| September 18, 2023 |
| A surfeit (I sneak that word in every year or two) of ND hires this week leads our report. SIX new news directors, with just THREE openings. Our list of stations with open ND jobs drops to 35. Just TWO items in Names in the News, ONE new GM in a top 20 market, and NO obituaries. Hope to see many of you this week at the annual RTDNA conference in Minneapolis. |
| NEWLY NAMED NEWS DIRECTORS: |
KCBS/KCAL-TV, Los Angeles, CA…MATT GOLDBERG will be one of TWO VP/NDs here. This news release explains how CBS believe that will work. Matt joins MIKE DELLO STRITTO as a VP/ND. A past president of IRE, it’s a return to KCBS/KCAL for Matt who worked as an investigative producer there before going to NBC, where he spent the last 20 years, including time at KNBC-TV as the assistant ND. GoldbergWCCO-TV, Minneapolis/St. Paul, MN…it was a busy week at CBS which named BRAD NEMITZ as VP/ND here (the only one with that title as far as I know.) Brad’s spent the last eight years at WLOS-TV (ABC) in Asheville, NC, the last five as ND. Brad’s also worked in Miami, Grand Rapids, Pensacola, and Eau Claire, WI. He replaces KARI PATEY who becomes VP/Producer Development for the CBS owned stations  NemitzWBTV, Charlotte, NC…assistant ND JASON STEVENS ascends to the ND job at this Gray owned CBS affiliate replacing MOLLY KELLEHER who’s off to Gray’s KCTV (CBS) in Kansas City as Assistant ND. Molly told me she’s excited about the growth at KCTV and hopes to help ND JOSH MORGAN continue the progress there. She’s a nine year veteran of WBTV who spent the last 18 months as ND.  StevensWOOD-TV, Grand Rapids, MI…longtime Biloxi, MS, newsman BRAD KESSIE will be the next ND for this Nexstar owned NBC affiliate. He sent 35 years at WLOX-TV, the last 14 as ND. We have the memo from WOOD GM JULIE BRINKS as well as the note to staff from WLOX GM RICK WILLIAMS. The move gets Brad closer to family in Chicago. He’s also worked in Columbia, MO.  KessieWACH-TV, Columbia, SC…CELESTE CANNON is the news news director for this Sinclair Broadcasting FOX affiliate. She’s been the Assistant News Director there for the past two years but first joined the station eight years ago as a director, a job she held at two other places. Celeste replaces LENA SADIWSKYJ. We told you last month that Lena was leaving to return to teaching.  CannonWBND-TV, South Bend, IN…we now know the name of the new ND for this Weigel Broadcasting owned ABC affiliate. It’s MOLLY JIRASEK who began her career in the market and most recently has been a producer for NewsNation in Chicago. More here. She also worked as the Assistant ND for WEEK-TV in Peoria. At WBND, she replaces KYLE FOBE who left in July to become ND for WISC-TV in Madison, WI.  Jirasek |
| NEW NEWS DIRECTOR OPENINGS: |
| WLOS-TV, Asheville, NC…you learned in our item just above (as well as our Wednesday UPDATE) that BRAD NEMITZ is leaving this Sinclair owned ABC affiliate to become the next VP/News Director for CBS’s WCCO-TV in Minneapolis. Brad spent more than five years as ND here and 3 1/2 as the Assistant ND before his promotion. WFXR-TV, Roanoke, VA…JOSH GOOD has left this Nexstar owned FOX affiliate after not quite three years as news director. Before moving to Roanoke, Josh had been the news director for KADN/KLAF-TV (FOX/NBC) in Lafayette, LA for about two years. He’s also worked in Fort Wayne, IN, Lexington, KY and Knoxville, TN.  GoodWLOX-TV, Biloxi, MS…we told you above that BRAD KESSIE’s 35 year career at this Gray owned ABC/CBS affiliate is ending with his upcoming move to the ND job at WOOD-TV (Nexstar/NBC) in Grand Rapids, MI. Brad began there as a reporter and has been ND for the last 14 years. |
| NEWS MANAGEMENT OPENINGS: |
| ASSISTANT NEWS DIRECTOR: WFOR-TV, Miami, FL (listed 9/3/23) WNCN-TV, Raleigh, NC (listed 8/20/23) KENS-TV, San Antonio, TX (listed 8/20/23) WOOD-TV, Grand Rapids, MI (relisted 9/10/23) WGHP-TV, Greensboro/High Point, NC (relisted 9/10/23) WNEP-TV, Scranton, PA (listed 8/20/23) KREM-TV, Spokane, WAS (listed 8/20/23) WISC-TV, Madison, WI (listed 9/10/23) WNCT-TV, Greenville, NC (relisted 7/9/23) WCIA-TV, Champaign, IL (listed 8/13/23) WSYM-TV, Lansing, MI (listed 9/10/23) EXECUTIVE PRODUCER: WPIX-TV, New York, NY (Special Projects EP, listed 8/28/23) KDAF-TV, Dallas, TX (Digital EP, listed 9/17/23) WTSP-TV, Tampa/St. Petersburg (AM EP, relisted 8/20/23) KSTP-TV, Minneapolis/St. Paul (listed 7/30/23) KUSA-TV, Denver, CO (listed 8/20/23) WNCN-TV, Raleigh, NC (relisted 8/6/23) WTHR-TV, Indianapolis, IN (listed 8/20/23) WXIN/WTTV, Indianapolis, IN (relisted 8/6/23) KENS-TV, San Antonio, TX (listed 9/10/23) WBNS-TV, Columbus, OH (AM EP, listed 9/10/23) WTIC-TV, Hartford, CT (listed 9/10/23) WKRN-TV, Nashville, TN (listed 8/6/23) WOOD-TV, Grand Rapids, MI (listed 9/10/23) WVEC-TV, Norfolk, VA (AM EP, listed 8/20/23) WFMY-TV, Greensboro, NC (AM EP, listed 9/10/23) WATN-TV, Memphis, TN (listed 9/10/23) WIVB-TV, Buffalo, NY (listed 8/13/23) WLEX-TV, Lexington, KY (listed 7/2/23) KREM-TV, Spokane, WA (listed 8/20/23) WOI-TV, Des Moines, IA (listed 8/20/23) WHEC-TV, Rochester, NY (listed 7/30/23) WTOL-TV, Toledo, OH (listed 8/20/23) WCIA-TV, Champaign, IL (Digital EP, relisted 8/20/23) KTSM-TV, El Paso, TX (listed 8/30/23) WKBT-TV, La Crosse-Eau Claire, WI (listed 9/3/23) KRIS-TV, Corpus Christi, TX (listed 7/2/23) Other News Management Openings: Listed 9/10/23: KVUE-TV, Austin, TX (Digital Director) Listed 8/20/23: WBNS-TV, Columbus, OH (Director of Digital Content) |
| OBITUARIES: |
| Always pleased when there are no obituaries to report. |
| NAMES IN THE NEWS (and other things): |
| THOMAS BONI joins Nexstar’s WKRG-TV (CBS) in Mobile, AL, as Digital Content Manager. He has experience working with both newspapers (on the digital side) and other sites. Friends and colleagues of longtime NBC executive DON BROWNE are establishing a scholarship program at the University of South Carolina which he attended. We told you two weeks ago that Don had died. You can find more details about the scholarship effort (and contribute) by clicking here. Questions? Reach out to RANDY COVINGTON, Director of Special Project at the University via email.  Browne |
| GENERAL MANAGER NEWS and NOTES: |
| Just ONE GM move this week. Nexstar named CATHY GUNTHER general manager of its Sacramento FOX affiliate, KTXL-TV. She most recently had been GM for KOKI-TV in Tulsa, OK, but earlier in her career worked for KTVU-TV in Oakland/San Francisco as local sales manager. More in this news release.  Gunther |
| OUR LIST OF OPEN NEWS DIRECTOR JOBS: |
| 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: [email protected] KRIV-TV 4261 Southwest Freeway Houston, TX 77027 KTVU-TV 2 Jack London Sq. Oakland, CA 94607 WXIA-TV One Monroe Place NE Atlanta, GA 30324 WZDC-TV 4001 Nebraska Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20016 ** WDIV-TV 550 W Lafayette Blvd, Detroit, MI 48226 WFOR-TV 8900 NW 18th Terrace Doral, FL 33172 WLTV 9405 NW 41st St, Doral, FL 33178 ** WCNC-TV 1001 Wood Ridge Center Drive Charlotte, NC 28217 WRAL-TV 2619 Western Boulevard Raleigh NC 27606 WLOS-TV 110 Technology Drive Asheville, NC 28803 WWMT-TV 590 West Maple St. Kalamazoo, MI 49008 WLNE-TV 10 Orms St. Providence, RI 02904 KFTV 3239 W Ashlan Av. Fresno, CA 93722 ** WRGB-TV 1400 Balltown Rd. Schenectady, NY 12309 WATE-TV 1306 North Broadway Knoxville, TN 37917 WFXR-TV 5305 Valleypark Drive, Suite 1 Roanoke, VA 24019 WHNT-TV 200 Holmes Avenue Huntsville, AL 35801 KLEW-TV 2626 17th St, Lewiston, ID 83501 WICS-TV 2680 E. Cook St. Springfield, IL 62703 WBND-TV 53550 Generations Drive South Bend, IN 46635 WQAD-TV 3003 Park 16th Street Moline, IL 61265 WFIE-TV 1115 Mt. Auburn Road Evansville, IN 47720 KIMA-TV 2801 Terrace Heights Dr. Yakima, WA 98901 WDIO-TV 10 Observation Road Duluth, MN 55811 KIFI-TV 1915 N. Yellowstone Hwy. Idaho Falls, ID 83401 WLOX-TV 208 DeBuys Road, Biloxi, MS 39531 WTWO-TV 10849 N US Highway 41, Farmersburg, IN 47850 WDTV 5 Television Dr. Bridgeport, WV 26330 WWNY-TV 120 Arcade St. Watertown, NY 13601 KGNS-TV 120 W. Del Mar Blvd. Laredo TX 78041 Delta News 837 Washington Ave Greenville, MS 38701 KAEF-TV 540 E Street Eureka, CA 95501 KYOU-TV 820 West 2nd Street; Ottumwa, IA 52501 KQTV 4000 Faraon St. Joseph, MO 64506 KTVH-TV 100 W Lyndale Ave. Ste A. Helena, MT 59601 KNOP-TV 402 S. Dewey. North Platte NE 69101 **: Spanish language station |
