WEHT/WTVW news director and production manager fired

Departures are latest in series at Nexstar's Evansville stations

Multiple sources have confirmed that WEHT Local and Local 7 WTVW news director Bob Walters and production manager John Payne have been relieved of their duties by Nexstar Broadcasting, which owns WEHT and operates WTVW for Mission Broadcasting.

Both men have a number of years of experience in the Evansville TV market, and their firings were, I'm told, unexpected.

Jeremy Moore, who has been operations manager at WTWO, Nexstar's NBC affiliate in Terre Haute, has replaced Payne.  Walters' replacement has not yet been named.

Walters had been with WTVW for more than a decade, and became news director for both stations late last year when Nexstar's purchase of WEHT from Gilmore Broadcasting was finalized.  Payne had also been with Channel 7 for many years and, like Walters, had made the transition to the combined operation.

The terminations of Payne and Walters are the latest in a lengthy string of on-air and behind-the-scenes departures - both voluntary and otherwise - since Nexstar announced that it would buy WEHT and combine its operations with WTVW's last August.

WEHT/WTVW vice-president and general manager Arika Zink could not be reached for comment.