Dark day for Arizona's Family

[50kguy]

Staff meeting planned for this morning- layoffs definitely coming. Belo announced reduction of 150 positions across the company yesterday. Also gone: stock dividends and 401K matches. Managers take 5% pay cut (but get 3 more paid days off).

 

[justthenumbers]

According to the article linked below, Brad Perry and Dan Davis have been let go.

http://phoenix.bizjournals.com/phoenix/stories/2009/03/09/daily51.html?surround=etf

 

[3fan4eva]

Well Im gonna stand by what I said when they let Bruce Haffner go and sold the helicopter in that the economy is tough and sacrafices have to be made.....I can see why those jobs were cut but its still tough to swallow. I thought Brad Perry was terrible at weather but just an easy going guy to listen to in the morning, then you have Dan Davis who would tell the stories you wouldnt hear anywhere else and just easy to listen to. It just sucks because slowly but surely Good Morning Arizona is turning into a joke for lack of better term. Idk its tough times and things have sacrafices have to be made. Well it sounds like Brad is gonna continue into music so hes got somthing at least.


Thats my rant for today, Im just wondering whos next at 3?

 

[dhett]

Might some of those jobs been saved if Belo hadn't been forced to keep their analog stations running for another four months? Just wonderin'.

 

[brian4]

I found out because I Follow Beverly Kidd on Twitter. Someone asked about layoffs and she said she couldn't comment. Wednesday morning Dan was off but Brad was there.

Unbelievable shocked by this. However, as an outsider, you look at the cast of GMAZ and had to get rid of 2 slots it would be between Dan, Brad, and Olivia slots/jobs. I thought 27 years would help Dan keep his job. To me, Dan was the glue that held GMAZ together. Brad was okay at weather but I think they found a good niche for him doing live remotes because he has a dynamic personality and thinks quick.

I can't support a station who fires good quality people. Won't watch ABC15 after they got rid of Andi Barness. I don't like CBS 5's Paul Horton and they lost Christina Wofford so it has to be Fox 10 Morning Zoo or Channel 12. :'(

...when they let Bruce Haffner go...

Did they Haffner get fired? His bio is still on their website, unlike Dan and Brad.

 

[EricStein]

Might some of those jobs been saved if Belo hadn't been forced to keep their analog stations running for another four months? Just wonderin'.

Not like anybody's watching the analog signals with that gigantic "Scarlet A" covering up 1/4 of the screen at all times on their Phoenix stations.

Somehow, I have a feeling that the programming buyers at Belo's Arizona stations will come out unscathed in all of this, despite that on weekends, their schedules are a mish-mash of grade-A and Grade-Z shows.

 

[landtuna]

3TV has been in the dumpster since losing ABC so looooong ago. They need a serious change of direction to survive. Maybe mimic the old, independent KPHO.

 

[DrAkbar]

3TV has been in the dumpster since losing ABC so looooong ago. They need a serious change of direction to survive. Maybe mimic the old, independent KPHO.

hmmmmm....wonder what Roger Downey & Linda Turley are doin' these days? Is Stu Tracy available? Hey, there's always Chambo and he knows the studio layout!

 

[KeithE4]

I wonder if they both agreed to it ahead of time. Perry has other things going on outside of TV, and Davis is getting up there (60ish?) so maybe he took early retirement.

 

[ihEARDtHAT]

I wonder if they both agreed to it ahead of time. Perry has other things going on outside of TV, and Davis is getting up there (60ish?) so maybe he took early retirement.

I don't think so. In a story on AZCentral.com (http://www.azcentral.com/thingstodo/music/articles/2009/03/11/20090311bradperry.html) about Brad Perry launching his new single, he says that he was surprised by it and even thought that if he was being considered that they might just ask him to take a pay cut. Dan is 56 if I remember correctly.

Scott and Olivia started off the 5am show by mentioning with the current state of the economy and many companies having to reduce staff, KTVK was included and that Dan and Brad were laid off. Scott also mentioned that some additional behind the camera staff were also let go but he did not say how many.

I was wondering what Bruce Haeffner's status was since 3-TV no longer was using their helicopter but was sharing one with Channels 5 and 12. Bruce was on air this morning during GMAZ from Univerisity of Phoenix Stadium doing a segment on RC aircraft and a show that is taking place there this weekend. Has anybody heard who the second pilot is going to be (Scott Clifton from 5 was supposed to be one of the pilots)?

 

[brian4]

I was wondering what Bruce Haeffner's status was since 3-TV no longer was using their helicopter but was sharing one with Channels 5 and 12. Bruce was on air this morning during GMAZ from Univerisity of Phoenix Stadium doing a segment on RC aircraft and a show that is taking place there this weekend. Has anybody heard who the second pilot is going to be (Scott Clifton from 5 was supposed to be one of the pilots)?

I think Haffner must be back-up pilot and another source for interviews, because why would they fire Dan & Brad and retain Bruce if he isn't going to fly anymore. I believe he also would have to take a pay cut.

 

[EricStein]

3TV has been in the dumpster since losing ABC so looooong ago. They need a serious change of direction to survive. Maybe mimic the old, independent KPHO.

Swap Oprah and Dr. Phil double-plays for aging reruns of The Rockford Files and Magnum, P.I.? Brilliant!

Actually, I think the decline of KTVK started nearly ten years ago, when the Lewis family sold the stations to Belo. With station values declining, maybe the Lewis kids (not really kids anymore) can buy it back for a discount? That's if they are still interested in broadcasting.

 

[landtuna]

3TV has been in the dumpster since losing ABC so looooong ago. They need a serious change of direction to survive. Maybe mimic the old, independent KPHO.

Swap Oprah and Dr. Phil double-plays for aging reruns of The Rockford Files and Magnum, P.I.? Brilliant!

I was thinking more along the lines of the local shows that made KPHO one-of-a-kind in the Valley for so many years. Wallace & Ladmo type stuff. Gardening and syndicated snore-fests go only so far and tend to develop a segmented audience and little station loyalty.

 

[KeithE4]

I was thinking more along the lines of the local shows that made KPHO one-of-a-kind in the Valley for so many years. Wallace & Ladmo type stuff. Gardening and syndicated snore-fests go only so far and tend to develop a segmented audience and little station loyalty.

Local shows, other than news or sports, are dead and have been for many years. This is 2009, not 1959 or even 1989. Even KTVK dropped (or Bashas quit sponsoring) Cooking With Beth & Bill a few years ago. That was probably the best locally-produced entertainment show since W&L. The days of local entertainment programming on the KPHOs, WGNs, and WTTVs of the world are long gone.

If someone put up a show similar to Wallace & Ladmo and it was opposite Oprah, Judge Judy, or Wheel of Fortune, guess who'd win. Hint: It ain't the local show.

I wish I could be wrong and somebody would try, but I just don't see it happening. "Your Life A to Z" and similar housewife shows in the Rita Davenport tradition are the closest thing on the air today. I'm still surprised to this day that that type of show is still on the air. There aren't as many stay-at-home moms as there used to be in my parents' generation. And how many of them are watching that kind of show?

 

[EricStein]

I was thinking more along the lines of the local shows that made KPHO one-of-a-kind in the Valley for so many years. Wallace & Ladmo type stuff. Gardening and syndicated snore-fests go only so far and tend to develop a segmented audience and little station loyalty.

Local shows, other than news or sports, are dead and have been for many years. This is 2009, not 1959 or even 1989. Even KTVK dropped (or Bashas quit sponsoring) Cooking With Beth & Bill a few years ago. That was probably the best locally-produced entertainment show since W&L. The days of local entertainment programming on the KPHOs, WGNs, and WTTVs of the world are long gone.

If someone put up a show similar to Wallace & Ladmo and it was opposite Oprah, Judge Judy, or Wheel of Fortune, guess who'd win. Hint: It ain't the local show.

I wish I could be wrong and somebody would try, but I just don't see it happening. "Your Life A to Z" and similar housewife shows in the Rita Davenport tradition are the closest thing on the air today. I'm still surprised to this day that that type of show is still on the air. There aren't as many stay-at-home moms as there used to be in my parents' generation. And how many of them are watching that kind of show?

Also, if they were to bring back a local kids show in the tradition of W&L, it would have to meet "E/I" requirements. Dan Davis' Brainstorm wasn't a bad show. In fact, it was better than some of the syndication they rely on now for educational mandates (in particular, Ultimate Choice, which I never understood why KTVK renewed with the syndicator year after year). However, that type of programming loses money for the station, no matter how good the show is or if it's local.

A few years back, during the early Belo years, it looked like they were returning to their local roots, with shows like Beth & Bill, At Home with Terri O (before she sold her soul to Kevin Trudeau), Under The Hood with Mark Salem, and The Garden Guy. I had thought these shows did well for the station, but they decided to go the way of the sponsored lifestyle program (Your Life A to Z, Sonoran Living, and Arizona Midday all fit into this category).

At least AZ-TV is still trying to give talk with a local flavor a chance every morning, even if one of those hours is Prescott-centric. But, how long will it be before Pat McMahon decides to hang it up from broadcasting altogether?

 

[ihEARDtHAT]

Add Kristine Harrington to the list. According to TVJobs.com she is "On the Beach" as of today and she is not listed on the bios page any longer.

 

[landtuna]

There aren't as many stay-at-home moms as there used to be in my parents' generation. And how many of them are watching that kind of show?

Then who is watching these days? It sure isn't the stay-at-home dads.

 

[KeithE4]

There aren't as many stay-at-home moms as there used to be in my parents' generation. And how many of them are watching that kind of show?

Then who is watching these days? It sure isn't the stay-at-home dads.

Probably Aunt Edna in Sun City and all her friends.

 

[oldiesfan6479]

Then who is watching these days? It sure isn't the stay-at-home dads.

Probably Aunt Edna in Sun City and all her friends.

The aging demo no one wants to sell! (Any Buick spots in the daypart? ;D)

 

[brian4]

So Bruce Hafner debuted his new job: driving around in a 3TV truck doing mobile news stories using Skype. I only watched 3 of his segments and it was horrible. The picture was blurry and frames would freeze. There was one spot where you hear Hafner's voice but the screen didn't move.

You could tell Bruce misses flying a lot. It's one thing to fly around and talk to Air Traffic Control and get hot air balloon riders to wave at the camera, it's another thing to interview and interact with the public. I'm glad Hafner has a job, but something like this was made for Brad Perry. No matter what anyone thinks of him, Perry is fun and very popular. I'm sure KTVK is receiving letters/e-mails complaining about the firings.