WBRE-TV news director dismissed

[odomski]

I know this is a radio board, but this post is about Northeast PA broadcasting. There is no Northeast PA television board, so this has to be the next best place to post this.

WBRE-TV news director Paul Stueber was dismissed from the station this past Friday. Station management refused to say why, but a couple different blog sites claim "an employee complaint" against Mr. Stueber forced Nexstar to let him go. Paul joined WBRE in 2001 as Executive Producer, was promoted to Interim News Director in 2003 when Al Zobel left the station. He then took over as News Director in 2004. Paul was also news director at WNEP in the mid 80s, then again in the late 90s. WBRE has promoted Executive Producer Ron Krisulewicz into the Interim News Director position for the time being.

I worked with Paul at WBRE, when he was the Executive Producer. I never had any problems with the guy. He has a nose for news, and he makes reporters do their jobs and do it well. Many reporters have moved on to bigger and better things, because of Paul's leadership in the newsroom. He is very passionate about the television news business. It sucks that Nexstar couldn't and wouldn't allow him to spend the necessary dollars to be a serious competitor against market-leader WNEP. WBRE and WYOU were better stations years ago, before Nexstar took over and ran them into the ground. I don't know what this "employee complaint" was about, but perhaps it was serious enough for Nexstar to show Paul the door.

 

[Northernman2020]

> I know this is a radio board, but this post is about
> Northeast PA broadcasting. There is no Northeast PA
> television board, so this has to be the next best place to
> post this.
>
> WBRE-TV news director Paul Stueber was dismissed from the
> station this past Friday. Station management refused to say
> why, but a couple different blog sites claim "an employee
> complaint" against Mr. Stueber forced Nexstar to let him go.
> Paul joined WBRE in 2001 as Executive Producer, was
> promoted to Interim News Director in 2003 when Al Zobel left
> the station. He then took over as News Director in 2004.
> Paul was also news director at WNEP in the mid 80s, then
> again in the late 90s. WBRE has promoted Executive Producer
> Ron Krisulewicz into the Interim News Director position for
> the time being.
>
> I worked with Paul at WBRE, when he was the Executive
> Producer. I never had any problems with the guy. He has a
> nose for news, and he makes reporters do their jobs and do
> it well. Many reporters have moved on to bigger and better
> things, because of Paul's leadership in the newsroom. He is
> very passionate about the television news business. It
> sucks that Nexstar couldn't and wouldn't allow him to spend
> the necessary dollars to be a serious competitor against
> market-leader WNEP. WBRE and WYOU were better stations
> years ago, before Nexstar took over and ran them into the
> ground. I don't know what this "employee complaint" was
> about, but perhaps it was serious enough for Nexstar to show
> Paul the door.
>


When he did his second stint at WNEP, he had an on-air segment (I think on the weekends) where he would "talk back" to the various comments that viewers made through the week. He came off as cocky, obnoxious, and condescending. If his off-air personality was anything like that, I can see why he was asked to leave.

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