Ron Krisulevicz out as News Director at WBRE

[WBREEYEWITNESSNEWS 1]

I can confirm that Ron Krisulevicz is no longer with WBRE..No word on a replacement....Stay tuned...

 

[WBREEYEWITNESSNEWS 1]

WILKES-BARRE – For the second time in three years, WBRE-TV Channel 28 is without a news director.

Ron Krisulevicz, who held the position since June 2006, was let go Wednesday evening, just hours after serving burgers at the company’s barbecue, station employees said. Krisulevicz, of Forty Fort, did not immediately return a call seeking comment.

Krisulevicz came to WBRE, a Nexstar Broadcasting-owned NBC affiliate, in 2006 from another Nexstar NBC station in Hagerstown, Md. Shortly after arriving he replaced news directors Paul Steuber at WBRE and Frank Andrews at WYOU-TV, which Nexstar manages. At the time, both stations had news operations, but WYOU ceased local news broadcasts April 3.

According to some station employees, Krisulevicz was at the station Wednesday but by the 6 p.m. newscast he was gone, and shortly after, General Manager Lou Abitabilo sent out a one-sentence e-mail saying that Krisulevicz was no longer with the company and wishing him good luck.

Executive Producer Mark Davis will pull double-duty until a replacement is named. Abitabilo said the company is looking both inside the company and outside for a replacement.

As for when a new hire will be made, he said there was no timetable other than, “I’m hoping sooner rather than later.”

The general manager said he could not discuss the situation because it was a personnel issue and declined to give specifics of the decision or what led up to it.

Before becoming news director, Krisulevicz had been the executive producer at WBRE, and previously was the assistant news director and anchor at WHAG-TV in Hagerstown.

When the decision was announced in April to dump WYOU news, it meant the loss of more than a dozen employees, both on- and off-air talents. On-air talents without contracts were let go immediately, including David DeCosmo and Dia Wallace. Those with contracts but who were not wanted by WBRE were told they would remain until the next anniversary of their contracts. Among those who have been let go since the announcement were Eric Scheiner, whose last day was Aug. 21, and meteorologist Brian Fitzgerald, who left in July. Others set to leave in coming months are Lyndall Stout, Dave Kuharchik and Mike Conigliaro.