FTVLive

View Original

Sorry Jay.... But that's Kind of How TV News Works

Jay Plyburn quit his job last week as a Reporter at Hearst Duop  KHBS-/ KHOG (Ft. Smith)  because he was sent out in bad weather to cover a storm. 

Plyburn says that he was sent out to cover possible tornado damage and he as he wrote in an email to his co-workers "lightning was striking all around us. This was the single most frightening experience of my life."

Then when he got back to the station, no one even took the time to say "thank you."

In his email, which also doubled as his resignation letter, Plyburn wrote "When the day was done and we finally got back to the station, it was business as usual. No managers had any sort of feedback...just a new list of things they wanted done."

He then use the email to say he would not be coming back into work and no story was worth losing his life over.​

We say welcome to TV News Jay....or maybe it should be "don't let the door hit you in the ass on the way out."​

If you got into TV news thinking every story was going to be a city council meeting or a puppy wash, then you picked the wrong business. ​

TV News can be dangerous and you should have known that going in.​

In FTVLive's 20 plus years in TV news, we have almost been burned to death in a California wildfire, made an emergency landing in the news chopper, shot at in the LA and Miami riots, covered our share of bad weather, including Oklahoma tornados and been threatened more times than we can count. Hell, some of the threats happened while still in the newsroom.​

Oh and many times after almost dying ​on the job, no one said a simple "thank you." 

Guess what? Who gives a shit....if you wanted a job that was safe and including a lot of thank yous, Target or McDonalds might be a better option for you Jay. ​

I know you were working in a station outside the top 100 in markets, but shame on your teachers in college for not warning you that TV ​News might be and most likely is a dangerous job. 

My thought Jay, is no real News Director is going to hire you again. If you're going to bailout every time your sent on a dangerous story, or you get upset that no one said "thanks" you are not cut out for the business. 

Sorry to burst your bubble, I'm just telling you the way it is.​

I wish you like in your future career, but please do everyone a solid and give up on TV news.​

You're just not cut out for this business. ​