Tom Bell has been named news director at KOVR, the CBS O&O in Sacramento.

Bell moves to California from Texas, where he has been news director at WOAI in San Antonio since 2009. He is a former news director at KTVX in Salt Lake City and KPHO in Phoenix.

“Tom Bell is a veteran of more than 20 years in the local news industry and has an outstanding reputation as a leader who does an outstanding job of inspiring his colleagues to produce quality newscasts,” KOVR-KMAX VP-GM Kevin Walsh said in a statement. “I am very pleased to welcome him to Northern California and confident that he will do a terrific job of leading our news team to exciting new heights.”

Bell replaces Cameryn Beck, who recently left KOVR for KTVK in Phoenix.

News director Larry Perret and assistant news director Leesa Dillon have been let go at KTVX-KUCW, Nexstar’s duopoly in Salt Lake City, TVSpy has learned.

“I wish them both the very best in their future endeavors,” KTVX-KUCW general manager Richard Doutre’Jones told TVSpy in an email.

The stations were purchased in July by Nexstar Broadcasting. In December, about 15 employees, including station manager Matt Jaquint, were laid off. Doutre’Jones took over as general manager last month.

Dillion and Perret had both worked at the station since May 2011.

Nexstar Broadcasting has laid off staffers at its newly acquired Salt Lake City stations KTVX (ABC) and KUCW (CW).

The Salt Lake City Tribune put the number laid off at 15.

“That’s probably a good guess,” said Dan Metcalf, KTVX’s now-former film critic and executive producer of online media to the Tribune. “I was No. 5 this morning, and there were others behind me.”

The Tribune also reports the station’s accounting, research and traffic departments had been eliminated and will be handled by other Nexstar sites.  A Nexstar spokesman also said they will be hiring a new station manager to replace Matt Jaquint.

“This is a reduction in force we’re making here,” Brian Jones, co-COO and executive vice president of Nexstar told the Tribune. “We’re going to operate the station at the highest level, and we will move forward.” Read more

Austin NBC affiliate KXAN is shuffling anchors for the morning newscasts, according to Gary Dinges at the Austin American-Statesman.

Brian Sanders (pictured), who currently anchors weekend mornings, is moving to weekdays. He replaces Robert Maxwell, who will move to sister station KNVA, Austin’s CW affiliate, as anchor of the 9 p.m. newscast. Maxwell joined KXAN in February from KTVX in Salt Lake City.

“I am excited to connect with our growing evening news audience,” Maxwell said in a statement. “I know there are many stories, both significant and relevant to Central Texans that we’ll be investigating in the coming months. And I’m proud to play a role in that process with the talented and dedicated team at KXAN and CW Austin.” Read more

Kim Johnson is the new weekend anchor at Salt Lake City ABC-affiliate KTVX.

Johnson joins the station from KLJB, the Fox-affiliate in the Quad Cities of eastern Iowa and west-central Illinois, where she is the primary anchor. Prior to joining KLJB in 2010, Johnson worked at WGBA in Green Bay and WDIO in Duluth.

Johnson will sign off from KLJB on July 26.

Nexstar Broadcasting and Mission Broadcasting have announced plans to acquire 12 stations from Newport Television for $285.5 million.

In a statement, Nexstar said the acquisition “substantially broadens Nexstar’s local television broadcasting platform with stations that are geographically complementary to and diversify Nextar’s operating base.”

Nexstar will acquire 10 stations: KTVX and KUCW in Salt Lake City, WPTY and WLMT in Memphis, WYSR in Syracuse, WBGH and WIVT in Binghamton, NY, WETM in Elmira, NY, WJKT in Jackson, TN and WWTI in Watertown, NY. Mission Broadcasting will acquire KLRT and KASN in Little Rock.

Don Hudson will join Rochester NBC-affiliate WHEC as an anchor and reporter this fall.

Hudson is currently the 5 p.m. anchor at KTVX, the ABC-affiliate in Salt Lake City. He will begin in his new role in late September, according to the station. He replaces Rich Funke, who is retiring after 38 years at WHEC.

“Not only is Don a true professional but he is also a dedicated family man,” VP-GM Derek Dalton said. “His committment to family and community are the exact values that we look for here at News10NBC. Hie is passionate about getting to the heart of the story making him a perfect addition to our News10NBC family.”

Newport Television, which owns 56 stations in 20 markets, is reportedly up for sale.

Reuters reports that Providence Equity Partners, the private investment firm that owns Newport, is currently shopping the station group to potential buyers.  The process, though, is in its “real early stages.”

Newport Television was founded in 2007 by Providence Equity Partners and Sandy DiPasquale to acquire the stations of Clear Channel Communications.  The company is headquartered in Kansas City, MO.

Newport’s holdings include KTVX in Salt Lake City, WKRC in Cincinnati, and WOAI in San Antonio.

Austin NBC-affiliate KXAN introduced Robert Maxwell to viewers this morning, announcing that Maxwell would join the morning anchor desk on March 12.

Maxwell comes to KXAN from KTVX in Salt Lake City, where he served as the station’s primary evening anchor.  In addition to co-anchoring KXAN’s morning newscast, Maxwell will work as an investigative reporter.

“I’m pleased to welcome a journalist of Robert’s caliber to the KXAN team,” KXAN news director Michael Fabac said this week.  “Robert’s personality will help engage the a.m. news audience and serve as a terrific compliment to anchor Sally Hernandez.” Read more

Just a week after taking over his new post as chief meteorologist at KTVX, Jim Kosek talks to FishbowlNY about making the move from Pennsylvania to Salt Lake City. The former AccuWeather meteorologist — who is known for his zany personality — says he’s been searching for this opportunity for a long time:

In the last dozen years, as AccuWeather expanded its reach with TV and Internet, so has Kosek. But now he can concentrate on a specific area–in this case—the greater Salt Lake metropolis.

“That’s what I was looking for, for the longest time,” Kosek says. ”Despite many people and colleagues who tell me ’You’ll be bored to tears.’”