Member News

Find out what your fellow RTNDA members are up to in the Member News section. And keep us all up-to-date on your own news. Moving to a new station? Celebrating your 10-year anniversary at your current station? Promoted? We want to know about it! Submit your member news, preferably with a picture, to membership@rtnda.org.

KTAL-TV ND Paul Bergen resigns citing family reasons.

He's been with KTAL -TV since March from sister station KBTV in Beaumont, Texas.

KIAH-TV Names News Director

It was announced today that Channel 39/KIAH-TV in Houston has tapped KyAnn Lewis to head up news operations as News Director for the CW Network affiliate.  

Terry Likes to head the Department of Communications at Tennessee State University

Currently, he's a professor at Western Kentucky University.

JJ Murray to be the new ND at KWWL in Waterloo, IA

 He's leaving KIMT News 3 in Mason City, IA. His first day will be September 22.

Kaci Christian has joined KOKI-TV FOX 23 in Tulsa, OK.

She'll be an investigative reporter in the "Solving Problems" unit and fill-in anchor. Previously she anchored evening newscasts for WWAY-TV 3 (ABC) in Wilmington, NC.

Mike Cutler to retire as news director from NewsChannel 5 Network in Nashville

His last day at NewsChannel 5 will be Monday, June 30th.   

David Douglas to move to WISC-TV in Madison, WI to become a reporter

He's leaving WVIR-TV in Charlottesville, VA where he worked as a reporter/anchor. He'll start at the CBS affiliate on June 2.

Dana Dieterle to become the Assistant News Director at WOIO-WUAB in Cleveland

Dana is leaving WTEN-TV in Albany, NY; he's been the News Director at the ABC affiliate since January 2006.

Adam Rhew, 2007 RTNDA President's Scholarship winner, to start as reporter for WVIR-TV, Charlottesville, VA

Adam graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill this month. He will start as a general assignment reporter for the station on May 27.

Patrick Cullen, a pioneer in broadcast journalism, passes away

Patrick J. Cullen, a long-time resident of Spokane and Tacoma Washington, and Escondido, California, died May 1, 2008 of a heart attack in Palomar Memorial Hospital in Escondido. Cullen was born in Bonners Ferry, Idaho on September 29, 1919 to Frank and Lucille Cullen of Spokane. He graduated from St. Augustine’s Grade School and Gonzaga High School in 1937. He graduated from Marquette University, Milwaukee, Wisconsin in 1942 with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Journalism where he was also active in the journalism fraternity, the honor society and the drama club.

He joined the U.S. Army Air Corps as a private in 1942 and received his commission as a Second Lieutenant in 1943 upon his graduation from Officers’ Candidate School. He also served during the Korean Conflict and was honorably discharged from the military as a Captain in 1953. In 1946 he joined the KHQ radio station staff and served there as news director until 1951 when he assumed the same position at KHQ radio and television until 1960. While in Spokane, he also taught journalism at Gonzaga University and was a member of the board of directors of the Associated Press Broadcast Association and the Radio-Television News Directors Association.

In 1960, he moved to Tacoma to join the Weyerhaeuser Company where he held a variety of public relations jobs until his retirement as Director of Public Relations in 1979. He was a member of the Public Relations Society of America and chairman of its Washington State chapter. He was also very active in the Boys Scouts of America and was awarded two of its highest honors, the Silver Beaver and Silver Antelope awards for outstanding volunteer service to scouting. Upon his retirement, he and his wife Betty moved to Los Angeles and Escondido, California.

Mr. Cullen was preceded in death by his wife in 1998. He is survived by four sons, Barry of Denver, Colorado, Brian of Seattle, Washington, Kevin of Bangkok, Thailand, and Kelly of Oceanside, California, ten grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.