news directors

Fox moves him from WWOR New York to lead the news department at its Philadelphia O&O. 

After just a year as vice president and news director at Fox’s Chicago O&O, Phyllis Schwartz is leaving. Assistant News Director Chris Myers will fill in until a permanent replacement is named.

Former WABI Bangor, Maine, anchor returns to TV news, replacing Cindy Michaels, who resigned as news director and anchorwoman on the air during a newscast last month.

LIN’s CBS affiliate in Indianapolis promotes its assistant news director to fill the top spot that became vacant in August when Patti McGettigan left.

Three of the market’s four news-producing stations are without news directors. Industry watchers, including those with particular interest in the country’s 26^th largest market, say they don’t believe there is any mystery behind the rash of departures, chalking it up mostly to coincidence — and the intense competition for news leadership there.

Sources say Richards was let go after a visit by Cordillera Communications executives who blamed poor ratings for her dismissal. Hollis Grizzard will be the Corpus Christi, Texas, NBC affiliate’s interim news director. Grizzard is currently a senior strategist for Audience Research & Development in Fort Worth, Texas.

Connors told the staff of the Dispatch-owned NBC affiliate in Indianapolis Tuesday that he’ll be leaving the station to pursue other options when his contract expires in a few weeks, citing both family and professional reasons.

He joins the Scripps ABC affiliate in Phoenix in January from KING-KONG Seattle where he is station manager.

Kevin Finch has left the Scripps-owned ABC affiliate in Indianapolis. He’s been the ND there since April, 2011. Finch previously worked for two other Indianapolis stations, as ND for WISH and as a producer and EP/special projects for WTHR.

Maureen O’Brien left Gannett’s Portland, Maine, NBC affiliate days after the station’s longtime weather forecaster went on the air to rebut rumors that he is among the suspected clients of an alleged prostitution operation in Kennebunk.

Veteran news director and digital technology expert Steve Sabato will become director of news and digital content at the ABC affiliate starting Nov. 5.

Mike Neelly will lead news operations at WLWT Cincinnati and will be succeeded as news director of WLKY Louisville, Ky., by that station’s assistant ND, Andrea Stahlman.

Sources tell Bottom Line Communications that Bryan McGruder, VP of news at the Kansas City Fox affiliate for nearly 10 years, is no longer with the station. No reason was given for his sudden exit. What is particularly surprising about the move is that the all-important November sweeps is starting this Friday.

Michael Goldrick, the former news director of WPXI Pittsburgh will succeed Camille Edwards at the NBC-owned station in the nation’s capital.

Media General promotes her from managing editor to succeed Dan Cates as news chief at the CBS-CW duopoly in Spartanburg, S.C.

Hearst moves Justin Antoniotti from its WYFF Greenville, S.C., to replace Alex Bongiorno at its Pittsburgh ABC affiliate.

The former ND of WMTV Madison, Wis., will lead the news team at Hearst’s Milwaukee ABC affiliate, succeeding Lori Waldon, who was named news director at KCRA-KQCA, Hearst’s Sacramento, Calif., duopoly.

Telemundo taps the former executive editor of La Opinión to lead its Los Angeles news efforts.

Alex Bongiorno, news director at the Hearst-owned Pittsburgh ABC affiliate WTAE since March 2009, will depart the station next week. “Alex has decided to leave. I’m not sure if she is going to another job,” said the station’s GM Michael Hayes. “She decided to leave the market for personal and family reasons.”

Controversial WPIX New York News Director Bill Carey announced yesterday he is resigning from the CW station. The move comes only a few months after longtime New York news anchor Kaity Tong — testifying at a colleague’s age-discrimination suit against the station — said she believes Carey demoted her to weekend anchor and reduced her pay because she was 65 years old. WPIX was cleared in the age discrimination suit.

The former ND at WEHT Evansville, Ind., is now leading news operations at Hoak Media’s CBS affiliate in Monroe, La.-El Dorado, Ark.

The LIN CBS affiliate in Indianapolis is without a news director after firing Patti McGettigan on Friday after a 17-year run.

The former Springfield, Mo., news chief will head news operations at Granite’s Buffalo, N.Y., ABC affiliate starting Sept. 20.

Larissa Hall, who has been senior producer of the Tribune Co. CW affil’s laugh-laced early morning Eye Opener program, has been promoted to director of content, responsible of all news programming.

She’s been news director at the Scripps owned-NBC affiliate in Kansas City for more than three years.

Hearst promotes the managing editor of its KCRA Sacramento, Calif., to lead news operations at its Arkansas ABC affiliates.

The Cox Orlando ABC affiliate promotes its news department’s managing editor to succeed Bob Jordan who left to take the ND post at KIRO Seattle.

Jason Vincent resigned from the Fox affiliate in Duluth, Minn., Monday following objections to what was called a racist Facebook post he made last week.

The former news director of Hearst’s WISN Milwaukee is joining the group’s Sacramento, Calif., NBC-MNT duopoly on Aug. 20.

The former news chief at NBC-owned WRC Washington becomes VP of news at the ABC flagship in New York.

The VP-news director of Philadelphia’s Fox O&O sent an email to his staff Monday morning promising to explain to them later “my decision not to renew my contract.” He’s been in the job about a year.

She’s leaving the top news spot at the Austin, Texas, CBS affiliate after six years.

Cox Media Group moves him from its WFTV Orlando to replace Todd Mokhtari at its Seattle CBS affiliate.

It’s a good week if your name is Williams. Two of our three newly named NDs have that surname. And we have three new ND openings, though none created by anyone named Williams. But one of those openings is created by the departure of a well known ND taking a digital job. Those changes bump our list of open ND jobs to 32.

The former news director of KCRA Sacramento, Calif., is joining the Philadelphia NBC outlet on July 16, succeeding Chris Bockman.

Former anchor, news director and GM to lead the Gannett Cleveland NBC affil’s news efforts following the departure of Rita Andolsen.

Young Broadcasting gives the top news slot to its former executive news producer who has been serving as interim news director since March.

He joins Nexstar’s CBS affiliate in Johnstown-Altoona, Pa., next month, succeeding Dave Kaplar.