Sinclair laying off employees, forbids managers from talking

[sanewsguy 511]

 

"Dispatch only has to pay for two stations, and even WHIO has made cuts, but they have invested more than WKEF/Sinclair."

 

Absolutely. But my point is that I'm sure there have been many discussions about getting radars, choppers, meteorologists to better compete. They haven't done it but they know what WBNS and WHIO do.

 

On the other hand, WKRC just added a fifth meteorologist from WHIO. That's what I mean. They will spend where appropriate, although five meteorologists is a bit much. Doing weather for smaller stations in the region maybe? (WKEF has made some good hires recently as well.)

 

I thought somebody left, I didn't know they added Erica just for the sake of adding.

 

Don't know why stations need their own radars. NWS data is just fine. Choppers make sense, but I'm surprised no station in Cincinnati has one right now versus here in SA where three of the stations have 'em.

[greendragon 0]

SANewsGuy, thank you for your perspective. I want to emphasize one of your points. You imply Fisher splurged on certain resources, "luxuries," that Sinclair waited no time to eliminate. You say this is because Fisher was a small regional group and Sinclair is a large national group. Yes. This is precisely my point.

 

The public airwaves belong to the public. By their very nature, television broadcast signals transmitted using the public airwaves are local. A broadcast signal can only transmit so far, so the entire licensing system is built around the theory that local interests in one market will naturally and inherently vary from another market.

 

Stations and their owners earn their value based on their access to the public airwaves in local markets. Please never forget that. Airwaves belong to every single person equally, not to Sinclair stockholders or stockholders of any other company. Not to the rich or the poor. Not to people who live in flat, urban neighborhoods more than people who live in rocky, mountainous terrain.

 

Licensing of the public airwaves is grounded on the foundation that the license holders will serve the public interest as a fundamental duty and obligation because every single member of the public owns the airwaves equally.

 

If WBFF or KOMO or WABC or KABB abandoned its broadcast signal, handed over its license and switched to cable or satellite or internet streaming, the station's financial value would sink overnight. There is no question. There is a certain irony here because many viewers don't even watch using antennas anymore. But you can never forget the fact that Sinclair, along with Nexstar, Media General, Hearst, Scripps and every other TV station in America, derives a huge portion of its stock value from its FCC license. If you want more proof, check out the Barron's article recently on broadcast stocks.

 

Fisher operated its stations in response to the needs and desires of its regional communities including viewers, advertisers and stockholders. Seattle and Portland are very different geographically from markets on the east coast, southeast or midwest. There are many more hills, mountains, valleys, pine trees, rivers and other geographical obstructions that restrict transmission capabilities and cell phone signals. Cell phone signals are not as reliable as they are in Baltimore. The same is true for microwave signals and line-of-sight. You can throw up a mast in Oklahoma City and hit the tower just about anywhere. KOMO and KATU have many receivers spread out and still can't get a microwave shot in big sections of the market. This increases the reliance on satellites. You can always spend 45 minutes on the ground, throw together a dollar-store package and drive back to the station. Fisher knew this. Fisher invested in personnel to operate satellite trucks because it believed it was serving the public interest by providing live news coverage capabilities across a wider geographical area within the market than it could otherwise serve. Fisher determined it was a reasonable expense because its stations could invest significantly more time gathering the news from locations where the only option was satellite live shot or drive back to the station. This was also a business decision since Fisher expected to stand out for its visible on-air product.

[DirtyHarry 727]

"Quality (particularly sound) isn't the best but its better than not being able to go live at all."

I think it depends on how much cellular bandwidth is available. I've seen some shots that look pretty darn good. Supposedly, they've been doing HD out in the field.

[DirtyHarry 727]

From The Cincinnati Enquirers (yeah it sounds like overkill or maybe somebody's leaving or about to be canned) ...

 

"The hiring of WHIO-TV’s Erica Collura gives WKRC-TV a fifth meteorologist, one more than the other stations in town ..."

[DirtyHarry 727]

"As H-B Land said above, Sinclair uses the cellular ENG packs (more specifically the "LiveU" brand). Quality (particularly sound) isn't the best but its better than not being able to go live at all."

Also let's not forget that they can be used in bad weather when ENG trucks can't. WSYX's storm coverage of a major storm here in June was downright impressive because of this technology and because they were able to be out in the field. The other stations were stuck droning on and on in the studio. Boring.

[sanewsguy 511]

 

From The Cincinnati Enquirers (yeah it sounds like overkill or maybe somebody's leaving or about to be canned) ...

 

"The hiring of WHIO-TV’s Erica Collura gives WKRC-TV a fifth meteorologist, one more than the other stations in town ..."

 

Well she's going to do the 4 and the 10. Josh Knight currently does those (replacing Michelle Boutilette). I wonder where that leaves him.

[DirtyHarry 727]

@greendragon - I can appreciate that high-minded talk about serving the public and the public airwaves up to a point. That said, KOMO uses the same airwaves and the same amount of bandwidth as the Spanish or independent or home shopping station in your or any other city. KOMO even if it's not up to be high standards of operating that Fisher demanded, is still doing more van they are required to.

 

In other words what Fisher did, its programming and intellectual property, had nothing to do with the airwaves. The airwaves are just a medium for distributing that intellectual property. They could just as easily air 24 hours of Oprah reruns as run a full-fledged news department. Maybe the pictures under Sinclair won't be as pretty to the eye of a professional, but at the end of the day the public really isn't going to notice. Its not like doing a live shot in front of City Hall is like filming special effects for the next Terminator movie.

 

Let me also play devil's advocate when it comes to these so called sidecars or shells. WSYX has always been the traditional number three news operation in the city. At certain points in the 1970s I even remember them as being kind of a joke compared to the other stations. They were a joke again about 10 years ago when Silverstein decided to go practically all chick for a year or so. What a disaster that was.

 

Recently they have been putting a lot of the proper pieces into place. They're making a lot of good moves and have a pretty good news operation as sanewsguy has noted.

 

I will submit to you that if WSYX was still a stand-alone operation, that Sinclair would not have the revenue to do all this. It is because of the situation they have where they can sell advertising for three signals, that gives them enough revenue to beef up the news operations to a place where it has never been before.

 

I think that is the other side of the sidecar agreements that hasn't been considered. Sinclair, at least in Columbus, has used there shells to improve the news product on both stations because they have the revenue to justify the improved product.

 

(Remind me next time to not buy coffee at Starbucks so late in the day. I haven't slept a wink tonight.)

[GoldenShine9 1513]

I do agree the larger stations tend to be more likely to see layoffs, as do those in markets where duopolies (or more) are gained. Even though larger stations normally require a larger staff due to more reporters, more stories and likely more newscasts.

[tvjay 6]

RANT:

 

I am sooo sick of people bragging about LiveU being the best thing to news broadcasting. I was at a very important event last year for the presidential election where a station just brought a LiveU and was stuck trying to send a package back via FTP (which didn't work) because of crappy cell phone coverage. Another station had upgraded their editing system but didn't get capture cards and had to upload all packages via the internet. Guess what, didn't work cause the cell phone network was maxed out. A satellite truck doesn't depend on anything but itself and a satellite (which has dedicated bandwidth) to broadcast. LiveU depends on a cell phone network. If I was running a station I would never trust a LiveU for any live shot. There are uses for LiveU, I get that, but it seems everyone is buying these LiveU's to replace trucks and that is a BAD IDEA!!

 

I will step down from my rant now.

 

I do have a serious question though, why do corporations NEED a 30-40% profit margin? My father-in-law runs a small business and is thrilled to death if he can make 20-25% profit. I used to work in restaurants where we too would be thrilled with 20% profit margin.

[effseesee 101]

 

 

 

I do have a serious question though, why do corporations NEED a 30-40% profit margin? My father-in-law runs a small business and is thrilled to death if he can make 20-25% profit. I used to work in restaurants where we too would be thrilled with 20% profit margin.

 

 

I'm guessing your father-in-law's business and those restaurants aren't publicly traded corporations with shareholders.

[tvjay 6]

 

I'm guessing your father-in-law's business and those restaurants aren't publicly traded corporations with shareholders.

 

You are half right. My father-in-law's business is obviously not public. The restaurants are in fact public companies and when I worked there I heard that on average we made 7-13%.

[TheRob 938]

The story indicates KOMO is laying off two satellite truck operators. It doesn't say KOMO is laying off all satellite truck operators. Admittedly, my station is not major market, and won't have the same head count. But we don't have specifically-dedicated SNG operators. We have engineers who can operate the SNG truck if we need it, and sometimes, they are not available because of other engineering duties. We don't have writers or assistant producers. It would be nice, but we haven't had any for years. The weekend producers split the 8:00 a.m. and noon shows during the week. We don't have a dayside executive producer. We don't have a graphic artist on weekends. It's not ideal, but it can work.

[DirtyHarry 727]

"I am sooo sick of people bragging about LiveU being the best thing to news broadcasting. I was at a very important event last year for the presidential election where a station just brought a LiveU and was stuck trying to send a package back via FTP (which didn't work) because of crappy cell phone coverage."

 

How is that different from not being able to get a microwave signal back to the station? Nobody said this is always the best tool in every situation, but it is very cost effective and a lot more flexible and the technology is only goig to get better. There is nothing wrong with that at all.

 

 

"but it seems everyone is buying these LiveU's to replace trucks and that is a BAD IDEA!!"

 

Those trucks are pretty darned expensive. You don't need an entire fleet of them.

 

 

"I do have a serious question though, why do corporations NEED a 30-40% profit margin? My father-in-law runs a small business and is thrilled to death if he can make 20-25% profit. I used to work in restaurants where we too would be thrilled with 20% profit margin."

 

Are you listening to Barry's speeches on your iPod son? There is nothing wrong with maximizing profit. That's what our system is all about. Why does Apple "need" to sell a phone for $700 (that's what it costs, not the subsidized $99 most people think they pay). Or is it okay for Apple to do because they're cool?

 

There's a right way and a wrong way to maximize profit though, I'll grant you. Sinclair does things mostly the right way you f you ask me. They are no Clear Channel.

[Rusty Muck 4378]

The airwaves may belong to the public, but the operators of the stations need to make a profit. Even non-commercial stations - the PBS and NPR member stations - have to break even. Money is the lifeblood of the telecommunications industry.

 

The only group I know of that operates in a purely democratic format, where message triumphs over money, is Pacifica. And look where they are.

 

There are big chains that have proven to be good stewards over what they have, and there are small mom-and-pop owners that are, quite frankly, either awful or underachieving.

[Thundershock MN 169]

Sinclair gave the ax to 20 employees at KOMO in Seattle last week and followed up by firing another 10 people at KATU on Monday. [snip] These cuts will harm the public interest in markets where Sinclair just began operating. [snip] This deeply and severely harms the public interest. Where is the FCC?

I kinda ignored this but I gotta get this out and these are mostly rhetorical questions but, feel free answer them if you choose. And, before I start I'm not trying to be combative or start an argument. At what staffing level would you still be serving the public interest? If Fisher made these cuts would they be harming the public interest? Are the similar layoffs that happened at KOIN when Lin purchased the station from New Vision a little over a year ago any different? Are the layoffs at KVOS when OTA Broadcasting purchased the station from Newport a little over a year ago any different? Will Gannett receive the same treatment if/when they take over KING/KONG & KGW and do the same thing?

 

 

RANT:

 

I am sooo sick of people bragging about LiveU being the best thing to news broadcasting. I was at a very important event last year for the presidential election where a station just brought a LiveU and was stuck trying to send a package back via FTP (which didn't work) because of crappy cell phone coverage. Another station had upgraded their editing system but didn't get capture cards and had to upload all packages via the internet. Guess what, didn't work cause the cell phone network was maxed out. A satellite truck doesn't depend on anything but itself and a satellite (which has dedicated bandwidth) to broadcast. LiveU depends on a cell phone network. If I was running a station I would never trust a LiveU for any live shot. There are uses for LiveU, I get that, but it seems everyone is buying these LiveU's to replace trucks and that is a BAD IDEA!!

 

I will step down from my rant now.

Cellular has it's pros and cons. Pros: Easy to use, portable, less man power, etc. Cons: As stated network congestion, within cellular network coverage area, etc.

Microwave has it's pros and cons. Pros: Reliable, can be used over fairly wide area, etc. Cons: Poor weather, need room for mast, terrain

Satellite has pros and cons. Pros: Can be used just about anywhere, etc. Cons: Sat time can be pricey, Need to reserve sat time, etc.

 

They are all great tools but, they all have drawbacks, too. They aren't (and really shouldn't be) mutually exclusive of each other. It's about striking a balance and using the best tools for the task at hand while still being efficient.

 

I do have a serious question though, why do corporations NEED a 30-40% profit margin? My father-in-law runs a small business and is thrilled to death if he can make 20-25% profit. I used to work in restaurants where we too would be thrilled with 20% profit margin.

You are half right. My father-in-law's business is obviously not public. The restaurants are in fact public companies and when I worked there I heard that on average we made 7-13%.

Without venturing waayy OT there are a whole host of reasons. Comparing one business to another especially across industries isn't fair. They have wildly different expendatures, competition, reinvestment policies, etc. The goal of any company is to make as much profit as you can. And, public companies have a fiduciary responsibility maximize shareholder value. The restaurants only made 7-13% because that is all the marketplace would allow. Your father-in-law only makes 20-25% because that's the marketplace will allow him to take. Other companies can take more because whatever industry they are operating in will allow that. Hopefully, that makes sense.

[Breaking News 830]

Here another article about Sinclair tactics and this is how how the company responded.

http://www.mediabistro.com/tvspy/sinclair-comes-out-swinging-over-allegations-of-sneaky-tactics_b107492#more-107492

 

 

BTW Seattle (#13 market) I'm sure they're coverage area is not just Seattle-Tacoma but extends to other areas and probably into British Columbia. Not too far from being a top 10 market. I'm sure Phoenix & Seattle will be moving up soon and Detroit moving down in very near future.

[Mrtraveler01 738]

 

Here another article about Sinclair tactics and this is how how the company responded.

http://www.mediabistro.com/tvspy/sinclair-comes-out-swinging-over-allegations-of-sneaky-tactics_b107492#more-107492

 

 

BTW Seattle (#13 market) I'm sure they're coverage area is not just Seattle-Tacoma but extends to other areas and probably into British Columbia. Not too far from being a top 10 market. I'm sure Phoenix & Seattle will be moving up soon and Detroit moving down in very near future.

 

Seattle's growth has been pretty stagnant as of late, I think Phoenix just jumped over them a few years back because of that.

 

 

“Moreover, contrary to the apparently intentionally uninformed views expressed by Free

Press, there is no question on the positive contributions and the substantial investments we have

made in the local markets we operate, especially in the newsrooms. In the past 18 months alone,

we have added a net 77 positions across our organization, of which 72 were news related. Many

of the stations we purchased were dressed for sale, emerging from bankruptcy or under invested

by their prior owners. We have fully staffed those stations, as well as made significant

investments in capital upgrades, programming and promotion.

“Not only have we created jobs, but we have added 81 hours of local news per week, allowing

us to deliver an increasing number of meaningful local news stories to our viewers. We have

made significant investments to upgrade stations to high-definition newscasts so that our

consumers can have a high-quality news experience. But most importantly, through our news

efforts, we have helped countless communities in crisis recover, most recently in Moore and

Oklahoma City where, through our local news stations, our Sinclair Relief Fund raised more than

$600,000 for local charities to help those communities recover from tragedy.

You know, living in St. Louis makes it hard for me to take this tripe seriously considering that they're too cheap to even run a news department.

 

 

“In the past year, Sinclair TV stations have held more than 40 ‘Your Voice Your Future’ live

town halls around the country focusing on important local issues including gun control, same-sex

marriage, the Patient Protection & Affordable Care Act, immigration, public education, and jobs.

More than 3,500 members of the public have attended these public service events and countless

more have participated live using social media. These town hall telecasts have received

widespread praise and have been recognized with Awards for Excellence by New York State

Broadcasters and Maine Association of Broadcasters and have been awarded an Emmy and an

Associated Press award. In addition, our stations have created public and community service

segments within the local news to discuss and educate the viewer on important topics.

Ugh...don't get me started on those Town Halls. I saw the WSYX one on Gay Marriage and it was a sad excuse of a town hall debate when you have someone from Liberty University to be the "legal expert" on the panel. You might as well have Dr. Nick Rivera on as the "medical expert" too.

 

Plus you have that Mark Hyman which reminds me of a sleazy car salesman with a flag pin and it's hard for me to take these Town Halls seriously.

[DirtyHarry 727]

 

Here another article about Sinclair tactics and this is how how the company responded.

http://www.mediabistro.com/tvspy/sinclair-comes-out-swinging-over-allegations-of-sneaky-tactics_b107492#more-107492

 

 

BTW Seattle (#13 market) I'm sure they're coverage area is not just Seattle-Tacoma but extends to other areas and probably into British Columbia. Not too far from being a top 10 market. I'm sure Phoenix & Seattle will be moving up soon and Detroit moving down in very near future.

 

Cleveland used to be Number 13.

 

Their talent back in the old days was much more polished and theatrical than what you would typically see in a mid-tier market, but I still wouldn't have considered them "big market" broadcasters.

[Breaking News 830]

I always wonder why Cleveland & Cincinnati markets stood out over Columbus. Those markets always had more choices vs Columbus market but they were bigger. Detroit was in the top 5, and Cleveland was always in bigger class vs Columbus ( according the Cleveland ppl who moved to Cols)

 

Now

Detroit #11

Cleveland #19

Columbus #32

Cincinnati #35

 

Columbus is poised to be in the top 30 in the next few years, but market 13 may seem small but it not far from top 10. Of course the top 5-10 markets are where most reporters want to be, but I guess it all depends on "today reporters/journalist" passions/wants and needs to be in the TV business.

 

Do you all see other markets moving up because Detroit will not stay #11 forever?--

[Rusty Muck 4378]

 

Cleveland used to be Number 13.

 

Their talent back in the old days was much more polished and theatrical than what you would typically see in a mid-tier market, but I still wouldn't have considered them "big market" broadcasters.

 

Having the Akron and Canton markets cobbled together at least keeps Cleveland in the top 20... barely. The immediate Cleveland/Lorain/Medina market in itself is at #30 and falling.

 

Do you all see other markets moving up because Detroit will not stay #11 forever?--

Yes, but no Midwestern markets will really move up. Possible exception could go to Columbus, but that's about it.

[CircleSeven 1955]

I asked that similar question that could Phoenix will dethrone Detroit on the #11 spot next year? I see those chances are greater now for it to happen, since the gap between the two is only over 1,100 HHs. But I have strong doubt those Ohio Cities or any Midwestern City moving further up. But should that happens, lets hope Seattle moves up with it and it would drop Detroit on #13.

[Rusty Muck 4378]

Considering the actual cities' complete population implosion over the past few decades, I'm shocked that the Detroit market is still hanging at #11.

 

Most Midwestern cities are declining in population to begin with, and have been since the decline in industry and rise of suburbia. The only reason why Columbus itself has grown is because of state government jobs (it being home to a major college campus doesn't hurt, either). So it could rise, but only at the expense of their neighboring cities.

[DirtyHarry 727]

Most Midwestern cities are declining in population to begin with

Cities don't mean much in the first place, it's the metros that count. Most Midwestern metros are holding their own in population, its just that Southern cities are growing.

 

But this stuff all goes in cycles. Great Lakes states have plenty of water and the compact with Canada means that nobody else is allowed to get it! Cheap gas predicted to lead to a resurgence of manufacturing. Its all going to be good.