Fox Affiliate Dumps Several Employees

[NEPAMediaNut 2]

(oregonmediacentral.com)

 

Workers at KPTV were told today who's getting laid off as the station joins KATU and KOIN in automating its newscasts. 12 of 20 production workers will be let go, General Manager Patrick McCreery tells OMC. Workers were warned last year of the layoffs, which will take effect in mid- to late April.

The 8 staffers who remain will have new jobs pre-programming each newscast's technical operations, including cameras, audio, graphics and video switching. Those operations will then be executed at the stroke a key during each show.

Like KATU and KOIN, KPTV will be using the Ignite automation system. A key benefit of the system for stations is the cost savings from a smaller workforce, or what Ignite's manufacturer calls "enabling reallocation of headcount from content moving to creating."

Viewers may also notice significant technical errors early on, if KOIN and KATU's experiences are any guide.

KGW, the one Portland news station not using Ignite, does use so-called "robocams," cameras that are operated by master control rather than floor personnel. But directors switch video and run graphics, while audio is handled separately.

Today's announcement is unrelated to parent company Meredith's outsourcing of master control, where network and syndication feeds are received. Those operations will be moved to Phoenix in early April. Concurrent with that change will be a switch to broadcasting national programming in high definition, though KPTV will still produce local programming in standard def.

"It’s a sad day, even though we’ve known it was coming," one KPTV employee tells us about today's news. "It’s hard to know some of our friends will be leaving us in a few short months."

[Weeters 1812]

I read it as

 

Workers at KPTV were told today who's getting laid off as the station joins KATU and KOIN in automating its newscasts. 12 of 20 production workers will be let go, General Manager Patrick McCreery tells OMC. Workers were warned last year of the layoffs, which will take effect in mid- to late April.

The 8 staffers who remain will have new jobs pre-programming each newscast's technical operations, then manually operating cameras, audio, graphics and video switching when the automation fails every other newscast.