Randy Dixon, who has been KATV‘s news director for the past 10 years, announced on Wednesday that he is stepping down.
The move took many people by surprise since Dixon is essentially putting in his two weeks notice after having spent his entire career with the Little Rock ABC-affiliate.
Dixon released the following statement about his departure:
This is something I’ve been thinking about for a long time. [KATV General Manager] Mark Rose and I have been talking about it since before Christmas and I thought this was a good time to do it. I’m basically a producer at heart. That’s what I love to do and I’m not doing that anymore… I miss it. I have two small children and I miss them. I’m here so much and I want to spend some more time with them. So I can’t go take a news director job in a different market. I’m staying in Little Rock.
Dixon is now the third high profile departure from KATV in the past week. The station’s assistant news director and chief engineer left last week to “pursue other opportunities.”
Dixon plans to start his own production company, Dixon Digital Media. No word yet on who his successor will be.
Dixon has been with KATV for the past 31 years. He began with the station when he was 19 as a photographer.