SPRINGFIELD, MA -- A little over five months since Jim Tortora left the news director's office at NewsChannel 9 (WSYR-TV), he has a new job. He'll be leading the news department of ABC affiliate WGGB in Springfield, Massachusetts. In addition to the WGGB newscasts, the station also produces a 10:00pm newscast for a Fox affiliate carried on the station's 40.2 digital subchannel.
The news of Tortora's new position was first reported by MediaBistro's TV Spy. The TV Spy article included the memo WGGB owner John Gormally sent to staff, announcing Tortora's appointment to the position.
Tortora left Channel 9 this past May, abruptly ending a 14-year run with the station. Syracuse is ranked market #80 by Nielsen, while Springfield is currently ranked #110. As of 2012, the Syracuse market ranking will slip to 84, while Springfield will drop to 114.
According to Wikipedia, WGGB became the first Springfield-Holyoke market station to offer local news in HD, as of September 14.
As for Tortora's old job, the NewsChannel 9 website still lists an opening for News Director.
[...] MA market – Former WSYR-TV News Director Nets Springfield Job. Jim Tortora, former news director at NewsChannel 9 (WSYR-TV), has a new job. He’ll be [...]