According to several staff members morale at the station is lower than a snake's belly after hearing that Nexstar won't be putting Channel 8 up for sale. These people had hoped that a new owner would come in and stop the internal bleeding; which isn't going to happen now. One person, who is well known on-air, said that the decision by Nexstar has prompted this person, who has roots in the community, to start looking out of the Rochester market because that person is "fed up with all the s*** that is going on at the station." Also remember that some staff contracts are coming up for renewal. It will be interesting to see who stays and takes a pay cut, or who is shown the front door. As another poster wrote on here, "may the last person turn off the lights."
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Morale at WROC TV
- Thread starter The Voice of Reason
- Start date
Mr. Kite! said:
Believe it or not there was a time when WROC was a respectable operation that garnered ratings; even to the point of being the number # 1 station in the Rochester market. That was during the 1960s and before the departure of main anchor Tom Decker, weather-reader Bob Mills and (Rochester's only TV business editor) Mort Nuesbaum. So what happened?
All three men left the station, along with an assortment of other top-knotch on-air reporters with decades of experience in the business. Decker's replacement was a total flop. Then the station under went a series of personnel shake-ups and of course the big strike in the 1970s when employees took to the picket lines over a contract dispute.
Every since the strike the station has undergone a series of owners who have just bled the station dry for every cent they could while going through personnel like crap through a goose.
What is a real shame is that several times over the past three decades I worked in this market 8 was on the verge of a re-birth when either the owners, or management, decided to bring in their army of hatchetmen and consultants and started lobbying off heads.
Some good and talented people have tried to make 8 work. Unfortunately they never had the chance. Fortunately many of those talented people landed on their feet in other markets; some of them becoming quite successful.
Personally I've got to the point that I don't care what happens at 8 anymore. Not that I'm wishing the current staff ill-will; but I've been around long enough to witness the see-saw goings on at that place and have just thrown my hands up in the air and said "F*** it!
dustintv said:
WHAM and WHEC would not hire McGuire as an anchor. WHAM already has a stable of people ready to step in when Ginny's time is up, and Jennifer Johnson is being groomed to take over when Janet "retires." The best McGuire could hope for is weekend anchoring, and even then that's a faint possibility when one considers that the people already behind the anchor desk are also eyeing that job fulltime. McGuire, from what I was informed, signed a new contract with 8 which I am sure contains a no-compete clause similar to the one that kept Barnhart off the air for over a year.
So McGuire stays where she is until either the station doesn't renew her contract, or she pulls up roots and finds another job in a different city. I hate to sound cruel but she isn't getting any younger and we know the mentality of TV broadcasting executives today: Hire the young-cute ones.
Well I would like to put my 2 cents worth in....a long while ago I used to work at this wonderful station as a news photographer. That lasted a grand total of 11 months. When I was first hired I was only a part timer and almost out of college. I was specifically told by the chief photographer and news director (a portly little greaseball) at the time that I would become full time the moment I graduated. True to their terrible management I did graduate and they told me "they never said anything like that." I was doomed to remain working part time there and I could not believe I got screwed like that. I left shortly thereafter and thank god I did. I got sick of the other stations laughing at us. Needless to say I understand why they were #3 in the market then and from what I read here why they are still #3 in the market 15+ years later. Treat people like garbage and what you get is garbage....garbage in-garbage out.
You're probably right about McGuire and the current status quo at both 10 and 13. Still, I think she would make a nice addition to either station. I suppose if it came down it whoever the dissatisfied anchor that person could always work their way over to R News. It might be a step down from broadcast journalism, but depending on what the situations is like currently at 8 it could be a step up!!! 
It might be a step down from broadcast journalism, but depending on what the situations is like currently at 8 it could be a step up!!!
You got that right, look at Jerry Fiore. He ended up being a greeter at Martin's Grocery after getting canned. How's that for a thank-you?
You got that right, look at Jerry Fiore. He ended up being a greeter at Martin's Grocery after getting canned. How's that for a thank-you?
Look at Jerry Fiore. He ended up being a greeter at Martin's Grocery after getting canned. How's that for a thank-you?
Jerry, despite his years of experience in radio and TV, had one thing going against him: He was a middle-age white guy. TV isn't looking for experience anymore; it's looking for the cute blondie cupie dolls and the preppie-boys fresh out of college. Why? Because they will work for next to nothing just to get on TV. What the fools in management don't understand is that these kids have no dedication to WROC. It's just something to put on their resume. Fiore meanwhile could have added what 8 desperately needs; stability. Besides Fiore look at other talented people who were let go or quit out of frustration: Jacquie Walker, Rachel Barnhart, Melissa Long, Linda Allen, Rob Haswell, Christine Crafts and the list goes on.
Jerry, despite his years of experience in radio and TV, had one thing going against him: He was a middle-age white guy. TV isn't looking for experience anymore; it's looking for the cute blondie cupie dolls and the preppie-boys fresh out of college. Why? Because they will work for next to nothing just to get on TV. What the fools in management don't understand is that these kids have no dedication to WROC. It's just something to put on their resume. Fiore meanwhile could have added what 8 desperately needs; stability. Besides Fiore look at other talented people who were let go or quit out of frustration: Jacquie Walker, Rachel Barnhart, Melissa Long, Linda Allen, Rob Haswell, Christine Crafts and the list goes on.
I visited RNYN to check for updates and then this struck me as funny:
http://www.rnyn.com/
[ In the future, please provide a URL to the originating source as courtesy][color]
http://www.rnyn.com/
[ In the future, please provide a URL to the originating source as courtesy][color]
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