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WTVH ELIMINATES THEIR NEWS DEPT.
- Thread starter oldschooler1
- Start date
The question on the minds of a lot of media people is: Who's next? 
It's sad but true. Over the years, we've watched cities with multiple daily newspapers fall back to just one paper -- and in Denver's case, none.
We've also watched many markets with multiple radio newsrooms shrink down to just one news/talker, and in many cases, the sole survivor isn't even staffed 24/7 anymore. Look at how many stations let the national network feed take the entire top/bottom news avail during late night hours and on weekends.
Now, it looks as if TV could be next. Many markets -- like Utica and Watertown, locally -- are ahead of the curve in this department. Both markets have only one TV station producing local news. (I know WWTI has a news department, but they don't count because they don't do any real, full-length newscasts on TV.)
How long until WIVT calls it quits in Binghamton? Until WENY throws in the towel in Elmira?
And is this the end of the changes in Syracuse? Even though Channel 9 has been the ratings leader for several years, their salespeople immediately have an uphill battle. Their sales staff only has one primary channel to sell. (Granted, 9.2 is likely the best of the local digital channels right now, but you still can't really "count" it until the FCC finally forces people to watch digital TV.)
Meantime, channel 3/5 staff are able to offer clients two stations in one package deal... and since they only have one staff and one building to pay for, they can offer those deals at rates much lower than it would cost to buy time on both stations separately.
Sellers for WSYT/WNYS have had a similar luxury for years, but clients know Fox and MyTV aren't nearly as valuable as the big 3. If you're a client being offered spots on CBS and NBC for only slightly more than you're paying for ABC alone, it's going to be hard to say no. And it's going to become harder to justify paying whatever channel 9's charging. Channel 9 is going to have to find some way to cut costs in order to keep its sales rates competitive with the 3/5 combo... and that's never good for staffing.
Channel 9's sales people will have to work very diligently on educating clients as to why they're worth the money. It's tough, especially when cash-strapped clients are only concerned with the dollar amount at the bottom of the invoice (regardless of the ratings), but it's not entirely impossible.
We've also watched many markets with multiple radio newsrooms shrink down to just one news/talker, and in many cases, the sole survivor isn't even staffed 24/7 anymore. Look at how many stations let the national network feed take the entire top/bottom news avail during late night hours and on weekends.
Now, it looks as if TV could be next. Many markets -- like Utica and Watertown, locally -- are ahead of the curve in this department. Both markets have only one TV station producing local news. (I know WWTI has a news department, but they don't count because they don't do any real, full-length newscasts on TV.)
How long until WIVT calls it quits in Binghamton? Until WENY throws in the towel in Elmira?
And is this the end of the changes in Syracuse? Even though Channel 9 has been the ratings leader for several years, their salespeople immediately have an uphill battle. Their sales staff only has one primary channel to sell. (Granted, 9.2 is likely the best of the local digital channels right now, but you still can't really "count" it until the FCC finally forces people to watch digital TV.)
Meantime, channel 3/5 staff are able to offer clients two stations in one package deal... and since they only have one staff and one building to pay for, they can offer those deals at rates much lower than it would cost to buy time on both stations separately.
Sellers for WSYT/WNYS have had a similar luxury for years, but clients know Fox and MyTV aren't nearly as valuable as the big 3. If you're a client being offered spots on CBS and NBC for only slightly more than you're paying for ABC alone, it's going to be hard to say no. And it's going to become harder to justify paying whatever channel 9's charging. Channel 9 is going to have to find some way to cut costs in order to keep its sales rates competitive with the 3/5 combo... and that's never good for staffing.
Channel 9's sales people will have to work very diligently on educating clients as to why they're worth the money. It's tough, especially when cash-strapped clients are only concerned with the dollar amount at the bottom of the invoice (regardless of the ratings), but it's not entirely impossible.
BobRoss said:
Actually in Denver's case they still have the 7-day-a-week Denver Post. Plus in the western suburbs there is the Boulder Daily Camera while in the eastern burbs they have the Aurora Sentinel. Then there is the Denver Westword..a weekly paper.
Despite the death of the Rocky Mountain News, there are still quite a few local newspapers to pick from in Denver.
If I am correct they did more than that...they eliminated news, sales, advertising, production....just about everyone there except the kitchen sink. (knowing Granite they probably laid off the toilets too).
I was a news intern at WTVH in 1989 back when they were a powerhouse and Meredith Corp owned the station. They at least knew you had to spend money to make money. I sure miss the days of Ron Curtis (RIP) and talented photogs, reporters, the staff was A+ back then. Thank you Granite Corp for driving the station into the ground and shutting the doors forever you cheap SOB's
I was a news intern at WTVH in 1989 back when they were a powerhouse and Meredith Corp owned the station. They at least knew you had to spend money to make money. I sure miss the days of Ron Curtis (RIP) and talented photogs, reporters, the staff was A+ back then. Thank you Granite Corp for driving the station into the ground and shutting the doors forever you cheap SOB's
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