Saying he is “always grateful to be a journalist in this business,” Wilgoren broke the news on his social media accounts Monday. “Hi everyone, Today I am announcing that I will be leaving FOX11. I could not be more grateful to all of you, general manager Steve Carlston and the entire Fox leadership team for their support in my decision,” Wilgoren said. “Steve and I have had some thoughtful conversations about the future of the newsroom in recent weeks and it is clear that right now what is important to the organization is that we have new outside leadership in the vp/news director role to accompany our new direction across the station.”
He joins from WVIT Hartford, Conn., to succeed Christina Ginn as head of journalism at the Cox Media-owned ABC affiliate.
She joins from KUSA Denver to oversee journalism at the Scripps ABC affiliate beginning Aug. 14.
The veteran journalist will oversee journalism at Gray Television’s NBC affiliate.
KING Seattle Covers Crime With Restraint And Substance
Crime is a legitimate topic for news coverage because of concerns about the public’s safety. KING’S mission in Seattle is to “cover crime in a way that helps them be informed and empowered in ways that make sense,” says News Director Julie Wolfe.
Exclusives
Josh Morgan has been named news director of Gray Television’s Kansas City CBS affiliate KCTV. He joins from Atlanta News First, where he’s been for the last two years, most recently as managing editor.
The Hearst ABC affiliate in Jackson, Miss., promotes the assistant ND to succeed the departing Rick McLaughlin.
Another shakeup is afoot in the news division of Nexstar-owned KTLA Los Angeles, this time behind the scenes. The station’s news director, Pete Saiers, is out. The station’s staff was just informed of his abrupt exit. His last day was today. The official stance is that Saiers and the management mutually agreed to not renew his contract.
Nexstar choses the stations’ digital reporter to succeed Sean Lafferty as head of journalism at the ABC-Fox duopoly in northwestern Pennsylvania.
Hearst moves him from its WJCL Savannah, Ga., to succeed Akili Franklin in leading journalism operations at the South Carolina NBC affiliate.
Gray Television’s Toledo ABC affiliate is looking for a new news director. Michael Baldwin, promoted to that position at WTVG in 2022, is gone. “I can confirm Michael is no longer at the station and I am looking for his replacement,” said WTVG GM Brad Moses in an email. “Nothing else to expand.”
She’s been the news director at the Denver ABC affiliate for the last five-and-a-half years. During her time there, the station has won back-to-back national Edward R. Murrow Awards for overall excellence.
He will be responsible for the overall performance of the Telemundo station’s local newscasts and news department, as well as other local productions across multiple media platforms.
The former assistant news director takes over from Bernice Kearney at Graham Media’s ABC affiliate in San Antonio.
News-Press & Gazette promotes the veteran journalist to oversee all journalism operations.
Telemundo promotes him from assistant news director to lead journalism at its Albuquerque, N.M., owned station.
Bernice Kearney has been named news director at Graham Media Group’s KPRC Houston after serving in the same position at co-owned KSAT San Antonio. She succeeds Dave Strickland.
Gerardo “Jerry” Vazquez, 54, the VP of news for Telemundo Houston KTMD, joined the station in 2014 as executive producer of the 5, 6 and 10 p.m. newscasts after spending years in news at stations across Texas.
The broadcast and cable news veteran will oversee journalism at the ABC flagship in New York.
Dave Strickland, the KPRC news director since 2016, is no longer with the Graham Media Group NBC affiliate according to multiple sources.
Scott Hums is promoted to director of content while Nicole Block becomes news director.
The veteran news executive will oversee journalism at the Manship ABC affiliate in the state capital starting next month.
It’s a homecoming for the former Dallas-based bureau chief for the CBS News southern bureaus, who was assistant ND at KTVT-KTXA in 2004-06.
Sympathy For The News Director
News directors are the backbone of local broadcasting, wrangling an endless onslaught of crises while managing the most complex department of a TV station. Let’s ensure they have everything they need to shoulder their burdens.
She gets the position permanently after being both interim news director and assistant ND at Tegna’s NBC-ABC duopoly in Jacksonville, Fla.
WJBF, Nexstar’s ABC affiliate in Augusta, Ga., promoted John Hart, co-anchor of WJBF’s 4:30, 5:30 and 10 p.m, newscasts, to oversee the news department.
The former assistant news director at WIS Columbia, S.C., is tapped by Fox Television Stations to oversee journalism at its Milwaukee O&O.
CBS News and Stations choses the former news director of WTKR and WGNT, the E.W. Scripps-owned CBS and CW affiliates in Norfolk, Va., to take over journalism at the duopoly.
The Scripps ABC-independent duopoly in Detroit moves him up from interim news director.
WABC New York news director Rehan Aslam has died after a long battle with glioblastoma, an aggressive brain tumor.
Forty-one-year Philly news veteran moves from WCAU to oversee journalism at the CBS duopoly there.
She’s stepping back to “move on and explore this next chapter of my life” after 20-plus years in newsrooms. Her last day will be July 1.
Bradley was named news director in October 2020. She had worked at WBZ for 25 years, working as the executive producer of CBSN and as a special projects producer for nine years before that.
Tegna promotes her from assistant news director to oversee journalism at its CBS affiliate in Washington.
