Recovering Producer

The Utah Jazz decided not to sell their TV rights after ATT Sportsnet folded - but this article describes the partnership with KJZZ/Sinclair as not super long-term. (Time buy, perhaps?) https://www.deseret.com/2023/6/20/23766592/utah-jazz-to-air-games-on-kjzz-and-new-streaming-platform-says-owner-ryan-smith It'll be interesting to see what they do to program this station when it launches.

I believe every Sinclair anchor said it best: This is extremely dangerous to our democracy

This also means "This is the Place" is running on three Western Slope stations if KFQX is still simulcasting some KDVR newscasts.

Kind of sad that KDLT getting absorbed by KSFY/Gray is likely the least worst outcome of the Red River stations as that group sold off assets.

I can think of at least half a dozen friends from my 15 years in news who have jumped to school district communications jobs. Holidays off, stable hours outside of the occasional evening school board meeting, an employer who won't be going anywhere any time soon, government benefits, and storytelling about the good things schools are doing rather than covering the crime of the day. And the school district gets a trusted person in the community to serve as the face and voice of the district in their internal communication channels and external earned media opportunities. No job outside of news is perfect, but this is a regular escape route for people who get out.

Alison Starling leaving WJLA after 20 years. Arguably the most recognizable talent at the station and one of the few remaining from the Allbritton ownership. https://www.instagram.com/p/CzJI46ou_xI/

Here’s more than a tweet… https://thedesk.net/2023/08/scripps-general-managers-fired-layoffs/

If a Fort Myers Broadcasting WINK/Sun WXCW sale happens, under current ownership rules, unless they find a main owner and sidecar willing to take on radio properties, someone would need to find two different companies to divest the radio properties owned by FMBC and Sun. (By my count FMBC has three full-power FM stations, Sun has 4 FM stations - no current legal way for one company to own 7 FM stations in a market) Those companies would need to have a similar relationship or unwind their connected operation on the radio side. Not impossible. But a piece of the puzzle that could complicate negotiations of any potential deal because of tax advantages for the sellers to sell whole rather than piece by piece.

Down five channels and a few blocks north...

Must be retirement day in Denver... Anne Trujillo leaving KMGH in November. https://www.denver7.com/news/local-news/anne-trujillo-to-sign-off-from-denver7-after-nearly-40-years-covering-colorado

An overdue upgrade for WINK and absolutely necessary for any possible sale in the future. No company in their right mind (or their insurance company) would take on that building after Ian. Oddly enough, they were committed to a future in that building until a few weeks before Ian. If you look at Fort Myers building permits - they shelved a plan just a few weeks before the storm to add a studio to the northwest side of the building—the part of the building closest to the creek and water.

Looks like a retransmission battle is a'brewing... https://www.newsnationnow.com/important-message-for-directv-uverse-subscribers/

It's comparable to my doctor praising me for losing 3 pounds this year compared to one pound last year. Sure, the percentage of growth is big - but the reality is the audience is still not substantial. Their PR team does a great job selling a story that's all smoke and mirrors.

KTIV continues to poach the remnants of Siouxland News https://www.ktiv.com/2023/05/30/news-anchor-larry-wentz-returns-home-ktiv-news-4/ And, at least SBG isn't holding the employees they screwed to non-competes. Not that they would hold up in court if they tried.

Not to mention Tegna not taking LIV golf on CW stations they own is almost certainly a sign the relationship between the two companies is probably messy already.

The NY Times has a very brutal and honest article on the contracts/noncompetes many anchors, reporters, and producers must sign with many station groups - and how TV stations are convinced they're still an in-demand employer like it is still 1985. Broadcast News Is at Center of Fight Over Noncompete Clauses

As of Saturday morning, they are on the flash cam which shows the feed room setup in their temporary newsroom. Presumably solo anchors until new set debuts, which would only affect their Sunday morning newscast on the weekend.

It's not a one-city or one-newsroom problem. This example of a newscast getting canceled is the visible "canary in the coal mine dying" of where the industry is with recruiting producers right now. If you're looking to advance, are marginally good at producing, and want to stay in the business, you can be selective about where you choose to work. The broadcast side of many local TV newsrooms are being held together by producers doing multiple hours daily, EPs managing and producing, and other creative solutions to stay on air that could fall apart with a single sick call. Recruiting producers was a mess before the pandemic. It has only gotten worse since then. Many companies have members of their recruiting staff dedicated exclusively to recruiting and growing producers and managers. But, it felt like for every producer a company can recruit, at least three are looking to get out because of the low pay, bad hours, extreme workload, and trauma by repetition that comes with a lot of newsroom jobs. There are opportunities out there to use those skills in an environment where the job is just a job - not an all-consuming lifestyle.

The producer brain drain is going to force stations to make a lot of difficult decisions moving forward. After I left my last newsroom to make a career change, I received so many unsolicited inquiries asking if I had any interest in getting back into the business. I was surprised we didn't hear stories of stations scrambling to keep newscasts on air or abrupt one-day cancelations of some shows when Southwest had its operational meltdown after Christmas. Staffing levels are already low, and at least when I got time off during the holidays, I did not book flights with any room for error.

Matches with the branding of SiouxFallsLive.com that Forum has launched...

Uhhhhh, who is going to tell them CBS doesn't have any college football left for the season other than the Sun Bowl?

I remember reading the paperwork for the KSFY/KDLT waiver. Granted, that was written to convince the FCC to allow the waiver to approve that deal, but it painted a bleak picture for KDLT under Red River and made it sound like a stand-alone KSFY was hurting as well. The financials of launching news on a station with no established brand, no network available, and many hours of programming to fill are yikes. Not to mention finding a way to staff it. We're in an environment where stations in much larger markets and an established history are struggling to recruit employees. Maybe they do news on the cheap from existing facilities in Fargo with MMJs in Sioux Falls... but still... trying to think about spending that money in 2023. Weird.