June 14, 2009
Thursday, June 18 UPDATE:
Marren
COLEEN MARREN has been named News Director for CBS’s KDKA-TV in Pittsburgh. Coleen spent almost nine years as the ND for WCVB-TV in Boston before leaving the station last December. She replaces JOHN VERRILLI who left KDKA-TV earlier this year to become ND for WBZ-TV in Boston. More on this story in Friday’s full update.
Monday, June 15 UPDATE:
Kevin Finch
KEVIN FINCH, news director of the CBS affiliate in Indianapolis, WISH-TV, has resigned to take a position with a documentary producer. More details in next week’s report.
Greetings:
Welcome to a new look for my website and the newsletter. It’s still a work in progress. We’ll be adding a search function soon that allows you to delve into our archives, and hopefully we’ll be able to add some new features.
Due to the switch to this new look, last week’s newsletter was updated late and was only online for a short time. If you missed it, you can check it out by clicking the link to your right for June 8, 2009.
Openings in large markets (like the largest!) and small markets highlight this slightly delayed edition of your weekly report covering news director and news manager movement.
In all, there are THREE new openings and TWO new news directors to tell you about.
One of those new NDs is returning to the ND chair after years away from his time as an ND in several top ten markets.
These changes mean there are now 19 stations looking for a new news director.
Also this week, an EP returns to a New York City station, and the first grandchild for a one-time news director who’s been teaching for more than 20 years.
All that and more following this week’s change:
NEW NEWS DIRECTOR OPENINGS:
WNBC-TV, New York, NY…VICKIE BURNS has been named VP of Content & Audience Development for NBC Local Media New York. She’s charged with developing audience for all the WNBC platforms. She will continue to oversee the news operation until her successor is named. She’s been the ND here for just over a year, and previously spent more than four years as ND at sister-NBC-o-and-o WRC-TV in Washington.
WLNS-TV, Lansing, MI…PHIL HENDRIX has left this Young Broadcasting owned CBS affiliate. He’s been the ND for the last six years, and has also worked in Detroit and Flint.
WNCT-TV, Greenville, NC…ADAM HENNING is leaving this Media General owned CBS affiliate to become ND for WAFF-TV in Huntsville, AL. He’s been the ND here since October, 2007. More on Adam and his new job below.
NEW NEWS DIRECTORS NAMED:
WPTY/WLMT-TV, Memphis, TN…veteran News Director PETE JACOBUS starts Monday as the new ND for this Newport TV-owned ABC/CW duopoly. Pete most recently has been working as VP/North American Television for Frank N. Magid Associates. Earlier in his career Pete served as ND in Philadelphia, San Francisco, Detroit and San Diego, and also served as a VP for ABC News. In Memphis, he replaces JIM TURPIN who has left the station after seven years as ND. Jim’s also been an ND in Norfolk, Wichita, Moline, IL, and Ft. Smith, AR.
WAFF-TV, Huntsville, AL...as mentioned above, ADAM HENNING will be the next News Director for this Raycom-owned NBC affiliate. Adam is currently the ND at WNCT-TV in Greenville, NC, and has previously been an ND in Wilmington, NC, and Gainesville, FL. At WAFF-TV, he replaces MIMI STRAWN who left the station in April after six months as ND to return to New Orleans for family reasons. Adam becomes the fourth ND here in just over two years.
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OTHER NEWS MANAGEMENT OPENINGS:
ASSISTANT NEWS DIRECTOR:
WMUR-TV, Manchester, NH (listed 4/25/09)
WNEM-TV, Saginaw, MI (listed 3/8/09)
EXECUTIVE NEWS PRODUCER:
KIAH-TV, Houston, TX (PM EP, relisted this week)
WESH-TV, Orlando, FL (relisted 5/15/09)
KXTV, Sacramento, CA (Morning EP, listed 1/30/09)
WDBJ-TV, Roanoke, VA (relisted 1/16/09)
WLTX-TV, Columbia, SC (new listing this week)
WKOW-TV, Madison, WI (listed 6/5/09)
KRNV-TV, Reno, NV (listed 5/22/09)
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NAMES in the NEWS:
WPIX-TV in New York has named WILSON SURATT Senior Executive Producer of PM News Programming, which means he’ll oversee the station’s 10:00 PM news. He’s been out of local TV for a few years, working at either CNN or working for his own production company, but previously worked at WPIX, as well as in Los Angeles and Raleigh.
Kent Collins
Congratulations to KENT COLLINS, chair of the broadcast department at the University of Missouri, and a former ND in several markets, on the birth of his first grandchild. Kent’s son Justin and Justin’s wife Lisa are the proud parents of a daughter, Lucy Grace Collins, born three weeks ago. Send your best wishes to Kent via email to: collinsks@missouri.edu
Here’s a complete list of all stations that I believe have a current ND opening, as of Sunday, June 14, 2009. If you know of any updates, corrections, or additions to this list, please let me know via email at: rick@rickgevers.com
WNBC-TV 30 Rockefeller Plaza New York NY 10012
WDIV-TV 550 W. Lafayette Blvd Detroit MI 48231
KRIV-TV 4261 Southwest Freeway Houston TX 77027
WTVJ-TV 15000 SW 27th Ave. Miramar FL 33027
KDKA-TV One Gateway Center Pittsburgh PA 15222
WZZM-TV 645 Three Mile Road NW Grand Rapids MI 49504
WGNO-TV One Galleria Blvd, #850 Metairie, LA 70001
WJAR-TV 23 Kenney Dr. Cranston RI 02920
KGPE-TV 4800 N. First St. Fresno CA 93726
WKRG-TV 555 Broadcast Dr. Mobile AL 36606
WAND-TV 904 South Side Dr. Decatur IL 62525
WFFF-TV 298 Mountain View Dr. Colchester VT 05446
WLNS-TV 2820 E. Saginaw St. Lansing MI 48912
WNCT-TV 3221 S. Evans St. Greenville NC 27834
WPBN/WTOM-TV 8518 M 72 West Traverse City MI 49684
WMGT-TV PO Box 4328 Macon GA 31208
KTEN-TV 10 HighPoint Circle Denison TX 75020
KAVU-TV 3808 N. Navarro Victoria TX 77901
KSAX-TV PO Box 189 Alexandria MN 56308
(BOLD indicates new opening this week)