Steve Goodspeed the WDIO ND has left

[Y2kTheNewOldies]

https://www.pinejournal.com/news/4039219-Longtime-WDIO-news-director-no-longer-with-station

In Steve Goodspeed’s first year as news director at WDIO-TV, there was a train derailment that caused a benzene spill resulting in the evacuation of 30,000 people from the area.

The next year, Northwest Airlink flight 5719 crashed in Hibbing on its way between Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport and International Falls. In 1994 he got close to getting an on-air comment from President Bill Clinton who was in town to support U.S. Senate candidate Ann Wynia — and, in his downtime, decided for a quick jog and photo op on Skyline Parkway.

“I yelled out, ‘Mr. President! Mr. President!, Can we talk to you?’” Goodspeed recalled in a phone conversation on Thursday. “He, for a millisecond, paused. I thought, ‘He’s going to talk to us.’ He got back in his car.

“I’ve replayed that in my head.”

On June 24, one of Duluth’s most senior journalists was told by the station manager at the ABC affiliate that it was his last day. Goodspeed had been news director at WDIO for 27 years, considered a long time by regional industry standards.

“I was told that the station did not think I was the person they needed to continue leading the news department forward, and they decided to make a change,” said Goodspeed. “I was surprised and disappointed, but I do understand the station has the right to make the decision. I’m not the first news director to lose their job and unfortunately I won’t be the last. It was a great blessing to be here for 27 years.”

Hubbard has removed Goodspeed from the ND seat.