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KXAN news director resigns
After a decade marked by dramatically improved ratings, KXAN News is losing its news director. Bruce Whiteaker announced his resignation Monday night after the newscast.
Whiteaker says he’s working on a book about the Navy air crew that flew Admiral Chester Nimitz around the Pacific during World War II. One crew member is Whiteaker’s uncle, Lawrence Frederick Whiteaker, 84, who lives in Tennessee.
“I’ve been dabbling at this for some time,” Whiteaker said. “I have several hours of oral history with Uncle Freddy and several other surviving crew members. Now I need to roll up my sleeves and get after it full-time. I’ve become very passionate about this subject.”
He says he’s discussing the project with the National Museum of the Pacific War (formerly the Admiral Nimitz Museum) in Fredericksburg.
“I’ll miss the people in this newsroom,” said Whiteaker, 56. “All but four of them are people I hired.”
When Whiteaker took over in 1995, KXAN was emerging from a long period of low ratings. In recent years, the station has alternated with KVUE for No. 1.
“Bruce has done an incredible job here,” said KXAN general manager Carlos Fernandez. “He brought the station up to a much higher level.”
Fernandez won’t have a replacement by the time Whiteaker leaves Aug. 26, but he isn’t worried.
“Austin is a wonderful destination, so there will be plenty to choose from,” he said.
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