NEWS DIRECTOR MOVES
Here’s the latest from Rick Gevers...
Category: From Rick Gevers
TIME TO KICK BACK
Henry Chu is retiring after 14 years as news director for this Gray’s WBKO in Bowling Green, KY. He’s also been an ND in Oklahoma City, Austin,TX, and Harlingen, TX and has worked in ...
MOVING UP IN MILWAUKEE
Laura Matovina is the new broadcast director at WTMJ, the Scripps station in Milwaukee, WI. She will be reporting to news director Tim Vetscher. Vetscher sent this note to the staff outlining Laura’s new ...
TEGNA TURNOVER
Daniel Brown will leave Tegna owned KBMT in Beaumont, TX in a few months and, in the process, will leave television news, as least for a bit. He’s been the news director at the ...
NEWS DIRECTOR SHUFFLE
There’s a lot going down in Texas.
COMINGS AND GOINGS
Calling it a career after 40 years on the street for Sinclair’s WSBT in South Bend, IN is Ed Ernstes. He signed off for the final time midweek. You don’t work in the biz ...
IT’S TIME TO RETIRE AFTER 47 YEARS IN W.V.
There’s always a time to retire. For WVVA general manager Frank Brady, it’s after 15 years at the station and 47 years at broadcasting career. Brady has led the ratings leader in the Bluefield-Beckley, ...
BIGGER MARKET, BETTER JOB IN FLORIDA
Rick Gevers is reporting the following move: WDAM-TV, Hattiesburg, Miss. Galean Stewart-James is leaving this Gray TV owned NBC/ABC affiliate after more than 3 1/2 years as news director. She’s off to West Palm ...
SINCLAIR REASSIGNS ND
It’s not a bad thing.
FROM THE NEWS DIRECTOR DESK…
Here are some local news exec moves.
EVERYTHING’S BIG(GER) IN TEXAS
A move within Texas...
SO LONG SACRAMENTO
SO long Sacramento
FROM KEY WEST TO ALL-THE-WAY WEST
On the move...
KEEPING AN EYE ON MISSISSIPPI
At Columbus, Mississippi’s WCBI-TV, Joey Barnes was promoted to ND in November. He’d been the Assistant ND and anchor for the Morris Media owned CBS affiliate. He began as an intern, worked his way ...
MOVIN’ ON UP IN GATOR TOWN
On the move...
RIVER CITY & CAMEL CITY NEWS
RIVER CITY & CAMEL CITY NEWS
KIERNAN TO WXYZ
He replaces Rhonda LaVelle who left in November after 4+ years as ND.
NOTHING ABOUT JOHNNY FEVER IN CINCY?
ON THE MOVE
KARE VET MOVES UP TO THE BIG CHAIR
STACEY NOGY is now in charge of the newsroom for Tegna’s KARE in Minneapolis, MN. She’s a 28 year veteran of the station and moves up after Stuart Boslow (whose title was Director of ...
COMING TO THE BIG EASY
Melissa Dart gets her first ND job at Hearst owned WDSU in New Orleans, LA. Hearst often promotes from within, but Melissa is new to the company. She’s been the Assistant ND for Scripps’ ...
“PEACHY” KEEN
At WGCL-TV in Atlanta, the station has hired Brian Kanziger as its next Assistant News Director. He joins this Meredith owned CBS affiliate from Seattle, where he was an executive producer for Cox Media ...
TOP OF THE ROCK
At WTVO/WQRF-TV in Rockford, IL, Matt McConico is the new ND for this ABC/FOX duopoly. He most recently spent four years as the ND for WPMT-TV in Harrisburg. Matt’s a former ND in Reno, ...
IT’S MILLER’S TIME
Moving & Shaking
NEVER SAY DYE
Congratulations to Tim Dye
NEW MORNING FACE AT SINCLAIR SEATTLE
Majors comes to KOMO from Sinclair’s KBAK in Bakersfield, CA.
NOT TRYING TO BLOW HIS OWN HORN… BUT…
Movers & Shakers
GOING, GOING…
ND leaving Detroit after about 4 1/2 years
FROM ADULT DISNEY WORLD TO ACTUAL DISNEY WORLD
WOFL-TV, the FOX o-and-o in Orlando, has hired Zac Prudhomme as its next executive producer. Zac’s a former executive producer for KTNV (Scripps/ABC) in Las Vegas, a job he left in October, 2018, when ...
FROM GM TO MAYOR
News from Hawaii – where former general manager Rick Blangiardi was elected Mayor of Honolulu. He most recently was GM for Gray’s duopoly there, KGMB/KHNL-TV. He’s also been a GM in San Francisco and ...
CALIFORNIA HERE I COME… AND THERE I GO
At KION-TV in Monterey/Salinas, California, Stacy Sakai will be the next news director for this News Press & Gazette owned operation. She replaces Ron Keller who left in September to become an executive producer ...
SO LONG ROANOKE
He's also been a news director in Peoria, Ft. Wayne, Columbus, GA and Wausau, WI.
FROM ND TO MAYOR
Andrea Azzo joins WLUK-TV (Fox/Sinclair) in Green Bay, WI, as an executive producer. She’s been working as a producer for WWMT-TV in Kalamazoo, and has also worked in Austin, Rockford, IL, and for another ...
JUST FOR SPEIGHT
At Spectrum News Charlotte in Charlotte, NC, Kerwin Speight is the new Managing Director for this 24 hour cable news operation. It’s a return to North Carolina for Kerwin, who worked at WRAL-TV earlier in ...
STAYING IN SEATTLE
Another Seattle station, another executive producer hire. KCPQ-TV (FOX) has hired Jessamyn McIntyre as an EP. McIntyre’s been working as an on-air personality and producer for the 710 ESPN radio station in Seattle. She ...
PROMOTIONS G’LORE
In Lansing, Michigan at WSYM-TV, Jessie Williams will be the ND hired to oversee the buildup of a news department at this Scripps owned FOX affiliate. She’s currently an EP for Scripps’ WTMJ-TV (NBC) ...
McDONALD IS LOVING IT
On the move...
HERE YA GO IDAHO
Veteran news director headed to Idaho Falls, ID.
HEADED UP STREA… ER LAKE
Scripps fills in a bunch of slots
LITTLE ROCK GETS A NEW SUIT
The most famous "Bill" in Little Rock Arkansas... ok, maybe #2.
THIS STONE IS ROLLING
FIRST TIME IN THE CHAIR At Elmira, NY’s WETM-TV, in seems Stone Grissom got his first ND job at this Nexstar owned NBC affiliate. He’s a former lawyer who moved to TV and has ...
MAKE WAAY FOR GALLIEN
Meet the new boss Huntsville, AL
MOVING UP IN SINCLAIR’S BUCKEYE FOOD CHAIN
FROM BUCKEYE TO... WELL, STILL A BUCKEYE
CALLING IT A CAREER
Randal Stanley will retire at the end of the year. He’s been VP Operations for Altice’s News 12 Networks (serving the NY area) for the past two years, and earlier spent 12 years as VP/News ...
NOW HE GETS TO DEAL WITH AGENTS
One time news director turned agent Mike Bothwell has moved to Charlotte where he will be the Program Manager for Talent Acquisition for Spectrum Networks. He’s a former ND in Harrisburg, PA, Steubenville, OH, and ...
A REUNION IN CHARLOTTE
They’re putting the band back together in Charlotte, where Claire Otto joins WJYZ-TV (Nexstar/FOX) as the Assistant News Director. The move reunites her with ND Casey Clark. They held the same jobs at KCTV in Kansas City. Claire’s also worked ...
OUT THE DOOR
At KMID-TV in Midland, TX…veteran Texas news director David Lowell has exited the Nexstar owned ABC affiliate after three years as ND. He earlier spent 28 years as an ND in Beaumont. David’s also ...
HEADING UP THE COAST
At KIRO-TV in Seattle, WA, Tara Finestone is returning as ND for this Cox Media Group owned CBS affiliate. Tara was a producer at KIRO from 2000-2003. She’s spent the last 2 1/2 years ...
AH WELL…ANOTHER TURNCOAT, RIGHT?
Michael Doria moves into management as he becomes the Content Manager for Scripps’ WFTX-TV (FOX) in Ft. Myers. He’s been a reporter for stations in Las Vegas, and Rochester, Albany, and Binghamton, NY.
RESURFACING…
At WLFI-TV in Lafayette, Indiana Lon Lucas has been named news director for the Allen Media owned CBS station. Details in this news release. Lon’s been the ND for WEEK-TV in Peoria for the ...
“HUNTING” FOR AN ND
G O N E At WAAY-TV in Huntsville, Alabama they’re looking for a new news director to replace Matt Stein. Matt left the station after four years running the newsroom. He’s also worked in ...
SEE YA IN TULSA
A reunion in Tulsa re-connects KOKI-TV News Director Frank Volpicella and Rudy Murrieta. They worked together at WGCL-TV in Atlanta when Frank was the ND there and Rudy was the Assistant ND. Now, Rudy ...
GOODBYE COLUMBUS
At WCTV in Tallahassee, Florida, Sabrina Fuller moves within Gray as she heads to Florida’s capital city to be the next ND for this CBS affiliate. Sabrina is currently the executive producer for Gray’s ...
WATTUP EUGENE
At KVAL-TV in Eugene, OR, the Sinclair/CBS affiliate has tabbed veteran news director Lawton Dodd as its next news director. Lawton spent 22 years as ND for KSBW-TV in Salinas-Monterey before leaving the job ...
BIG O to BIG O
Big O Stephen Ostrosky is headed to the Big O to become managing editor for Hearst’s WESH-TV (NBC) in Orlando. He’s been the Assistant ND for WHAS-TV, Tegna’s ABC affiliate in Louisville for the ...
FOLLOWING UP
Updating an item from last week, regarding the ND opening at WEEK-TV in Peoria, Illinois, Lon Lucas is staying on as ND for a while but will eventually leave, as he wants to be closer ...
GOODBYE WACO
At KXXV-TV in Waco, Texas, Josh (tag) Eure (it) has left this Scripps owned station after one year as news director. He’s had a number of jobs at both local stations and networks during ...
OPEN POSITION IN PEORIA
Peoria, Illinois’ WEEK-TV is looking for a new news director to replace Lon Lucas. Lon was ND for about 2 1/2 years. He earlier was an Executive Producer in Las Vegas, and has also ...
FROM SUMMER OLYMPICS TO FORMER SITE OF THE WINTER GAMES
Jeff Tavis is the new Digital Executive Producer for Scripps’ KSTU-TV (FOX) in Salt Lake City. He most recently was the Executive Producer of Digital Media and Special Projects for WPLG-TV (ABC) in Miami, where he began his ...
MOVING UP IN ALBANY
In Albany, at WRGB-TV, Perna Roberson is moving to the ND job at this Sinclair Broadcasting owned CBS affiliate. Perna’s been the Assistant ND for the past two years, and has also worked in Birmingham, Atlanta, ...
MOVING UP IN MOBILE
At Mobile, Alabama’s WALA-TV, 29 year veteran Randy Merrow has been promoted to news director. Randy’s been the Assistant ND more than 20 years. He started at the station as a senior producer. He ...
MYSTERY ND IN MS
In Greenville, Mississippi’s WABG, WXVT, WNBD and WABG this Cala Broadcasting owned operation (which operates affiliates of all FOUR major networks) has filled its news director opening, and yet, it has not yet been ...
KING HAS AN EP
Tegna’s NBC affiliate in Seattle is building up with another key brick in the wall. KING-TV, has filled its vacant executive producer position by hiring Mason Waldvogel from KTUL-TV in Tulsa. He’s been the Assistant ND ...
VENEGAS FLOORS IT OUT OF EL PASO
At El Paso, Texas’ KTSM-TV, it’s vamos Victor Venegas. He’s has left this Nexstar owned NBC affiliate. He’d been the news director there since December, 2018, when he was promoted from Nightside Executive Producer. He’d earlier ...
PACK YOUR BAGS
At Lake Charles, Louisiana’s KPLC-TV, the new ND for the Gray Television owned NBC affiliate is Greg DeBrosse. Greg has been the Assistant News Director for Cox Media Group’s KOKI-TV in Tulsa for the last seven ...
MOVERS & SHAKERS
It looks like David Jones is the next ND at WLNE-TV in Providence, Rhode Island. Jones comes from WNYT-TV, Hubbard’s NBC affiliate in Albany, NY. He’ll replace Kelly Johnson. Standard Media has also named Jennifer Hardy ND ...
O.T.M.
At Providence, Rhode Island’s WLNE-TV, the Standard Media owned ABC affiliate is looking for a new news director. Kelly Johnston had been the ND for the last four years in her second tour of duty ...
O.T.M.
At Ft. Wayne, Indiana’s WANE-TV, Jenna Huff is moving north (and closer to her native Michigan) as she’s been named ND for this Nexstar owned CBS affiliate. . For the last nine years, Jenna has ...
O.T.M.
At Sarasota’s WWSB-TV (part of the Tampa marke), Jeff Schlesser moves within Gray to become ND for this ABC affiliate. It’s a return to Tampa for Schlesser, who spent eight years at WTVT-TV. He’s ...
THE LONE STONE STATE
At Dallas/Ft. Worth’s KXTX-TV, John Stone, who is the VP/News for sister NBC owned KXAS-TV, is assuming the ND role for this Telemundo affiliate. John has been the ND at KXAS since November, 2018, ...
O.T.M.
At Corpus Christi’s KRIS-TV Mark Silberstein is filling the long vacant opening at the Scripps owned NBC affiliate. His title will be Senior Director of Content (think news director but with a longer title.) ...
WELL, THAT WAS QUICK
John LaPorte has resigned as ND for Cox Media Group’s KIRO-TV (CBS) in Seattle after only about 14 months there. He’s returning to Milwaukee, where he spent almost nine years as ND at WITI-TV (FOX), ...
O.T.M
She’s got her work cut out for her. Noelle Kachinsky is leaving her job as the executive producer for Spectrum News in Charlotte to be a Media Specialist working closely with the Center for ...
BADGER RETIRES
Mike Rindo worked as a news director in Kalamazoo/Grand Rapids, MI, Rochester, NY, and Eau Claire, WI, is now retiring after almost 20 years in his second career. He’s been the assistant chancellor for ...
JUST WHEN HE THOUGHT HE’D BE COVERING THE GOP CONVENTION
Grover Murrell joins Cox Media Group’s WJAX/WFOX-TV (CBS/FOX) in Jacksonville, FL, as managing editor. He’s been working at Sinclair’s WZTV in Nashville as the Assignment Manager for that FOX affiliate. Grover’s also worked in ...
RESURFACING IN CHARLOTTE
Casey Clark, has been named news director for Nexstar’s WJYZ/WMYT-TV in Charlotte, NC. (Nexstar acquired the station from FOX earlier this year.) Casey most recently was ND for Meredith’s KCTV (CBS) in Kansas City, ...
MOTOR CITY HERE I COME
Kennan Oliphant is on the move within Scripps. He’s the new Assistant News Director for WXYZ-TV (ABC) in Detroit. It’s a return to the Motor City for Kennan, who earlier in his career worked ...
O.T.M.
Nexstar’s KDVR/KWGN-TV (FOX/CW) duopoly in Denver has hired Sean O’Donnell as its next Digital Content Executive Producer. Sean’s been working for WPXI-TV in Pittsburgh (Cox/NBC) and earlier worked for another Cox station, WFXT-TV in ...
ON THE MOVE
At LA’s KABC-TV, it’s congratulations-time to veteran ND Rob Elmore. He’s returning to Raleigh-Durham and ascending to the GM’s office at sister ABC o-and-o WTVD-TV, where he spent 17 years as ND before moving to KABC five years ago. Before ...
ON THE MOVE AROUND THE MAP
At KOAT-TV in Albuquerque, NM, Jess O’Neill returns to this Hearst owned ABC affiliate for his first ND job. Jess is currently the assistant news director at sister Hearst station WESH-TV (NBC), where, years ago, he was a ...
BOLING OVER (AS ND)
A former ND is moving to the big chair. Neal Boling has been promoted to GM for KHQ-TV in Spokane, WA. He’s been the station manager there for the last six years after four years as news director ...
TELEMUNDO’S REVOLVING DOOR IN ORLANDO
At Orlando’s WTMO, Roberto Vizcon is out at this Telemundo affiliate after a little more than two years in his second stint at the station. The first time he was general manager. Current GM, Louis ...
ON THE MOVE…
At KAVU-TV in Victoria, Texas, James Munoz is adding news director to his resume at this Morgan Murphy Media owned ABC affiliate. He’s been anchoring there and will continue to anchor the 5:00 news. ...
ON THE MOVE…
At Charlotte’s WJZY-TV, Tina Luque, is leaving this newly-owned by Nexstar FOX affiliate (once a FOX o-and-o) after more than four years as news director. She’s been a news director at WTKR-TV in Norfolk ...
ON THE MOVE…
At Ada, Oklahoma/Sherman, Texas’ KTEN-TV, Joey Parker is the new news director of the Lockwood Broadcasting owned NBC/ABC affiliates. He most recently was the anchor and assistant ND at KMIZ-TV in Columbia, MO. Joey’s been ...
ON THE MOVE…
At Eau Claire, Wisconsin’s WEAU-TV, Janis Harper has started as the next ND for this Gray owned NBC affiliate. Janis left KTVA-TV in Anchorage, though did not know her destination. She left KTVA on the seventh anniversary ...
ON THE MOVE…
KKTV, Colorado Springs, CO…Lauri Martin is now the ND for this Gray Television owned CBS affiliate. She had been the assistant news director. The station’s website now lists Kerri Blanco as the GM. She had been the sales ...
ON THE MOVE…
At WDTV in Clarksburg/Bridgeport, WV, Michael Baldwin has been named ND for this Gray Television owned CBS affiliate. He’s been the Saturday evening anchor and nightside reporter for sister Gray station WXIX-TV (FOX) in Cincinnati. He’s also ...
FILLING OUT THE LINEUP
After six months as news director at WGN-Channel 9, Dominick Stasi rounded out his new leadership team Wednesday at the Nexstar Media Group station. Managing editor Rick Strasser was named assistant news director, and executive producer Dana Ballard was named to ...
AND HE’S “OFF”
Steve Daniloff has left Nexstar’s WBRE/WYOU-TV in Wilkes-Barre, PA, after more than three years as GM. And in one more instance of a news director being promoted to GM. Scripps has named Tregg White as GM ...
ON THE MOVE
In Watertown, New York, Jeff Nelson is being promoted to news director for the Gray Television owned CBS affiliate WWNY, effective August 5th. He’s currently an anchor AND the Assistant News Director there. Jeff ...
ON THE MOVE
Jodie Heisner moves within Scripps to become the next news director for WEWS-TV, the company’s ABC affiliate in Cleveland. She’s been the Assistant ND for Scripps’ WXYZ-TV (also ABC) in Detroit since September 2018. ...
ON THE MOVE…
Kevin Roach of WKEF/WRGT-TV in Dayton, who’s been the ND since 2016, is moving within Sinclair to become the AM News Content Director for the company’s WJLA-TV (ABC) in Washington, D.C. He’s also been a news director ...
BEAUMONT’S NEW BEAU
Paul Alexander starts June 15th as the next ND for KFDM-TV in Beaumont, Texas, Sinclair’s CBS affiliate. Alexander is the former ND in Corpus Christi and Brownsville. Paul began in sports, working as an anchor in Tucson, ...
BOSTON HAS A NEW GM (NO, NOT THE SOX)
Kyle Grimes will be the next GM for Hearst‘s WCVB-TV in Boston. It’s a big market leap for Grimes who has been the GM for Hearst’s WGAL-TV in Lancaster/Harrisburg, PA, since 2016. Before that, he ran WPTZ/WNNE-TV, Hearst’s NBC/CW ...
ELMORE RETURNS
Rob Elmore, who’s been the VP/News for KABC-TV for the past five years, is making a return to Raleigh-Durham as GM for sister ABC station WTVD-TV. Before moving to KABC, Rob spent 17 years as the ...
MEET THE NEW BOSS
Nexstar Broadcasting has promoted Marci Daniels to vice president and general manager of its broadcast and digital operations in Lansing, MI., overseeing WLNS. In her new role, she will also oversee Nexstar’s relationship with Shield ...
IF YOU BUILD IT, HE WILL COME
WOI-TV, in Des Moines, a Tegna owned ABC affiliate has hired Ryan Robertson as its next news director. Robertson is coming from KGWN-TV, the Gray owned CBS affiliate in Cheyenne, WY. He’s previously worked in Lincoln and ...
KEYS COULD BE SINGING BLUES…AGAIN
A one-time producer for Sacramento’s KTXL-TV is in hot water with the Feds. Matthew Keys was sentenced to two years for computer hacking after a 2013 indictment. Now the government says he violated the terms of ...
