Amy Sullivan has been chosen as KATV’s next news director.
The choice was confirmed by Kevin Olivas, a news recruiting manager for the Sinclair Broadcast Group, in a post on social media site LinkedIn earlier this week. The Little Rock station is owned by the Sinclair Broadcast Group.
Sullivan joined the station from KVEO/KGBT in Harlington, Texas, where she served as the director since March 2019, according to a Twitter post from the Central Arkansas Association of Black Journalists. Previously, Sullivan was news director at Sinclair stations KVII/NVII in Amarillo, Texas, from April 2017 to March 2019, the post states.
She was born in Wisconsin, the association said, but she later moved to Yellville and attended high school there.
The change in leadership comes after longtime news director Nick Genty was terminated Sept. 17. Sinclair Group Manager John Seabers, who confirmed Genty’s suspension, declined at the time to say when or why he was terminated.
The suspension came following criticism against the station after an anchor appeared on air, wearing an afro wig to “celebrate” 70 degree weather, according to a Twitter post from Dorothy Tucker, president of the National Association of Black Journalists.
Seabers at the time said the company would implement further training for sensitivity and workplace conduct to ensure similar incidents wouldn’t happen again.