Director of digital journalism Rick Russell is out at WJTV, the CBS affiliate in Jackson, Miss.

“I can confirm that Rick Russell is no longer with WJTV and we have begun the search for a Director of Digital Journalism,” general manager Jimmy Cromwell told TVSpy in a statement.

Russell, who officially exited the station Friday, had been in his position since October 2003.

After selling its newspaper assets, Media General has announced a corporate restructuring that elevates James Conschafter and John Cottingham to key leadership roles for the company’s television stations.

The company’s current structure of five geographic regions will be replaced by two geographic regions for its 18 television stations. Conschafter and Cottingham, who have both been named corporate vice presidents, will each oversee one region.

“With our June 25 sale of newspapers, Media General is focusing all of its resources on its broadcast television group,” Media General president and CEO Marshall Morton said in a statement. “We are delighted that our two most experienced broadcast executives will lead our television operations.” Read more

Emily Wood has joined KYTV, the NBC-affiliate in Springfield, MO, as a reporter and co-anchor of the 5 p.m. newscast.

Prior to joining KYTV, Wood, a native of the Ozarks region in Missouri, was the morning anchor at KWTV in Oklahoma City. Her first day on the air for KYTV was yesterday.

“Life happens fast,” Wood said during the 5 p.m. newscast yesterday. “It’s good to be back on my home turf. It’s good to be back in the home area.”

Wood worked at KWTV for 2 years. Prior to that, she was at WJTV in Jackson, KMIZ in Columbia, MO and WGEM in Quincy, IL.

In the aftermath of Evansville’s WEHT merger with WTVW last week, some prominent staffers at the station who were casualties of the joint operation have secured new jobs, the Evansville Courier-Press reports.

Among them are reporters Danielle Lama (pictured) and Daniela Perallon, who both joined WEHT in September, and producers Jason Pumo and Rachel Powers.

Lama will join WKOW, the ABC-affiliate in Madison, and Perallon will join WHNT, the CBS-affiliate in Huntsville, AL.

On the production side, Pumo, who produced the 6 and 10 p.m. newscasts for WEHT, has been hired as an executive producer at WJTV in Jackson, MS. Powers joins Waterman Broadcasting in Fort Myers, FL.

Jimmy Cromwell will take over as vice president and general manager at two Media General stations in Mississippi, WJTV in Jackson and WHLT in Hattiesburg, on September 19. Both stations are CBS affiliates.

The move marks a promotion for Cromwell, who has been WJTV’s director of revenue since 2009. Before that, he has held sales management positions at Birmingham’s WBMA, Atlanta’s WGCL and Jacksonville’s WJXX.

“Jimmy is a sales veteran and his familiarity with the region and our Jackson and Hattiesburg markets makes him well-suited to deliver for us,” John Cottingham, Media General’s Mid-South president and market leader.

Cromwell replaces Robert Romine, who starts as president and general manager of WSPA-WYCW in Spartanburg next week.

Hubert Tate has been named weekend anchor at KLRT, the Fox affiliate in Little Rock.

Tate, who has been anchoring the 9 p.m. weekend broadcast at KLRT since late July, joined KLRT from WALA in Mobile, where he was a general assignment reporter and fill-in anchor. Prior to WALA, Tate also worked at KLFY in Lafayette, LA. He began his career as a video editor at WJTV in Jackson, MS, which is his hometown.

Tate replaces Justin Earley, who left KLRT in June to join KYTX in Tyler, TX, as an anchor. Tate co-anchors the 9 p.m. weekend broadcast with Kelly Dudzik.

Five years after leaving WJTV to spend more time with her family, Melanie Christopher has returned to the Jackson CBS-affiliate, joining the station’s morning team. Christopher debuted this morning alongside longtime anchor duo Erin Pickens and Ken South.

“This is a win/win for our station and our viewers” said WJTV general manager Bob Romine. “The viewers remember her and they love having her back on the air.”

In 2006, Christopher bid farewell to WJTV after 25 years with the station, telling The Clarion-Ledger at the time that she felt she had “missed so much” in her children’s lives while anchoring the 6 and 10 p.m. newscasts.

“After so many years of putting people to bed after the late news I am excited to be part of a team that will wake them up and get them ready for the day,” Christopher said in a press release. “This opportunity is like opening a new chapter in my broadcast career and I look forward to sharing it with the WJTV viewers.”

Giant icicles falling from the station’s tower wreaked havoc at WJTV earlier this week. Staffers at the Jackson, MS CBS-affiliate had to sprint around the parking lot to save their cars while dodging the falling ice.

A stretch of warm weather caused the icicles to detach from the tower and they spiraled to the ground like spears.  The station is now humorously referring to the incident as “When Icicles Attack.”