Ax Swings at Boston's WBZ

Longtime WBZ Reporter Joe Shortsleeve has been shafted. 

Shortsleeve and WBZ general assignment Reporter Sera Congi were let go when their contracts were not renewed.

New Hampshire Bureau Chief MichaelRosenfield was also given his walking papers and will be finishing up in a few days.

“Their contracts are not being renewed,” station spokesgal Ro Dooley said. “We thank them for their contributions to the station and wish them well in the future.”

Shortsleeve was the chief Correspondent for WBZ News at 5, 6 and 11 p.m. and had been at the station for 24 years. An award-winning reporter and part-time anchorman, Shortsleeve routinely broke big stories for the station. 

Shortsleeve was perhaps best known outside of Boston for his reporting on the 1999 death of John F. Kennedy Jr., his wife and sister-in-law in a plane crash off Martha’s Vineyard. He reported live for CBS News and CNN, in addition to WBZ during the weeklong search for Kennedy’s plane and the recovery of the bodies.

His agent, Ken Fishkin, said the reporter “has been looking at other opportunities both in and out of TV for a while now.” However, he has not yet landed a new job.

Congi has been a general assignment reporter at WBZ since 2005. She was also informed yesterday that her contract was not being renewed. Rosenfield, a Jamaica Plain native who has been covering the race for Senate in New Hampshire where Scott Brown is challenging incumbent Jean Shaheen, was told a few weeks ago that he wasn’t being be reupped. He is expected to finish up at the station later this week.

H/T Boston Herald