This just in…. (make the sound of the old teletypes now for effect…) WTVD, ABC’s station in the Durham, Raleigh and Chapel Hill cities of North Carolina (aka The Triangle) has announced their new President and General Manager is JOHN IDLER. (B&C’s Michael Malone has the story here.) John’s going to make the switch from being VP and General Sales Manager at ABC’s Chicago powerhouse, WLS. He’s no stranger to that part of the Tar Heel state…Mr. Idler worked at WTVD from 2000-2002 as Sales Manager, so he knows all about the excellent chicken and potato salad at Smithfields. Besides his account manager slots at NBC Television Station Sales and Marketing, Tribune/CLTV News and Telerep/Cox, John holds an MBA degree in Marketing and Finance from University of New Haven and a BA in History and Communication from University of Wisconsin at Madison. The family will be relocating asap, and the beautiful weather in the southeast will no doubt be a fun change of pace for them. Congratulations John!
Let’s do the rest by two’s today. Two stories from the San Francisco area and two from our Capital, DC.
Out in the shadow of the Golden Gate, Granite Broadcasting’s Indie station KBWB has a new President and GM. Welcome CRAIG COANE, who came over from San Francisco’s Comcast where he was Director of Local Sales. The University of California Davis grad has sales in his blood, having checked in at CBS’s KPIX for six years and two years at CBS Radio before that. Obviously, he’s a young up and comer. Congrats Craig!
Not wanting to be the lone Bell in the management ranks of Reactrix Systems, founder and Chief Scientist MATT BELL is going to be joined by JIM BELL. Jim’s taken a slot with the San Mateo County company as SVP – Sales Development and Operations. His former business card read President-CEO of Insight and Solutions, Inc. Bell #2 has also been managing director of Initiative North America and has been a well-respected exec with MediaCom and Grey ad agencies. Sounds great.
Moving over to the East Coast, DC to be exact, we have one arrival and one departure to the Newsrooms. Taking leave of Albritton’s ABC affiliate WJLA for the News Director job in Charleston, South Carolina is JIM CHURCH, whose official title will be VP of News and Operations at WCIV . Yes, that’s also an Albritton station, so he’s staying in the family. He’s a Southeast Coast kind of guy who has been in the News driver’s seat in Tampa, Jacksonville, Chattanooga and Gainesville, FL.
Coming to town next month to take over the News Department at FOX’s WTTG will be PHIL METLIN, who’ll make the 137 mile trip down I-95 from Philadelphia. He’s been News Director of the aforementioned FOX’s WTXF in the City of Brotherly Love, but is no stranger to DC or his new station – he was at EP there. I hear his wife was a DC area inhabitant for 25 years, so she’ll know all the good dry cleaners and where to get good Chinese. Phil’s been a News Director at FOX’s WTVT in Tampa. Good job!
What’s your Fate? E-mail me at BCFates@reedbusiness.com, attn Kate Fates & Fortunes.
