| March 27, 2023 |
| It’s a slow week. Maybe everyone was watching basketball. Or on spring break. Or readying for the start of baseball later this week. Just ONE new news director named this week with ONE new opening. Those figures do not include some management changes at WNBC-TV in New York which we do detail below. All that means our list of open ND jobs stays at 40. Our streak of several issues without an obituary ends with TWO this week: the deaths of a longtime WABC-TV photographer whose father was an ND and GM. And we’ll also share news of the death of a longtime Montana broadcaster. No GM changes this week. In Names in the News, a new Assistant ND in West Virginia, a Michigan station resumes newscasts after an outbreak of illness among its staff, more reports of big cutbacks at Sinclair stations, and we’ll share a Sports Illustrated article on the demise of the local sportscaster. It’s an interesting read. |
| NEWLY NAMED NEWS DIRECTOR OPENINGS: |
WMBD/WYZZ-TV, Peoria, IL…ANDREW HARVEY has been promoted to news director for this duopoly. He’s an eight year veteran of the station, beginning as a part-time associate producer up through the ranks and eventually to assistant ND, a job he’s held for the last two years. He replaces LAWTON DODD who left earlier this month after one year as ND. Nexstar owns WMBD (CBS) and operates WYZZ (FOX). Harvey  Our Wednesday UPDATE brought news of management promotions at WNBC-TV in New York, where ND AMY MORRIS was promoted to Senior VP of News. She’ll oversee both WNBC and Telemundo’s WNJU-TV. DAVID MANNEY was promoted from Assistant ND to ND for WNBC, while ALEXA RODRIGUEZ was upped to ND for WNJU from Assistant ND. |
| NEW NEWS DIRECTOR OPENINGS: |
WJZ-TV, Baltimore, MD…a remarkable 32 years as news director for this CBS o-and-o ended this week with the departure of GAIL BENDING. My inquiry to Gail’s station email was not returned…it’s possible she didn’t got it. The only public comment I’ve seen from is this post from Gail’s Facebook page, in which she said she was ‘saddened to have to leave my WJZ family.’ Bending |
| NEWS MANAGEMENT OPENINGS: |
| ASSISTANT NEWS DIRECTOR: WTVD-TV, Durham, NC (listed 1/29/23) WROC-TV, Rochester, NY (relisted 3/26/23) KRGV-TV, Weslaco, TX (AM EP, relisted 2/19/23) EXECUTIVE PRODUCER: News 12 Long Island, Bethpage, NY (listed 1/15/23) News 12 Edison, NJ (Spec. Projects. Prod., listed 1/15/23) KTLA-TV, Los Angeles, CA (relisted 3/26/23) WPHL-TV, Philadelphia, PA (Morning EP, listed 3/19/23) KIAH-TV, Houston, TX (AM/Special Projects EP, listed 2/19/23) KGO-TV, San Francisco, CA (listed 1/29/23) KTVU-TV, Oakland/San Francisco, CA (Nightside EP, listed 3/26/23) WTTG-TV, Washington, DC (listed 2/5/22) KNXV-TV, Phoenix, AZ (listed 2/12/23) KDVR/KWGN-TV, Denver, CO (Morning EP, listed 3/19/23) WTVD-TV, Durham, NC (listed 1/29/23) WNCN-TV, Raleigh, NC (relisted 1/22/23) WRTV, Indianpolis, IN (relisted 3/26/23) WXIN/WTTV, Indianapolis, IN (relisted 3/26/23) WTVF-TV, Nashville, TN (relisted 3/26/23) KSTU-TV, Salt Lake City (relisted 3/26/23) KTVX-TV, Salt Lake City (listed 2/25/23) WBNS-TV, Columbus, OH (relisted 3/26/23) WTIC-TV, Hartford, CT (relisted 1/15/23) WCPO-TV, Cincinnati, OH (relisted 3/26/23) WAVY/WVBT-TV, Norfolk, VA (relisted 3/26/23) WNYT-TV, Albany, NY (listed 2/12/23) KJRH-TV, Tulsa, OK (listed 2/25/23) WHEC-TV, Rochester, NY (relisted 2/19/23) KRGV-TV, Weslaco, TX (AM EP, relisted 2/19/23) KIVI-TV, Boise, ID (relisted 2/19/23) WTXL-TV, Tallahassee, FL (Digital EP, relisted 3/26/23) WFFT-TV, Ft. Wayne, IN (relisted 2/19/23 WKBT-TV, La Crosse, WI (listed 1/29/23) KRIS-TV, Corpus Christi, TX (listed 2/25/23) WTVO/WQRF-TV, Rockford, IL (relisted 3/26/23) KFDX/KJTL-TV, Wichita Falls, TX (relisted 3/26/23) Other News Management Openings: Relisted 3/26/23: KSTU-TV, Salt Lake City, UT (Assignment Desk Manager) Listed 3/12/23: WTKR-TV, Norfolk, VA (Manager of Enterprise Content) Listed 3/5/23: WINK-TV, Ft,. Myers, FL (Digital News Director) KVEO-TV, Brownsville, TX (Digital News Manager) Listed 2/5/23: Gray Television, Remote (Producers for Magazine Program) Listed 1/9/23: KPRC-TV, Houston, TX (Livestream Producer) KSTU-TV, Salt Lake City, UT (Assignment Desk Manager) |
| OBITUARIES: |
TODD PIERCE, a 20 plus year photojournalist for WABC-TV in New York, died Friday, March 17, of cancer believed to have been caused by toxins ingested while he was covering 911. Todd was 57 years old. The station aired this lengthy and very well produced tribute to him. Todd is survived by his wife, daughter, and his father, longtime news director and general manager MARK PIERCE. Friends can send a note to Mark by clicking here. Pierce Longtime Montana broadcaster STEVE FETVIET died Wednesday, March 22nd, at the age of 72. His career took him across many if not most Montana markets, with a brief incursion into Oregon. Details in this obituary.  |
| NAMES IN THE NEWS (and other things): |
Congratulations to BAILEY BRAUTIGAN who has been promoted to Assistant News Director for Nexstar’s WOWK-TV in Charleston/Huntington, WV. She’s been the Digital Content Manager for this CBS affiliate since January, 2021. Her work background is varied and interesting, as you can see by clicking here and checking out her Linkedin page. Brautigan While I have seen no other reporting online, I continue to hear about cutbacks and layoffs at Sinclair stations, include significant cuts at WPMI-TV (NBC) in Mobile which eliminated weekend and mornings newscasts. WBKB-TV in Alpena, MI, has resumed its local newscasts after an outbreak of illness among its staff that shut the newscasts down last week. Sports Illustrated has a lengthy look at the demise of the local sportscast and the fall from prestige of the local sports anchor. |
| GENERAL MANAGER NEWS and NOTES: |
| I’m not aware of any GM changes this week. If I’ve missed something, please let me know: rick@rickgevers.com |
| OUR LIST OF OPEN NEWS DIRECTOR JOBS: |
| Here’s our list of open ND jobs as of Sunday, March 6, 2023: 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: rick@rickgevers.com KNBC-TV 100 Universal City Plaza, Bldg 2120 Universal City, CA 91608 KTTV 1999 S. Bundy Dr. Los Angeles CA 90025 WMAQ/WSNS-TV 454 N. Columbus Dr. Chicago, IL 60611 KTVT/KTXA-TV 5233 Bridge St. Fort Worth, TX 76103 WXIA-TV One Monroe Place NE Atlanta, Georgia 30324 WZDC-TV 4001 Nebraska Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20016 KIRO-TV 2807 3rd Ave. Seattle, WA 98121 KMGH-TV 123 E. Speer Blvd. Denver, CO 80203 WLTV 9405 NW 41st St, Doral, FL 33178 ** WJZ-TV 3725 Malden Avenue Baltimore, MD 21211 WBNS-TV 770 Twin Rivers Dr. Columbus, OH 43215 KVUE- TV 3201 Steck Avenue, Austin, TX 78757 WWMT-TV 590 West Maple St. Kalamazoo, MI 49008 WAVY-TV 300 WAVY Street Portsmouth, VA 23704 WLNE-TV 10 Orms St. Providence, RI 02904 KFTV 3239 W Ashlan Av. Fresno, CA 93722 ** KSEE/KGPE-TV 5035 E McKinley Ave. Fresno, CA 93727 WNEP-TV 16 Montage Mountain Rd. Moosic, PA 18507 KOKI-TV 2625 S Memorial Dr. Tulsa, OK 741291 KWCH-TV 2815 E. 37th Street North. Wichita, KS 67219 WISC-TV 7025 Raymond Rd. Madison, WI 53719 WTVG-TV 4247 Dorr St. Toledo, OH 43607 WJCL-TV 1375 Chatham Pkwy., 3rd floor Savannah, GA 31405 KNWA-TV 609 W. Dickson St. Suite 300, Fayetteville AR, 72701 WQAD-TV 3003 Park 16th Street Moline, Illinois 61265 KHGI-TV 1078 25 Road Axtell, NE 68924 KMIZ-TV 501 Business Loop 70 E., Columbia MO 65201 KQDS-TV 2001 London Road Duluth, MN 55812 KMID/KPEJ-TV 1550 West I-20 Odessa TX 79763 WJET-TV 8455 Peach Street Erie, PA 16509 WGFL/WNBW/WMYG-TV 1703 NW 80th Blvd. Gainesville, FL 32606 WBUP/WKBP-TV 1705 Ash Street Suite 5 Ishpeming, MI 49849 WGEM-TV 513 Hampshire. Quincy, IL 62301 WWNY-TV 120 Arcade St. Watertown, NY 13601 KGNS-TV 120 W. Del Mar Blvd. Laredo TX 78041 KMVT-TV 1100 Blue Lakes Blvd North, Twin Falls, ID 83301 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 KNOP-TV 402. S. Dewey. North Platte NE 69101 **: Spanish language station |
