The E.W. Scripps Company has named station managers for its Detroit and Salt Lake City stations.
Tim Kochenderfer has been named station manager for ABC affiliate WXYZ and WMYD in Detroit. Leona Wood has been named station manager for Fox affiliate KSTU in Salt Lake City.
Kochenderfer joined WXYZ in 2002. He’s been the station’s senior director of news since last August. He will retain that position in addition to his new station manager responsibilities. Before that, Kochenderfer had worked as the assistant news director, senior executive producer, nightside executive producer and producer.
“Tim is a respected leader and has been an integral part of our success for more than two decades,” said Mike Murri, regional vice president for Scripps and WXYZ/WMYD general manager. “I look forward to all he will accomplish for our station, partners and community in this new role.”
He began his career as a writer and producer at WWJ/WKBD, the CBS station in Detroit.
Wood was most recently director of news and lifestyle content for NBC affiliate KSL in Salt Lake City. Before that, she was executive director of content for KTVK/KPHO in Phoenix. She’d also worked as assistant news director for KPHO and executive producer for KTVK. She started her career in Washington state as a news producer at KIRO in Seattle before becoming an executive news director at KXLY in Spokane.
“Leona is a strategic media executive with a proven track record in content strategy, cross-departmental leadership, financial stewardship and audience growth,” said Merri Hanson, regional vice president for Scripps and KSTU general manager. “She knows how to serve audiences, advertisers and community partners in the Salt Lake City market and is ideally positioned to lead KSTU’s day-to-day operations and newsroom to continued success.”
