• Get involved.
    We want your input!
    Apply for Membership and join the conversations about everything related to broadcasting.

    After we receive your registration, a moderator will review it. After your registration is approved, you will be permitted to post.
    If you use a disposable or false email address, your registration will be rejected.

    After your membership is approved, please take a minute to tell us a little bit about yourself.
    https://www.radiodiscussions.com/forums/introduce-yourself.1088/

    Thanks in advance and have fun!
    RadioDiscussions Administrators

Fired Anchor Expresses Frustration

J

JayR

From the News-Press:

Media Matters: Anchor fired from ABC7 (WZVN) expresses frustration

Jim Walker, who started last year on NBC2 (WBBH) and then became the main evening anchor on ABC7 (WZVN),...posted his feelings and frustrations in a lengthy commentary on his Facebook page.

"Without disclosing confidential details of my separation agreement, the station's research found I was not a 'good fit' in this market and with the viewers here," Walker wrote. "Those findings were presented despite the fact ABC7 (WZVN) maintained or gained viewership at 6, 7 and 11 p.m. in July, year-to-year, according to (Nielsen ratings). NBC2 (WBBH) lost viewers in every evening newscast. It really makes no sense to me."
Click to expand...

The tv news business is brutal, to say the least.
 
If anything, the TV news business seems less brutal than it was during the 70s and 70s, when stations seemed to change anchor people like most of us change our socks. At least in the Bay Area, many reporters and some anchors have been around for decades. People like Cheryl Jennings and Don Sanchez (who doesn't anchor anymore) have been with KGO-TV since the late 70s and early 80s respectively. Dennis Richmond on KTVU anchored for something like 35 years before retiring.

But if you want job security, and hate moving - on-air TV work is probably not a great career for you. Having said that, I can't blame the guy for expressing frustration.
 
Lkeller said:
If anything, the TV news business seems less brutal than it was during the 70s and 70s, when stations seemed to change anchor people like most of us change our socks. At least in the Bay Area, many reporters and some anchors have been around for decades. People like Cheryl Jennings and Don Sanchez (who doesn't anchor anymore) have been with KGO-TV since the late 70s and early 80s respectively. Dennis Richmond on KTVU anchored for something like 35 years before retiring.

But if you want job security, and hate moving - on-air TV work is probably not a great career for you. Having said that, I can't blame the guy for expressing frustration.
Click to expand...


Look at Stan Chambers of KTLA 5 He's been at KTLA since the birth of the station in 1947 to 2010 that is incredible because in most cities the good anchors and reporters that do stay in one market lasts from 20-40 years. And in LA people tend to stay in the market for 2 -5 years before they go into the Cable News market or move to other cities.
 
JayR said:
From the News-Press:

Media Matters: Anchor fired from ABC7 (WZVN) expresses frustration

Jim Walker, who started last year on NBC2 (WBBH) and then became the main evening anchor on ABC7 (WZVN),...posted his feelings and frustrations in a lengthy commentary on his Facebook page.

"Without disclosing confidential details of my separation agreement, the station's research found I was not a 'good fit' in this market and with the viewers here," Walker wrote. "Those findings were presented despite the fact ABC7 (WZVN) maintained or gained viewership at 6, 7 and 11 p.m. in July, year-to-year, according to (Nielsen ratings). NBC2 (WBBH) lost viewers in every evening newscast. It really makes no sense to me."
Click to expand...

The tv news business is brutal, to say the least.
Click to expand...

I remember him as a reporter in DFW (he was really good), he went on to anchor at the Fox station in Beaumont-Port Arthur. Had no idea he'd gone on to the Tampa area. Too bad he didn't last long at either the Fox or ABC/NBC stations.
 
Lkeller said:
If anything, the TV news business seems less brutal than it was during the 70s and 70s, when stations seemed to change anchor people like most of us change our socks. At least in the Bay Area, many reporters and some anchors have been around for decades. People like Cheryl Jennings and Don Sanchez (who doesn't anchor anymore) have been with KGO-TV since the late 70s and early 80s respectively. Dennis Richmond on KTVU anchored for something like 35 years before retiring.

But if you want job security, and hate moving - on-air TV work is probably not a great career for you. Having said that, I can't blame the guy for expressing frustration.
Click to expand...

It depends on where you are. In Phoenix, it's difficult to find a reporter with gray har. All of them have not been renewed or have left the stations. There are a handful still around, but just a very small number.
 
Nevertheless, I find it ridiculous for an anchor to be dismissed on account of research than ratings. That being said, ratings are becoming more and more meaningless, with a show or person's fate put in the hands of an even more select few.
 
The official reason is probably just BS. No company is ever going to state the "real" reason an employee is fired. That's a good way to get sued. They give you least offensive reason that is the least likely to result in a lawsuit.

The problem is there is an overcrowded job market, that is, overcrowded with job seekers. He probably was making too much money and they figured they can keep the ratings with less money paid to someone else.

The guy totally screwed himself by posting his frustrations on a public forum. Now he looks like a cry baby. Ask yourself, would you hire him now? If you haven't looked for a job in the last three years, try it. It's amazing how much the rules have changed. Unless you have a really high demand profession.

It's not enough to gain or maintain your ratings, you have to gain in accordance to what the company wants. For instance, I worked in a computer store for minimum wage, over the holidays. Part of this job included selling warranties. This is a cash cow as most are never claimed. The minimum standard was 65%. That means 65% of all my sales had to include an attachment warranty.

My average per month wa 87%. Did the management say "Wow you're doing more than 20% over the minimum." No they kept saying, "You can do more, if you're that good, you should easily be sliding into the mid 90% range."

You see it's no longer enough to do minimum you need to more. And even if you do more, you're not congratulated, you're asked why it wasn't higher. And we're talking about a minimum wage job, where you don't get anything more if you sell the warranty or not.

Welcome to the new economy.
 
Here in the Los Angeles news market, it's pretty much been the same group of news personalities but rotating on different networks.
 
sounds like nothing new for the TV business (except the fact the people they are
letting go now have Facebook and Twitter followings)
 
recto101 said:
Lkeller said:
If anything, the TV news business seems less brutal than it was during the 70s and 70s, when stations seemed to change anchor people like most of us change our socks. At least in the Bay Area, many reporters and some anchors have been around for decades. People like Cheryl Jennings and Don Sanchez (who doesn't anchor anymore) have been with KGO-TV since the late 70s and early 80s respectively. Dennis Richmond on KTVU anchored for something like 35 years before retiring.

But if you want job security, and hate moving - on-air TV work is probably not a great career for you. Having said that, I can't blame the guy for expressing frustration.
Click to expand...


Look at Stan Chambers of KTLA 5 He's been at KTLA since the birth of the station in 1947 to 2010 that is incredible because in most cities the good anchors and reporters that do stay in one market lasts from 20-40 years. And in LA people tend to stay in the market for 2 -5 years before they go into the Cable News market or move to other cities.
Click to expand...
 
Mark said:
For instance, I worked in a computer store for minimum wage, over the holidays. Part of this job included selling warranties. This is a cash cow as most are never claimed. The minimum standard was 65%. That means 65% of all my sales had to include an attachment warranty.

My average per month wa 87%. Did the management say "Wow you're doing more than 20% over the minimum." No they kept saying, "You can do more, if you're that good, you should easily be sliding into the mid 90% range."
Click to expand...
That's just disgusting -- that 87% of your customers were dumb enough to buy in. Also that they didn't give you a commission.

I was in a Radio Shack about a year ago to buy connectors for some of my audio equipment and the clerk asked if I wanted an extended warranty. "Its just $3," he said. :eek:

Back on topic ... it seems to me that the outright firing of anchors or reporters is rare, regardless of their "success." For those under contract, non-renewals happen, but most of the turnover seems to be caused by the idea that "Grass Is Greener" in another market.
 
PTBoardOp94 said:
Mark said:
For instance, I worked in a computer store for minimum wage, over the holidays. Part of this job included selling warranties. This is a cash cow as most are never claimed. The minimum standard was 65%. That means 65% of all my sales had to include an attachment warranty.

My average per month wa 87%. Did the management say "Wow you're doing more than 20% over the minimum." No they kept saying, "You can do more, if you're that good, you should easily be sliding into the mid 90% range."
Click to expand...
That's just disgusting -- that 87% of your customers were dumb enough to buy in. Also that they didn't give you a commission.

I was in a Radio Shack about a year ago to buy connectors for some of my audio equipment and the clerk asked if I wanted an extended warranty. "Its just $3," he said. :eek:

Back on topic ... it seems to me that the outright firing of anchors or reporters is rare, regardless of their "success." For those under contract, non-renewals happen, but most of the turnover seems to be caused by the idea that "Grass Is Greener" in another market.
Click to expand...

Well I was just Christmas help so you don't get anything, regular staff got some commissions. Our warranties were much more reasonable, if the gadget was under $10.00 the warranty would be like 99¢. People would snap those things up in a flash.

But as for the topic, I do believe a lot of this is, as the article says, money. There are too many people willing to work for less. I don't like it, but if I ran a business and could get a worker for less, I'd do it.
 
marioj said:
This isn't the first time Facebook has gotten Jim Walker into trouble. Check out his online response to a letter sent by a KBTV4 viewer to his boss during his time in Beaumont:
http://blog.beaumontenterprise.com/bayou/2009/07/14/daybreaker-kbtvs-jim-walker-loves-to-facebook/

I should hope not, but could his use of the phrase "not a good fit for the market" be code for "Fort Myers isn't ready for an openly gay anchor yet?"
Click to expand...

Ahh, but the Fort Myers market has an openly gay anchor. His name is Patrick Nolan and he's with WFTX FOX 4.
 
It wasn't being gay...

Well, it kinda was. I worked in that market. It's still very much a "we don't care if you ARE (whispered)...gay, just don't throw it in our faces" kind of market. When I was there, Patrick didn't have a personal Facebook page. Jim's page however was incredibly surprising even for a non-public figure. Take a look at it now that he's a bartender at a large gay bar in Dallas. https://m.facebook.com/profile.php?id=710188133&fref=ts
 
Status
This thread has been closed due to inactivity. You can create a new thread to discuss this topic.


Back
Top Bottom