| October 20, 2024 |
| We have TWO new ND openings but THREE newly hired NDs in this week’s report. (And we removed one ND opening from our list…we’ll explain below.) That drops our list of open ND Jobs to 34. Two experienced GM’s are in the news…ONE who is retiring and ONE who UNRETIRED…and went back to a previous job. In Names in the News, a longtime New York newsman exits the business to be a director of communications for a town, a Baltimore newsman goes to work for the government, and we have links to TWO stories we found interesting. Read on! |
| NEWLY NAMED NEWS DIRECTORS: |
WJXT-TV, Jacksonville, FL…ROBERT BROWN returns to this Graham Media owned independent as its next ND. Robert worked here from 2012-2018 before moving to sister Graham station WKMG-TV (CBS) in Orlando as a producer, eventually rising to Manager of Content and Coverage. More in this news release. At WJXT, Robert replaces KATHRYN BONFIELD who left the station in September after 13 years as ND. BrownKTVZ-TV, Bend, OR…GREG DEFFENBAUGH heads west to become the ND at this News Press and Gazette NBC/FOX duopoly. The station provided this information about Greg, who’s been the ND for Allen Media’s WREX-TV in Rockford, IL. At KTVZ, Greg replaces CATHY MARSHALL who’s been the ND here since December, 2022, and first joined the station as a morning anchor earlier that year.  Greg D.Finally, we are removing WTHR-TV (Tegna/NBC) in Indianapolis from our list of open ND jobs. We told you last week that NICOLE BLOCK had left as news director. There is no current plan to replace her, apparently. Director of Content SCOTT HUMS (to whom Nicole reported) will continue to oversee the newsroom. |
| NEW NEWS DIRECTOR OPENINGS: |
WIS-TV, Columbia, SC…after more than six years as the news director for this Gray TV NBC affiliate, BRAD HYATT has left the station. Messages sent to both Brad and GM ROBBY THOMAS were not returned. Brad first joined the station in 2016 and served a few months as interim ND before his 2018 promotion, He spent much of his career at WBTV (CBS) in Charlotte HyattWJET/WFXP-TV, Erie, PA…COREY MORRIS will leave this operation in December after about 18 months as ND. He had been a digital reporter at the station before being bumped up. His background is mostly newspaper and digital. An email sent to his station address was not returned. Nexstar owns WJET and operates WFXP which is owned by Mission Broadcasting.  MorrisWREX-TV, Rockford, IL…you learned above that GREG DEFFENBAUGH is the new news director for KTVZ-TV in Bend, OR. Greg was ND here for about three years and earlier worked in Pittsburgh, Denver, Oklahoma City and Des Moines. |
| NEWS MANAGEMENT OPENINGS: |
| ASSISTANT NEWS DIRECTOR: KUSA-TV, Denver, CO (relisted 9/29/24) KTVI/KPLR-TV, St. Louis, MO (listed 9/29/24) WDAF-TV, Kansas City, MO (relisted 9/8/24) WHAS-TV, Louisville, KY (relisted 9/29/24) WBRE/WYOU-TV, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, PA (listed 7/28/24) WFRV-TV, Green Bay, WI (relisted 9/15/24) WROC-TV, Rochester, NY (listed 9/8/24) WCIA-TV, Champaign, IL (listed 9/22/24) KIVI-TV, Boise, ID (listed 9/29/24) WCYB-TV, Tri-Cities, TN & VA (relisted 10/13/24) EXECUTIVE PRODUCER: WPHL-TV, Philadelphia, PA (AM EP, relisted 10/13/24) KPRC-TV, Houston, TX (AM Broadcast EP, relisted 10/6/24) 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 (listed 9/29/24) WESH-TV, Orlando, FL (relisted 10/20/24) KTXL-TV, Sacramento, CA (Lifestyle show EP, listed 9/15/24) WCNC-TV, Charlotte, NC (listed 9/29/24) Spectrum News 1, Raleigh NC (relisted 9/15/25) WNCN-TV, Raleigh, NC (relisted 10/13/24) KSDK-TV, St. Louis, MO (listed 9/29/29) KTVX/KUCW-TV, Salt Lake City, UT (relisted 10/13/24) 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) WGAL-TV, Lancaster, PA (relisted 10/20/24) WTKR-TV, Norfolk, VA (listed 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) WIVB-TV, Buffalo, NY (AM EP, listed 10/13/24) WFTX-TV, Ft. Myers, FL (listed 9/2/24) WRIC-TV, Richmond, VA (relisted 8/11/24) KJRH-TV, Tulsa, OK (listed 9/2/24) KOLR/KRBK-TV, Springfield, MO (listed 9/8/24) KOAA-TV, Colorado Springs, CO (AM EP, relisted 9/29/24) WVLA/WGMB-TV, Baton Rouge, LA (listed 9/15/24) WQAD-TV, Moline, IL (listed 9/29/29) KPAX-TV, Missoula, MT (relisted 9/2/24) MANAGING EDITOR: WTXL-TV, Tallahassee, FL (relisted 10/13/24) Other News Management Openings: 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) Relisted 9/29/24: WTLV/WJXX-TV, Jacksonville, FL (Digital Director) WWL-TV, New Orleans, LA (Digital Director) Listed 9/22/24: KSWB/KUSI-TV, San Diego, CA (Digital Content Manager) WTVF-TV, Nashville, TN (Digital Director) Listed 9/15/24: Spectrum News, Austin, TX (Managing Director) WMBD-TV, Peoria, IL (Digital Media Director)dia Director) |
| NAMES IN THE NEWS (and other stuff): |
| Longtime New York news manager (News 12, WLNY-TV and Newsday) DREW SCOTT (right) has been named Director of Communication for Brookhaven Town. Much more in this story. MITCH FRIEDMAN, longtime AND for CBS’s WJZ-TV in Baltimore has left for a new job at the Census Bureau. I found a few articles that you might like. Variety has figured out what many of you have likely seen…and perhaps even been involved in. That’s the increased use of local reporters in network news. The former head of Graham Media, and one time GM for Chicago’s WLS-TV, EMILY BARR, believes that local station managers should spent more time listening to their people in their communities . (Hard to do when GMs are running multiple stations hundreds or thousands of miles apart, though.) |
| GENERAL MANAGER NEWS and NOTES: |
Retirement may not have agreed with BILL LAMB. He retired about two years ago as GM of Fox’s Los Angeles duopoly, KTTV/KCOP-TV. Now…he’s resurfaced as GM of Block Communications WDRB-TV (FOX) in Louisville. If that rings a bell, it’s because he ran that station for 17 years before heading to Tinsel Town. LambHe spent 18 years at Hearst with two GM stints, and now JOHN HUMPRHIES is retiring from his job as GM at WYFF-TV (NBC) in the Greenville-Spartanburg-Asheville market. He’s been GM there since 2016. spent four years as GM at Hearst’s WGAL-TV in Lancaster, PA, and had earlier been GSM at WYFF. The company quickly promoted BLAKE BRIDGES who’s been the GSM.  Humprhies |
| 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] KHOU-TV 5718 Westheimer Rd Houston, Texas 77057 KOMO-TV 140 4th Ave. N.Seattle, WA 98109 KTXL-TV 4655 Fruitridge Rd, Sacramento, CA 95820 WOAI-TV 4335 NW Loop 410, San Antonio, TX, 78229 WOLF-TV 1181 Highway 315 Wilkes-Barre, PA 18702 (news manager) WJAR-TV 23 Kenney Drive Cranston, RI 02920 WATN-TV 1725 Shelby Oaks Dr N. Memphis, TN 38134 KATV 10 Turtle Creek Lane Little Rock, AR 72202 WDTN-TV 4595 S Dixie Dr. Dayton, OH 45439 KLEW-TV 2626 17th St, Lewiston, ID 83501 WIS-TV 111 Bull St. Columbia, SC 29201 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 WGXA-TV 599 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. Macon, GA 31201 KHSL-TV 3460 Silverbell Rd. Chico, CA 95973 KDRV-TV 1090 Knutson Avenue Medford, OR 97504 WREX-TV 10322 Auburn Rd. Auburn, IL 62615 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 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 KYOU-TV 820 West 2nd Street; Ottumwa, IA 52501 KQTV 4000 Faraon St. Joseph, MO 64506 **: Spanish language station |
