The 23 TV stations (or is it now 22?) in the broadcasting division aren't immune to this week's job reductions. In what a reader says will be the first in a wave of news anchors getting the boot, Denver's KUSA-TV just dumped Bob Kendrick (left); he's been with the station since 2003."He's the first in a few that will be rightsized in the next few weeks,'' a reader says. "Now, he wasn't outright fired, but he was told his contract would not be renewed. This sucks for Bob, since he's a talented newsman, and well-liked in the newsroom. When we signed him five years ago, he had an offer from MSNBC, but took Denver because of the quality of life over New Jersey."
My reader continues: "This is going to be happening across Gannett TV this week. Last May, the broadcast TV scumbags made a tour across the U.S., and called for 'focus groups' to watch the talent at each station. They gave a bullshit reason for doing it, but even then we knew it was to cull the herd. Call in your other broadcast informers - it's going to be a lousy week for TV anchors!"
Earlier: WUSA-TV saves $500,000 with one-anchor desk
Look at the miserable ratings for GCI TV stations, and you will see the reason for the carnage to come. Local news no longer matters and it is so damn unoriginal. They steal the copy from the local newspaper, and we all know what has happened to local newspapers. Better to run re-runs of old shows than tired and expensive local TV news shows.
ReplyDeleteThis has been going on for quite some time...replacing high priced talent with back pack journalists...It brings the quality down for so many reasons.
ReplyDeleteBackpack Journalists was so yesterday. GCI's new moniker is MultiMedia Journalists...or MMJ for short. Whatever they want to call it, it is still a young, inexperienced, one man band.
ReplyDeleteSorry folks, but a single TV station still makes more money than a single newspaper. And KUSA is the top money-maker across all Gannett TV Stations, as well as the ratings giant in Denver (20+ years as the #1 station in the DMA.)
ReplyDeleteBob is an outstanding newsman who got screwed by a scumbag company that treats it's employees like interchangeable (and disposable) parts.
9:31 AM - That's BS that a single TV station makes more money that a newspaper. Maybe some papers, but on an average no way. Look at the revenue numbers for print -vs- broadcast
ReplyDeleteYoung, inexperience reporters doing at least five jobs (on camera talent/writer, photographer, tape editor, and web producer. Gee, is it any wonder that local news is unoriginal. The "information center" employees barely have time to go to bathroom, much less do investigative journalism.
ReplyDeleteAnd I won't get into the debate about which makes more money, newspaper or broadcast. But KUSA is a huge biller, and local news is the real money maker at any TV station. No revenue sharing with a syndicator or network. And if you figure that at a top station in a mid-size market(I worked at a very strong Gannett staion in a midsize market) can easily charge $600-$700 a spot during the evening newscast...maybe $12,000 a night. My math may be a little fuzzy, that will be close to 500 grand in a month...or about 200 minutes of commercial time...
They all make plenty of money...
Don't we all know that KUSA is where the "beautiful people of Denver" are? I can't stomach watching their "news" and their constant "look how wonderful we are!" attitude. I used to work in TV news (in another market) and thought I'd seen 'em all. But KUSA takes the cake in arogance. Thank God for the internet and radio news.
ReplyDeleteAny truth to the rumour that the KUSA union is negotiating a better buy out deal than was offered on Nov 21?
ReplyDeleteThat "Look how wonderful we are attitude" probably stems from a surplus of promo time vs unsold commercial time.
ReplyDeleteYou gotta fill the black holes with something...