Newport Fires Engineering Chief DeClue

Mike DeClue, the VP of engineering for Newport Television, has been let go by the Kansas City, Mo.-based station group in what DeClue contends was a belt-tightening move. He's being replaced by Dione Rigsby.
TVNewsCheck,

Mike DeClue, the vice president of engineering for the Newport Television, has been let go by the Kansas City, Mo.-based station group.

DeClue's long-time assistant, Dione Rigsby, will succeed him as vice president, director of engineering.

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Rigsby praised his former boss, for whom he worked for 10 years. "He's a brilliant guy. I've learned a lot from Mike DeClue."

DeClue was with Newport (formerly Clear Channel Televison) for 19 years, earning a reputation for the ability to automate and upgrade operations using off-the-shelf servers.

"It is a continuation in the reduction in force," he said, explaining his departure."Just a money thing."

There is "a lot of hangover" from Newport's $1 billion acquisition of the Clear Channel TV station group in 2007, he said.

"There has to be a real good fit for everybody, especially for someone in the position that I was. I am certainly not going to denigrate Newport for doing this. They have their business reasons. So be it. I'm a big boy," he added.

Craig Millar, vice president of operations for Newport, said that DeClue dismissal was not about money. "We wanted to promote Dione Rigsby to that position."

DeClue is already on to his next project, working with Metropolitan Area Networks Inc.

According to DeClue, the company, through a unit called Ultra Broadband Television, is developing a wireless cable service along the lines of the defunct USDTV and Sezmi that would deliver programming to viewers over broadcasters' excess digital spectrum.

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