Who, What, Where

Find out what's happening in San Diego media

By Leo Laurence, San Diego Pro Chapter

Editor, San Diego News Service 

Print:

SD-SPJ board member Jodi Cleesattle, a media law attorney at Ross, Dixon & Bell LLP, was appointed Southern California chair for SPJ’s Project Sunshine. The project helps reporters and editors with Freedom of Information issues.

At The San Diego Union-Tribune, Agustin Armendariz has joined metro as a staff writer and computer-assisted reporting specialist working with Danielle Cervantes, research analyst and Brooke Williams, staff writer. He previously worked for the Center for Public Integrity in Washington, D.C.

U-T staff writer Leslie Berestein and her husband Jim Benning welcomed Lucia Juliet Benning on Aug. 23.

Holly and Thomas Neumann welcomed their son, Blake Edward, a month early on Oct. 22. Holly is assistant night editor at the U-T and Thomas has been a U-T sports editor.

Ani Arambula has joined the U-T’s features design team after 14 years as a photo editor.

Metro staff writer Amy Oakes has left the U-T after six years to begin a new career with the FBI. News assistant Andrew Rothman has left to return to his hometown in New Jersey.  News designer Dave Wilson resigned to take a job as a design editor at the Las Vegas Sun.

Online:

SignOnSanDiego.com eldercare editor Marsha Seff has established a caregivers support group among U-T employees.

Entertainment content producer AnnaMaria Stephens has left SignOn to try freelance writing.

Marc Balanky has been promoted to multimedia supervisor.

TV:

At NBC 7/39, photojournalist Spencer Thornburg and wife Christina had a baby boy, Jesse, on Oct. 3.

NBC 7/39 assignment editor Ruston Grau married Ashley on Aug. 4, and reporter Tony Shin married Lee on Aug. 26.

Over at 10 News, Gary Brown is the new leader of the 10 News team, replacing Mike Stutz as news director at the ABC affiliate. Brown comes from Hartford, Conn., where he was news director at the CBS station. The Kent State graduate has also been news director in Providence, R.I., and Toledo, Ohio.

Juliette Varga joines the 10 News team as a reporter. She comes from Cincinnati’s WLWT-TV. Kertsin Lindquist now co-anchors weekday mornings. She came from Las Vegas and Salinas.

10 News has added two photojournalists: Maxwell Gardiner and Christian Cazares.

10 News’ Patrick Givans moves into a newly-created position of news operations manager. He will directly supervise the chief photojournalist, lead editor and editors.

Over at KUSI News, Bridget Naso, who currently co-anchors “Good Morning San Diego” on Saturdays and Sundays, will join Dan Plante as co-anchor on the weekday editions of the same show effective Dec. 18. Naso replaces Susan Lennon.

On weekends, KUSI reporter Kristen Cusato moves to the anchor desk alongside David Davis. Cusato will continue to work as a reporter for “Good Morning San Diego” for three days a week.

KUSI News has hired television news veteran Tom Mitchell as managing editor. He began his career as a field producer for “CBS Evening News with Walter Cronkite.”