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No more news on WYOU

It's too bad for people who lost their job but how many viewers does it affect, about 50?
 
Update From Scranton Times Tribune Online:


Nexstar Broadcasting, the company that owns WBRE and operates WYOU, announced today it would cease WYOU newscasts after tonight's 11 p.m. broadcast.

The company said the move would help realize approximately $900,000 in annualized operating expense savings. The announcement came after a hastily called staff meeting at 2 p.m. today, where 14 full-time employees in news, production, and promotion were notified that they would be laid off.
 
Dave McAndrews said:
Update From Scranton Times Tribune Online:


(snip) The announcement came after a hastily called staff meeting at 2 p.m. today, (snip)
Click to expand...

Not that it amounts to much but the meeting was not hastily called. It was known to all employees at least 24 hours prior, possibly more. It was hemorrhaging but it wasn't bleeding out.
 
This news comes along when at the same time, just up the road in Binghamton there was a shooting rampage and local market leader WBNG-TV 12 couldn't even send out it's live truck to cover the crisis because their truck broke down a few months ago and new owner Granite Broadcasting didn't feel like fixing it. CNN, FOX and other news outlets were relying on crews from Syracuse and Albany television stations to supply video from a market that has CBS, Fox & ABC affiliates but none of them were able to field a crew to supply outgoing video. Between the bad news for the folks at WYOU and the disappointing job done during a major crisis in Binghamton, this speaks volumes of how little concern broadcasters have for their communities.
 
Dave McAndrews said:
Update From Scranton Times Tribune Online:


Nexstar Broadcasting, the company that owns WBRE and operates WYOU, announced today it would cease WYOU newscasts after tonight's 11 p.m. broadcast.

The company said the move would help realize approximately $900,000 in annualized operating expense savings. The announcement came after a hastily called staff meeting at 2 p.m. today, where 14 full-time employees in news, production, and promotion were notified that they would be laid off.
Click to expand...

Another stupid move by Nexstar. Why dont they shut off the trasmitter and send EVERYONE home. Look at all the money they would save them. Just another reason why Nexstar is the arm pit of broadcasting.
 
NexStar is no better or worse than most broadcasting companies out there today. The grass is not greener somewhere else. Almost none of them care 2 bits about anything except how many dollars they can squeeze out. While any business that doesn't look to make a profit will soon be out of business, you cannot put a price tag on every item and every action. It would be an excellent step if the FCC moves to re-regulate news & public service commitments and force the hand of these bandits.
 
I agree with Baltimore Jack, in the fact that Nexstar is no different than other broadcast conglomerates.

Though, WYOU hasn't been a news leader per se. When, they switched to the interactive newscasts a year or two ago; you had to wonder if the end was near.

When WNEP and WBRE perennially are the news leaders, WYOU couldn't compete. Even, WYLN 35 in Hazleton does a better job in covering the news than 22. WYLN 35 is even an independent station to boot.

Maybe someday WYOU can resurrect their newscasts under different management.
 
I wouldn't call WBRE a news leader. It's more like WNEP cleans house in the ratings while WBRE just barely keeps their head above water while WYOU sank below water. Just barely keeping your head above water is not a news leader. I wouldn't be surprised if WBRE closes up shop in the news department within a year or two also.

Yet I honestly cannot explain why WNEP cleans house as much as they do. While WBRE and WYOU aren't quite as good as WNEP in the news department, WBRE and WYOU really aren't/weren't that bad, and in fact, I could stand to watch WYOU a lot more than the folksy, squeaky clean phony talent over at WNEP. Also, when it came to weather, WYOU cleaned house with their SkyWarn network and a wonderful chief meteorologist. WNEP's chief meteorologist and their morning weather guy Joe Snedeker seem like nice people, but they get more excited talking about the groundhog and all that folksy stuff. But I guess that's what people want. It's too bad.

One final question I have: I was under the impression the four major networks ABC, CBS, FOX, and NBC had to by FCC law or something have to have at least one local newscast. Isn't this almost unheard of for a CBS affiliate in a half decent sized market to not have one solitary newscast? Seems very cheap and pathetic to me. But then again, everything nowadays is cheap and pathetic, isn't it? A former poster was right. You might as well just turn off the transmitters on everything but WNEP and pipe in the networks from Philadelphia and New York. In fact, if you get over far enough east like in Pike County, isn't that even the NY DMA now? Used to be Scranton but the Neilsen folks saw more folks there were watching NY channels and they switched the market. Also, a similar circumstance, I know more folks down in Schuylkill County watching Philly and Harrisburg news channels rather than their own market of Scranton. I wouldn't be surprised to see Schuylkill County get their market switched to Philly or Harrisburg too.
 
Sucks to be them..., but I have to agree with Interstate 75, I was also under the impression that they had to have at least one newscat (per FCC or CBS.) I don't see why they just don't simucast WBRE News on WYOU. That right there would fill the obligations (if there are any.)

So, two days after announcing the laying off, here is a "headline" on PA Homepage:
"Unemployed? Here is One Less Thing to Worry About"
It's about a barbershop giving free haircuts to anyone who can show a unemployment card.

Abitabilo read from a three-page prepared letter then left without taking any questions.
Click to expand...
<---Wow, talk about not caring about your employees.

Just one more thing, of the three station's news, the only one I would actually watch was WYOU. Watching WNEP is like watching a Mystery Science Theatre 3000 movie, without MST3k. WBRE was just painful because of Andy and Lindall.
 
I don't think that being a News "leader" matters one way or another..the refusal by NexStar to serve the WYOU broadcast area is unconscionable. As it was suggested, why not do a simulcast? Even several short updates thruout the day are preferable to......Nothing! Since local radio has all but gone out of the local news business, where is someone supposed to get their news from? Granted the news papers are still publishing, but when it comes to news, TV like radio is an immediate platform. While I'm not clear on the TV Rules & Regs about what is or is not required as far as TV supplying newscasts, if they are required to supply 1 cast a day, my guess is that in the current air of deregulation they can probably get away with claiming their network's nightly newscast as their 1 cast per day. In any event, it's a sad commentary on what's taken place since Telecom '96.
 
When Mission/Nexstar took over, why did WYOU pretty much collapse on itself? Wasn't WYOU #1 in the area at one time? I mean, WVIA & WSWB (probably) gets stronger ratings than WYOU's newscast. What happened?
 
it is extremely sad, but not just for the jobs lost. ever since the shared services agreement we have lost a new outlet. the interactive was an interesting concept and if promoted better may have done better. it does make one wonder what will happen at wnep now that their competition has been significantly reduced. since they are no longer owned by a news organization will the bottom line justify letting go of some of the higher paid talent. ie snedeker, the clarkes??? ???
 
lfcsuuite100 said:
it is extremely sad, but not just for the jobs lost. ever since the shared services agreement we have lost a new outlet. the interactive was an interesting concept and if promoted better may have done better. it does make one wonder what will happen at wnep now that their competition has been significantly reduced. since they are no longer owned by a news organization will the bottom line justify letting go of some of the higher paid talent. ie snedeker, the clarkes??? ???
Click to expand...
WNEP is an interesting case. Why in the world did the NYTimes Corp decide to sell off TV-16 when from a business stand-point their print business is losing money by the barrel full? They are currently trying to decide if they are going to go forward with the continued operation of The Boston Globe because of huge financial losses. WNEP, as well as the rest of their broadcast properties were making money. So they kept their money losers..and sold their money makers. Why? Now, as you've stated, TV-16 is essentially without any real competition..so why spend when you don't have to? Already they have grounded the Skycam chopper and let some people go. They have also shaved bennies for full time people, and I am hearing they are cutting their ad rates to the point it's cheaper to buy 16 then to spend for Froggy, KRZ or Magic 93. If they do what WBNG-TV in Binghamton has done for years..(keep their ad rates artificially low so buying other media looks costly) they can trade trained reporters for inexperienced grads and rake in the cash, since they will have no major competition. NexStar could have cut their own financial throat by handing 16 the top spot by default.
 
You raise an interesting point about the cost per point in the market. When I was in TV there was a thought that you were better off running a promo rather than a cut rate tv spot. WNEP should be commanding the highest rate in the market by far at least for their news. The rest of the broadcast day is up for grabs. I am sure WYOU pulls good numbers in prime because of the strength of CBS, WBRE does fine with Oprah in fringe and WOLF isn't lacking for ads for Idol.
 
Yes, you're correct. But.....in Detroit, all the other major traditional Net players are VHFs. I think it probably had more to do with them being on a high-dial UHF position which would give them a very hard time competing signal wise with the other operators.
 
For whatever reason, WNEP has a corner on the market. According to the Standard Speaker, at 6 pm reruns of "Everyone Loves Raymond" on WOLF-TV had higher ratings than WYOU's newscast. That's worse than bad. Mission Broadcasting said that they tried different formats and ways of doing things and nothing worked. WNEP owns the newsmarket here, lock, stock and barrel. WBRE will always keep their news probably because they do well enough to survive (even at a fraction of WNEP's ratings). I think WNEP was around 43 and WBRE was around 9 at 6 pm for ratings. People in the area swear by WNEP. That is unfortunate because fierce competition forces everyone to put out a better product. Previous posters are correct that WNEP can enact many cost-cutting moves without sacrificing ratings. It would take WNEP closing their news department for people here to stop watching it. That is how engrained they are these days.

I stopped watching WNEP several years ago. I always felt the newscasters were shouting the news at me for some reason and I know I am in the minority, but I cannot stand Snedeker. The whole weather segment seemed to be one big joke. I just never warmed to WNEP and I moved to channel 22 when they began their Action News stint. I finally moved to WBRE when 22 became "Lackawanna County's News Source". Since I live in Luzerne Co, that did me little good. And they have Candace Kelly now :eek:.

Perhaps 22's problem has been almost annual format changes. You start to like something (me with Action News) and they change it. WBRE runs that risk too, although I think their current "Eyewitness News" format better fits the strengths of their reporters. They just need to stick with it.

I feel most sorry for Mark Hiller, Dave Kouharchik (I think I got that right) and Lyndall Stout (even though I get to see Candace Kelly :eek:) since they were on WBRE and were transferred to WYOU. You talk about bad luck. Mark Hiller was on WBRE since, what, the 1980's. Man, would I be PO'd.
 
I find it painfully ironic that one of 28's top stories was about Sallie Mae bringing back 600 jobs while the station(s) just slashed 14. :-[
 
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