WJLA-TV hires news director

The national search for a news director for WJLA-TV in the No. 8 market, Washington, D.C., ended with the selection of Steve Hammel, news director for A.H. Belo-owned CBS affiliate KMOV(TV) in No. 21 market St. Louis. "If you're in the news business, there's no better place to be than Washington," said Hammel, who leaves St. Louis after seven years, Belo after 14.

Hammel faces an uphill battle in a city dominated in recent years by NBC-owned WRC-TV, which has combined ratings and stability in its on-air personnel.