Bob Walker, President and General Manager of WXIA since 1996 has left. He was named an Executive Vice President at The Weather Channel yesterday. It is just the beginning of a changes at WXIA. Ellen Crooke the News Director at WXIA is also rumored to be on her way out. Ratings have continued to dive, down 40% since 2007. She has surrounded herself with people who she hired and were loyal to her and turned out numerous long time staffers. That would have been fine if ratings improved or the on-air product at least improved. With ratings at all time lows, ad revenue in the dump, and not having received any olympic bounce, the revolt has started. Look for a new WXIA GM and then a new News Director in the next 3-6 months.
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WXIA President & GM Leaves
- Thread starter jsb19
- Start date
Bob Walker should be congratulated. He was a GM of a television station that had no chance in hell of being #1 (and until recently had studios right behind the #1 station). He ran a station that has had low turnover of on-air talent (especially after the 1993 bloodletting that let John Pruitt and Johnny Beckman that was led by then GM now Gannett CEO Greg Dubrow). His tenure also included the "Friends" era of NBC dominance.
As for Ellen Crooke...she brought Chesley McNeil in from Bufallo. She did turn around WGRZ. However, there is no way anyone can come close to WSB-TV. The recent ratings declines have nothing to do with the Leno disaster...but with the soft news format she implemented. While I like the new format...it is clear old folk (the bulk of the local news audience) likes to hear about shootings and robberies...or look at Monica Pearson's changing hairstyles. Either way...WXIA will never be #1. That is why she was trying these things...just offer up an alternative to WSB-TV's news format.
As for Ellen Crooke...she brought Chesley McNeil in from Bufallo. She did turn around WGRZ. However, there is no way anyone can come close to WSB-TV. The recent ratings declines have nothing to do with the Leno disaster...but with the soft news format she implemented. While I like the new format...it is clear old folk (the bulk of the local news audience) likes to hear about shootings and robberies...or look at Monica Pearson's changing hairstyles. Either way...WXIA will never be #1. That is why she was trying these things...just offer up an alternative to WSB-TV's news format.
Soft news rarely works in major markets aside from L.A. (because of the entertainment industry) hence why WSB-TV has such a dominance on local news in Atlanta.
11 Alive's new format is horrible. The afternoon/evening news doesn't start until 6pm. By then, i've tuned into CBS Atlanta at 4pm and Channel 2 at 5pm. The 7pm news was a great idea for 11Alive thanks to the long ATL commute. However, that show has a new format too. 7am news they did on My ATL was a great idea, but that was canceled. Maybe its time to put Dr.Phil on My ATL TV and launch 11 ALive News @ 5pm.
ShawtyBlack_ATL said:
That is terrible if you ask me considering how prominent WXIA-TV was back in the 1990's. They do need to cancel the 7PM newscast and just relaunch 11 Alive News @ 5. This station has so much promise because they didn't suffer like most NBC affiliates has under the network high turnover years. It will never be #1, but it could give WSB-TV a run for their money because they have an unique brand name "11 Alive", actually qualified talent on air (unlike WGCL), and doesn't have their network suits whispering in their ears controlling the entire operation.
First, the GM who was responsible for the "bloodletting" of 1993
is named Craig Dubow.
11 Alive has never, to my knowledge, ever successfully mounted
an effort to give a different look and feel to its newscasts vis a vis
Channel 2. I'm afraid the WSB mystique will even outlast John and
Monica, since Channel 2 dominated Atlanta news ratings even before
they became anchors there.
The next GM will be approximately, what, the 200th in the station's
history?
is named Craig Dubow.
11 Alive has never, to my knowledge, ever successfully mounted
an effort to give a different look and feel to its newscasts vis a vis
Channel 2. I'm afraid the WSB mystique will even outlast John and
Monica, since Channel 2 dominated Atlanta news ratings even before
they became anchors there.
The next GM will be approximately, what, the 200th in the station's
history?
It was already pointed out in this thread that it was Dubow who lead the 1993 talent shuffle. However, the GM turnover is no where near the amount you claimed. Walker had been the GM for 14 years. A pretty long run. I also don't think anyone thought the station was close to challenging WSB at anytime. However in a 4 station market, WXIA was strong 2nd alternative and frequently tied or ahead of Fox for a time. However due to a 40% ratings erosion over the last 2 years, they are now closer to 4th and WGCL, than a #2.
I was correcting someone who called Dubow "Greg Dubrow."
And as for the number of GMs, if you'll look, I put a smiley
beside what I said. That was meant to be a joke; I'm well
aware there haven't been that many. However, there was
considerable turnover in the station's first 25 years, with GMs
coming and going roughly every two years; things didn't begin
to change in that regard until Jeff Davidson came there in '76.
Since his departure in the early '80s I don't think there have
been more than four GMs.
And as for the number of GMs, if you'll look, I put a smiley
beside what I said. That was meant to be a joke; I'm well
aware there haven't been that many. However, there was
considerable turnover in the station's first 25 years, with GMs
coming and going roughly every two years; things didn't begin
to change in that regard until Jeff Davidson came there in '76.
Since his departure in the early '80s I don't think there have
been more than four GMs.
I like commuter dude for the stories he does, but his traffic duties are horrendous. He does not know the streets and the traffic patterns of Atlanta. I miss Jim Basil doing all the traffic. He has been regulated to just a 1 minute blurb. However, when Jim does it, he makes the most of it and corrects commuter dude's mistakes. I think commuter dude got pushed into the job and Jim got asked to move. Neither won out in my opinion.
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