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KTLA 5 News Thread


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26 minutes ago, tvtime07 said:

Listen, I totally understand the roots and protocols that human resources and management have to abide with, but it's this by-the-book nonsense that people have an issue with. All of this could have been prevented if management came to their senses and gave Lynette a dignified manner to say goodbye, just at a PR standpoint at the very least.

Unfortunately, is a a protocol that if they can’t say goodbye if they are going to another station. But I read that they were going give her farewell but declined because of that competitor. Per LA Times and Mark Mester, likely not going to resurfaced on another station in LA. But another city likely. Mark is very toxic off air especially in their newsroom.

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2 hours ago, Rw000 said:

Has anyone worked with Mester and know if he’s actually toxic or is this station brass trying to control the narrative…?


“Several sources at the station said it was common knowledge that staffers were concerned about Mester’s temper and what was described as his “disrespectful” behavior to women and had complained to  management.”

https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/tv/story/2022-09-23/ktla-lynette-romero-mark-mester-timeline

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14 minutes ago, SoCalLocal said:

“Several sources at the station said it was common knowledge that staffers were concerned about Mester’s temper and what was described as his “disrespectful” behavior to women and had complained to  management.”

https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/tv/story/2022-09-23/ktla-lynette-romero-mark-mester-timeline

“Several sources at the station” could theoretically be the news director, the general manager, the janitor, and maybe a couple of coworkers that didn’t like him.

 

I understand that people will never publicly attach themselves to these claims, but they’re too hard to independently verify outside of this article. It’s enough to just acknowledge that Mester violated the terms of his employment and he could’ve handled things a bit better. There’s no need to get into character assassination without a real basis.
 

Also, there seem to be zero public mea culpas from management for their end of this situation, which indicates how dismal things are at KTLA right now, regardless of one man’s behavior. And even if Mester’s behavior was as bad as the LA Times article alludes to, that’s also on management for not firing him sooner.

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12 hours ago, nycnewsjunkie said:

“Several sources at the station” could theoretically be the news director, the general manager, the janitor, and maybe a couple of coworkers that didn’t like him.

 

I understand that people will never publicly attach themselves to these claims, but they’re too hard to independently verify outside of this article. It’s enough to just acknowledge that Mester violated the terms of his employment and he could’ve handled things a bit better. There’s no need to get into character assassination without a real basis.
 

Also, there seem to be zero public mea culpas from management for their end of this situation, which indicates how dismal things are at KTLA right now, regardless of one man’s behavior. And even if Mester’s behavior was as bad as the LA Times article alludes to, that’s also on management for not firing him sooner.

I'm sure the attorneys for Nexstar have said  "shut up" to management. That's the correct public relations move as this will all fade very fast - just like most news cycles.

 

Until KTLA gets a direct threat, ratings & more importantly revenue slide in the morning news game in L.A., management is safe.

Edited by CalItalian2
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17 hours ago, tvtime07 said:

 

The thing is, morning television is such a communal experience. That's the wonderful thing that KTLA Morning News has been able to establish all these years and why they have been unbeatable, these news personalities become part of people's daily routine, viewers invite them into their house every single morning as they report news-weather-traffic-entertainment-and-everything-else, KTLA gave viewers a window to the world and interpersonal bonds are developed in the process -- Lynette connected with many viewers, and to have her 24 year career as a respected broadcast journalist end with a short and lackluster announcement was hurtful to loyal viewers, it's as if their family member was evicted suddenly.

 

Listen, I totally understand the roots and protocols that human resources and management have to abide with, but it's this by-the-book nonsense that people have an issue with. All of this could have been prevented if management came to their senses and gave Lynette a dignified manner to say goodbye, just at a PR standpoint at the very least.

 

Did Mark Mester make a mistake for going rogue on live television? Yes, putting out dirty laundry last Saturday was disrespectful and was not professional.  It's an unfortunate circumstance but it makes me wonder why management did not do anything to ease or prevent the mishap. You have a coworker who is totally heartbroken that his work partner wasn't getting her dues, he posted on his public social media that he will share his view on the matter, but did management try to find a solution to resolve this issue?

 

At the end of the day, are your employees robots or humans? There has to be a reason for this mass exodus that's happening at KTLA, Mark was probably at a boiling point.  Mark's career will be fine, he's not damaged goods; the public sees this as a person who was sticking up for his fellow colleague, he will get picked up somewhere, his career is bright. 

 

 

The public perception of Mark Mester post KTLA means nothing. He IS damaged goods in the eyes of those who do hiring in broadcast media. He's shown he is a loose cannon - on air. That won't play well. Regardless, he's done in L.A.

Edited by CalItalian2
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I think Lynette has a great presence and NBC4 is lucky to have her. It was HER choice to leave... she was treated fairly and even asked to stay with negotiation as has been leaked. She took a new role best for her AT THE COMPETITION. PERIOD. Nothing else is owed. Admittedly, there could have been a warmer recognition of her departure (re: the choppy statement Sam Rubin was initially given to read on-air) so loyal viewers saw she was respected BUT it's a business. What is really happening here is a newsroom in flux (which ones have not been at some point) is having their internal negativity known to the viewer. All talent has the right to do is their contracted job. KTLA's problem is they let their newscasts become personality driven even off the morning hours ... now that leads to problems when trying to apply rules and standards.

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40 minutes ago, CalItalian2 said:

E! News is reporting Mester may be exploring legal options against KTLA. 

 

IF you want to kill your career, that's the perfect way to do it. 

 

Yeah, ask Jeff Michael how well that turned out for him.

 

I don't see what kind of case Mark has at all here. As I understand it, management also even approved that he could say something about Lynette, and the weekend AM EP had something written, but then Mark ignored it in the moment and went off script.

 

As far as all the talent departures in general, from what I've heard, it's all coming down to money. Nexstar isn't cutting pay, but they're not offering talent another dime when their contracts come up for renewal. People seem to like the GM, but the ND is a very by-the-book corporate kind of guy (and his track record coming from KING and KPIX isn't all that excellent to begin with.)

 

Lynette Romero will be fine. She's going to work for a better company for better terms and with better quality of life. Most people outside this industry probably don't realize that what happened to her is extremely common. KTLA will also be fine. Speaking from experience, I can tell you that the social media crowd that gets worked up about this kind of stuff isn't the same crowd as the people who are actually watching. KTLA's news director might be on thin ice. And Mark Mester should probably consider a career change right about now.

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13 hours ago, CalItalian2 said:

E! News is reporting Mester may be exploring legal options against KTLA. 

Dude...just move on before your only options to be on TV are The Balancing Act or a 'you might be entitled to compensation' lawyer infomercial for a rice cooker recall. You steamrolled the prompter and had to know what the consequences would be, and all of this could've been on a Facebook group locked to the bosses.

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On 9/23/2022 at 11:54 AM, detroiter313 said:

Does station management at any TV station in any market (especially Los Angeles) get really upset when a news anchor announces that he or she will move to the competition?

No.  Many of the biggest names  in Los Angeles television have all moved to the competition at one time or another, for more money or a better time slot,  and sometimes back to where they'd been: Clete Roberts,  George Putnam,  Bill Stout, Joe Benti,  John Schubeck,  Warren Olney, Tritia Toyota, Jess Marlow, Paul Moyer, Ann Martin, Jim Hill,  Linda Alvarez,  Colleen Williams, Chuck Henry, Micah Ohlman,  and  of course Jerry Dunphy.   It's a way of life in the business;   Lynette Romero's situation, whether dissatisfaction with contract or daypart,  and departure up the dial, is not usually the kind of thing that sends the station descending into Dante's ninth circle of hell.

Edited by Nick
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36 minutes ago, Nick said:

No.  Many of the biggest names  in Los Angeles television have all moved to the competition at one time or another, for more money or a better time slot,  and sometimes back to where they'd been: Clete Roberts,  George Putnam,  Bill Stout, Joe Benti,  John Schubeck,  Warren Olney, Tritia Toyota, Jess Marlow, Paul Moyer, Ann Martin, Jim Hill,  Linda Alvarez,  Colleen Williams, Chuck Henry, Micah Ohlman,  and  of course Jerry Dunphy.   It's a way of life in the business;   Lynette Romero's situation, whether dissatisfaction with contract or daypart,  and departure up the dial, is not usually the kind of thing that sends the station descending into Dante's ninth circle of hell.

You left out Laura Diaz, and Harold Greene.

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I don't think so, but I believe they promoted it. Sam today and Dayna tomorrow is the plan, IIRC. Sam did put aside normal entertaiment anchoring duties and reported hard news during the 1993 Laguna Beach firestorm and the 1994 Northridge earthquake. I believe the station is trying to get some familiar faces on the weekends given the past few weeks have been turbulent to say the least.

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Overall, I see why Mester's was a bad move from a career standpoint. A company like KTLA's first priority is to make money and keep talent in line, understood. BUT... on a human level, (not saying his was the best way to handle it) it's nice that Mester stood up for his friend Romero like that. 

 

We can debate what is owed and what isn't, but after working at the station for that long they could've let her give a proper goodbye to the viewers. From a viewer stand point, to have a familiar face suddenly gone after 20 years then a different anchor reads a corperate message saying "she's no longer with us thanks and good bye" is just abrupt.

 

Look at how NBC handled Katie Couric leaving for CBS: a nice send off and a thank you. Just that simple.

 

Again I commend him for standing up for his co woker in this here-today-gone-tomorrow corperate (and general) working culture. At this point, Mester needs to tread carefully before he gets black balled in the industry.

Edited by iron_lion
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  • 2 weeks later...

Nothing yet. They are now running TOTH legal IDs that say "Set Under Construction...Your Patience Please." Curious to know what the final product will be.

 

Also, I noticed that they have kept the green room part of the old set. Sam, Dayna and Megan Telles usually sit on the set in a very tight shot. Previously the camera would come in at a wide angle and zoom in closer on the talent. Due to this, not sure if the set is a total rebuild or just adding some new pieces.

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On 10/16/2022 at 6:10 AM, MorningNews said:

Any updates on KTLA’s new set? 

When they announced they were going onto a temporary set they said it would be 6 weeks. The end of this week is 6 weeks. If everything ran on schedule, it could debut by next week. However, it seems construction always runs a little behind so I wouldn't be surprised if it was still a few weeks out. 

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Court never left, that wasn't her goal. The goal was to get off weekends. She has posted that she is more than happy filling in during the weekdays, which she has done since leaving weekends. Afternoons and nightside.

Edited by FiveNews
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1 hour ago, FiveNews said:

Court never left, that wasn't her goal. The goal was to get off weekends. She has posted that she is more than happy filling in during the weekedays, which she has done since leaving weekends. Afternoons and nightside.

 

Thanks for the info. I thought I read somewhere she had left entirely. 

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