general managers

The veteran station executive takes over Nexstar’s newly acquired ABC-CW duopoly in Salt Lake City.

Raycom chooses the news director of its WALB Albany, Ga., to take over leadership of the ABC affiliate in Biloxi, Miss., following this month’s retirement of David Vincent.

After less than two years as vice president and general manager of the Scripps ABC affiliate in Cincinnati, Steve Thaxton is leaving tomorrow.  Thaxton announced to the staff that he starts Monday as a temporary GM at Cleveland’s WEWS, a sister Scripps station, as he begins a transition to teaching and consulting.

The sales director of the Pittsburgh Fox-MNT duopoly is taking over from Alan Frank.

The former corporate director of news and digital media sales for Bright House Networks is tapped to lead Sinclair’s MNT affiliate.

Veteran pubcaster Polly Anderson is leaving the helm of New Mexico PBS to take over leadership of WUCF Orlando, Fla., in early February.

The former NBCU exec will oversee Sinclair’s Harrisburg, Pa., CBS affiliate as well as Nexstar’s WLYH.

The new owner of KTVX (ABC) and KUCW (CW) is making significant cuts to the staff of the Salt Lake City duopoly. Brian Jones, co-COO and EVP of Nexstar Broadcasting Group, didn’t provide specifics about which staff members or how many were laid off, except to confirm that he will be hiring a new station manager to replace Matt Jaquint.

The former sales director at WXXA Albany, N.Y., will take over Quincy’s Wisconsin ABC affiliate from John Harris. 

Jim Arnold has been named the new VP-GM for Journal Broadcast Group’s Tucson operations that comprise ABC affiliate KGUN, CW affil KWBA and four radio stations. He succeeds Julie Brinks who left the stations in November after five years.

The station management executive is chosen by Local TV to lead its ABC affiliate in Davenport-Rock Island, Iowa-Moline, Ill.

Darrin McDonald moves from KVUU Las Vegas to head KCTV-KSMO Kansas City and is succeeded by KVVU general sales manager, Todd Brown.

The Fresno TV executive is tapped by ZGS Communications to head its Telemundo affiliate there. 

Les Vann, the leader of Cincinnati’s top-rated CBS affiliates told staffers on Friday that he’s leaving when Baltimore-based Sinclair Broadcast Group takes over the station. Sinclair is expected to close on the deal by today, retroactive to Saturday, Dec. 1.

Hearst promotes him from head of sales at its WYFF Greenville-Spartanburg, S.C., to succeed the retiring Paul Quinn at its Harrisburg-Lancaster, Pa., NBC affiliate.

The veteran Atlanta TV executive succeeds Tom Canedo as head of the CBS Television Station group’s CW affiliate.

KCWC Casper-Riverton General Manager Ruby Calvert has announced her intention to retire by June 30, 2013. “It was a very difficult decision,” Calvert said during a Central Wyoming College Board of Trustees meeting. “It’s still difficult. But I think it’s a good time, for both me and the station.” Calvert has worked for the state’s sole public television station for 31 years.

The group moves Michael Renda from WFLD-WPWR Chicago to take over WJBK Detroit, succeeding Jeff Murri who died in February. It then moves Dennis Welsh from its WOFL-WRBW Orlando/WOGX Gainesville to head up the Chicago duopoly.

The former Alabama Public TV executive is taking over at the New Orleans PBS outlet, succeeding the retiring Randall Feldman.

After five years and one month, Julie Brinks is out as vice present and general manager running Journal Broadcast Group’s Tucson operations. She had been the longest tenured general manager at a commercial TV station in Tucson.

VP-General Manager Robert G. (Bobby) Totsch is gone from Meredith Corp.’s Kansas City CBS affiliate KCTV. “Bobby is no longer with the station,” wrote Art Slusark, Meredith’s VP-chief communications officer in a memo. “We did not renew his contract. We wish him the best in his future endeavors.”

The moves involve Jay Howell, Patrick Wholey and Joseph Abouzeid and involve the GM slots at WPRI-WNAC Providence, R.I.; and WDTN-WBDT Dayton, Ohio, as well as corporate.

The veteran local TV executive is returning to the stations where he began his career, succeeding Ed Piette who is retiring.

The group owner picks the VP-GM of Gray Television’s Charlottesville, Va., triopoly to run its ABC affiliate in Hampton-Norfolk, Va., succeeding Tod Smith.

The president and general manager of the South Bend-Elkhart, Ind., public television station has resigned after 10 years to pursue other opportunities.

Wayne Martin, the longtime general manager of Gray Television’s Lexington, Ky., CBS affiliate told his staff that he will retire at the end of the year. A replacement has not yet been named.

After three years as CEO and president of the San Antonio, Texas, PBS station, Bill Moll has passed the public TV “mantle of responsibility” to EVP-Station Manager Mario Vasquez beginning Monday.

Jim Boyer, GM of Local TV’s Oklahoma station, will leave by year’s end, to be followed by the current station manager Wes Milbourn.

The head of Raycom’s Fox affiliate in Augusta, Ga., will end his broadcast television career of more than 50 years at the end of this year.

The former GM of KGPE Fresno, Calif., will succeed Mark Pimentel as president-GM of the Louisville ABC affiliate beginning next month.

The Tribune Chicago CW affiliate picks Tribune’s programming operations VP to be interim general manager following the move of Marty Wilke to WBBM.

The former head of CBS’s Detroit WWJ-WKBD duopoly will oversee Meredith’s Atlanta CBS affiliate as well as its local management agreement with WPCH.

WGN’s GM, Marty Wilke, is moving over to CBS O&O WBBM, succeeding Bruno Cohen, who is taking over the GM slot for CBS’s San Francisco duopoly, plus its KSTW Seattle. Cohen succeeds Ron Longinotti, who is leaving the company.

Paul Quinn, the head of Hearst’s NBC affiliate since 1993, will retire later this year, capping a local television career of over four decades.

Multiple sources say that KPIX President-GM Ron Longinotti is out at CBS’s San Francisco O&O. And rumors persist that he may not be the last to go.

NBC moves Chris McDonnell from sales/marketing VP at KXAS Dallas to lead its Spanish-language outlet in Chicago.

Jim Clayton is stepping down at the end of August. Janene Drafs, VP-station manager will succeed him as SVP-GM of Fisher’s Seattle ABC affiliate and radio properties, effective Sept. 1.

The broadcast executive and former COO of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers is tapped by Gannett to lead its NBC-ABC duopoly in Florida.

Calkins Media moves its group vice president of finance to Florida to run its ABC affiliate.

The programming VP at WPVI Philadelphia is tapped to succeed John Idler as head of the Raleigh-Durham, N.C., ABC O&O.