-TV in Pittsburgh, died this week of congestive heart failure at the age of 71.  You may better remember him as a sports columnist in the early days of USA Today. More in this story from The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

Finally, a memorial service will be held next Monday (January 11) for longtime Kansas City (KCTV, formerly KCMO-TV) anchor WENDALL ANSCHUTZ, who died yesterday (Thursday, January 7) at the age of 71.  He’d been battling throat cancer.  Anschutz worked for 35 years at the station.  Learn more in this report from the Kansas City Star.

**** ***** ****

NAMES IN THE NEWS:

Former ND DAN DENNISON has been named Constituent Outreach and Parternship Coordinator for (get your spell checker ready) the Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument in Hawaii.  Dan’s a 37 year veteran of the TV biz, with ND gigs at two stations in Honolulu, San Luis Obispo, CA, and Colorado Springs.  He also worked as a reporter for two Denver TV stations.  If you want to ask  him how Papahanaumokuakea fits on a business card (or congratulate him on his new job) his email address is: dan.dennison@noaa.gov

If you know DEREK SCHNELL of Oklahoma City’s KOCO-TV, you might want to buy him an alarm clock.  That’s because he’s been promoted to Morning EP for this Hearst-owned ABC affiliate.  He’s been the 10:00 producer there, so now he’ll be getting up around the time he used to go to bed!  Congratulations to Derek.

**** ***** ****

Here’s a complete list of all stations that I believe have an ND opening, as of Friday, January 8, 2010.

And if you know of updates, corrections, or additions to this list, please let me know via email: rick@rickgevers.com

KNBC-TV   3000 W. Alameda Ave.            Burbank CA 91523
NewsChannel 8  1100 Wilson Blvd.          Arlington VA 22209
WXYZ-TV   20777 W. 10 Mile Road           Southfield MI 48037
KUVS-TV   1710 Arden Way                         Sacramento CA 95815 ***
WZTV-TV   631 Mainstream Drive            Nashville TN 37228
KCTV,     4500 Shawnee Mission Parkway,   Fairway, KS 66205
KTVX-TV   2175 W. 1700 South              Salt Lake City UT 84104
WPTV,     1100 Banyan Blvd.,              W. Palm Beach, FL 33401
KOB-TV    4 Broadcast Plaza SW            Albuquerque NM 87104
WTEN-TV   341 Northern Blvd.              Albany, NY 12204
WFTX-TV   621 SW Pine Island Rd.          Cape Coral FL 33991
WNWO-TV   300 S. Byrne Rd.                Toledo OH 43615
KHQ-TV    1201 W. Sprague Ave.            Spokane, WA 99201
WHAM-TV   4225 W. Henrietta               Rochester NY 14623
WFFF-TV   298 Mountain View Dr.           Colchester VT 05446
KRNV-TV   1790 Vassar St.                 Reno NV 89502
WPBN/WTOM-TV 8518 M 72 West               Traverse City MI 49684
KHBS/KHOG-TV 2809 Ajax Avenue, # 200      Rogers AR 72758
WMGT-TV   PO Box 4328                     Macon GA 31208
KQDS-TV, 2001 London Rd. Duluth MN 55812
KMIR-TV   72920 Parkview Drive            Palm Desert, CA 92260
WVVA-TV   Rte. 460 Bypass                 Bluefield WV 24701
KIDK-TV   1255 E.17th St.                 Idaho Falls, ID 83404
KGNS-TV   120 W. Delmar Blvd.             Laredo TX 78045

*** (Spanish language)