Nexstar Boss Scolds Staff For Leaking Memo to FTVLive

Talk about shooting the messenger…

Back on June 14th, in a Patron Only story, FTVLive showed you a memo that we FIRST obtained that was sent to the news staff at Nexstar’s WOOD-TV in Grand Rapids.

The email from Assistant News Director Amy Fox said that the station needed to pull back on the Gay Pride stories as it was pissing off their conservative viewers.

It wasn’t until FTVLive published the memo that Nexstar corporate started looking into the anti-LGBTQ+ community email sent to the staff.

Nexstar executive Susan Tully flew into Grand Rapids and held a meeting with the staff.

While Tully told the staff that the memo was “inappropriate,” an insider at the station said, Tully seemed equal, “if not more” focused on who leaked the memo to FTVLive.

Tully told the staff they should have brought their concerns about the memo to Nexstar management before leaking it to FTVLive.

“They (Nexstar corporate) would have buried it like they do most complaints up the ladder,” said one of the WOOD staff members that sent the memo to FTVLive (note: many staffers did so).

“I sent the memo to you (FTVLive”), and the matter got addressed almost immediately,” said the WOOD employee. “Call me a snitch, a whistleblower, or whatever; this is the quickest I have seen corporate respond to anything,” the employee added.

Maybe if Nexstar hired managers that didn’t send out memos talking down the LGBTQ+ community, they wouldn’t have to worry about people leaking them to FTVLive.

How many Nexstar Journalists rely on someone leaking information for a story? I’m sure that the suits at Nexstar have no problem with that. But, when the shoe is on the other foot, they cry foul.

Tully reminds me of Donald Trump talking about Charlottesville and the people on both sides.

Don’t blame the people at WOOD who care about the community or those trying to improve the station.

Another big swing and miss by Nexstar.