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{from ftvlive.com)

On Monday, Tegna’s WBNS (Columbus) parted ways with News Director Jennifer Nickels.

According to sources, the decision was due to a loss of sponsorships and high turnover at the station. Mason Waldvogel is currently serving as the acting news director while the station searches for a replacement.

In an email to staff, station General Manager John Cardenas informed employees of the change.

Nickels' Twitter bio previously listed her as the news director at 10TV, but that information has since been removed. It is unclear what her future plans are at this time

{How the mighty as fallen over at Twin Rivers Drive}

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KPRC/Houston will no longer air a 430a newscast starting tomorrow (Monday, 1/9). An extra Early Today will air in that timeslot. Seems like a bizarre move for a station in such a large market, esp one that has had a lot of momentum lately. Their 4:30a newscast is around 15 years old now and every other Houston station is on the air at that time. KRIV goes on even earlier at 4a. 

Edited by Greggo
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14 hours ago, Greggo said:

KPRC/Houston will no longer air a 430a newscast starting tomorrow (Monday, 1/9). An extra Early Today will air in that timeslot. Seems like a bizarre move for a station in such a large market, esp one that has had a lot of momentum lately. Their 4:30a newscast is around 15 years old now and every other Houston station is on the air at that time. KRIV goes on even earlier at 4a. 

 

They don't have enough producers.

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1 hour ago, TheRob said:

 

They don't have enough producers.

The producer brain drain is going to force stations to make a lot of difficult decisions moving forward. After I left my last newsroom to make a career change, I received so many unsolicited inquiries asking if I had any interest in getting back into the business. 

 

I was surprised we didn't hear stories of stations scrambling to keep newscasts on air or abrupt one-day cancelations of some shows when Southwest had its operational meltdown after Christmas. Staffing levels are already low, and at least when I got time off during the holidays, I did not book flights with any room for error. 

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7 hours ago, TheRob said:

 

They don't have enough producers.

I get it … FTV said today they’re down by half. The people left are probably burned out due to all the OT they’re being asked to work. Understandable in a small market, but not in Houston. Why the hell did they allow it to get that bad? Things aren’t anywhere as dire at any other large market station that I can think of. New ND and GM are both very experienced and have plenty of connections they could work to try to find people. They have (or had) one producer who arrived from tiny Lake Charles many years ago. Certainly there are others who would kill to make a jump like that. Better pay, larger city and a ton of fancy toys to make your shows better, such as their storm tracker and their chopper.

 

Hopefully they can bring back the 4:30a show at some point. Dumping it makes them look weak and a bunch of people were complaining about it on social today, with some folks saying they were switching stations. You can’t help but think the numbers at 5a will drop at least some without local news as the leadin. If people get their start elsewhere each morning, many likely won’t switch when the clock strikes 5. 

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On 1/6/2023 at 2:02 AM, Breaking News said:

{from ftvlive.com)

On Monday, Tegna’s WBNS (Columbus) parted ways with News Director Jennifer Nickels.

According to sources, the decision was due to a loss of sponsorships and high turnover at the station. Mason Waldvogel is currently serving as the acting news director while the station searches for a replacement.

In an email to staff, station General Manager John Cardenas informed employees of the change.

Nickels' Twitter bio previously listed her as the news director at 10TV, but that information has since been removed. It is unclear what her future plans are at this time

{How the mighty as fallen over at Twin Rivers Drive}

WBNS used to be tops in Columbus, but now that honor goes to WSYX.  

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Longtime WKRG sports director Randy Patrick is "stepping down" this Friday after 43 years at WKRG (starting in radio) and the sports director since the early 90s.

 

Insiders claim that his contract was not renewed.   Nexstar strikes again.

https://www.ftvlive.com/sqsp-test/2023/1/9/longtime-nexstar-anchor-is-pushed-out

 

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On 1/9/2023 at 7:52 PM, Briella said:

Houston isn’t that attractive of a city. Most southern cities aren’t attractive enough to pull in people at the pay they’re offering.

What exactly does that mean? Houston itself is growing by leaps and bounds. The population growth is massive. #8 tv market has to be attractive to businesses.

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13 minutes ago, Breaking News said:

What exactly does that mean? Houston itself is growing by leaps and bounds. The population growth is massive. #8 tv market has to be attractive to businesses.

 

It's not a one-city or one-newsroom problem. This example of a newscast getting canceled is the visible "canary in the coal mine dying" of where the industry is with recruiting producers right now. If you're looking to advance, are marginally good at producing, and want to stay in the business, you can be selective about where you choose to work. The broadcast side of many local TV newsrooms are being held together by producers doing multiple hours daily, EPs managing and producing, and other creative solutions to stay on air that could fall apart with a single sick call. 

 

Recruiting producers was a mess before the pandemic. It has only gotten worse since then. Many companies have members of their recruiting staff dedicated exclusively to recruiting and growing producers and managers. But, it felt like for every producer a company can recruit, at least three are looking to get out because of the low pay, bad hours, extreme workload, and trauma by repetition that comes with a lot of newsroom jobs. There are opportunities out there to use those skills in an environment where the job is just a job - not an all-consuming lifestyle. 

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On 1/10/2023 at 9:06 PM, Breaking News said:

What exactly does that mean? Houston itself is growing by leaps and bounds. The population growth is massive. #8 tv market has to be attractive to businesses.

 

I think that has to do with the intensity with which the product is used. I've just always felt intuitively that people tend to watch more TV in the cold weather parts of the country just because they are inside more than they are in warmer parts of the country. That's going to translate to more revenue and a lot of other things with a financial impact.

 

Think of having a coffee shop in Duluth, Minnesota versus one in Havana, Cuba.

On 1/9/2023 at 8:41 PM, CLETVFan said:

WBNS used to be tops in Columbus, but now that honor goes to WSYX.  

 

Companies always do this. They will go in and buy a crown jewel asset and think they can cut the budget and still maintain it as a crown jewel. Maybe crown Jewel is an exaggeration when it comes to WBNS, but it's not that far off. If you buy an asset that is well taken care of, you better also take care of it as well. 

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Detroit-

At WDIV- Sandra Ali leaving WDIV after 13 years. She worked at both WJBK & WDIV. speculation is she headed to WWJ.

https://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/2023/01/24/wdiv-local-4-anchor-sandra-ali-leaving/69832593007/

 

At WXYZ-  Dave LewAllen is retiring after 35 yrs at Broadcast House. Some time in April when he'll retire.

https://www.freep.com/story/entertainment/television/2023/01/26/dave-lewallen-retiring-detroit-wxyz-tv/69842503007/

 

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On 1/28/2023 at 1:11 AM, KRAP-TV said:

Ah okay, I was wondering where she was! She had been on WSOC for the last few years. Curious to see who her replacement is here in Charlotte. Congrats to her! 

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Recent discovery at WRC: KTRK/13’s Ted Oberg has made the move after 21 years from Eyewitness News up to WRC’s News 4 as an investigative journalist.  I was watching this afternoon and recognized the face and realized who it was.  I’m not sure when he made his debut (we have News 4 on at the office in the lobby and break room, and this is the first I’ve seen of him), but glad to see him in DC. I met him while in Houston and he seemed to be a decent guy.

 

Jim

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Longtime KSAT sports director Greg Simmons resigned Monday (January 30) after 42 years with the station. His departure occurred three days after he was charged on a DWI complaint while leaving a bar in San Antonio’s Northside district.

 

From the San Antonio Express-News:

Quote

Simmons, 67, was pulled over early Friday morning after Bexar County deputies responded to reports that he had been drifting from side to side. According to an arrest report, a Bexar County sheriff’s deputy observed Simmons driving erratically before he came to a stop on Evans Road near TPC Parkway on the far North Side.

 

It took five minutes for Simmons to pull over after a deputy signaled him to do so, a report states. He had trouble maintaining focus and believed he was driving on U.S. 281, investigators said. He also gave the deputy a gold American Express card when asked for his license, according to the report.

 

Simmons struggled to recite the alphabet during a field sobriety test, the report states. A breath sample could not be obtained, but a blood test was done to determine his blood alcohol level, the sheriff’s office said.

 

An arraignment in Simmons’ case is set for Feb. 28, according to court records.

 

Edited by T.L. Hughes
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