This is the internal memo that went out to the staff at Turner properties. You can read the memo, but it basically says, if you're old and make some decent coin, we would appreciate it if you would pack up your desk and leave.
This is being called a "Voluntary Separation Program"... of course if not enough people "volunteer," then you can expect a "mandatory separation program" to take it's place.
Here is the memo obtained by FTVLive:
CNN sources are telling FTVLIve that the feared layoffs are starting to go down in CNN's DC Bureau.
Word is that around 15 people were sent packing, including CNN Political Reporter Shannon Travis, Booking Producer Stephanie Kotuby and Opinion Editor Bryan Monroe.
Also gone is Paul Steinhauser, who has covered national campaigns. He is headed to start up NH1 as a news anchor and political director starting Jan. 1.
This of the start of what is going to be a long few days at CNN.
Stay tuned.....
It's never good when an accountant runs a cable news network.
Founding CEO of CNN Reese Schonfeld has some advice for CNN, don't make cuts.
Schonfeld thinks that Turner CEO John Martin would be wise to keep the money in the budget at CNN.
Schonfeld writes on the Huffington Post:
From my experience at CNN, I know it is impossible to predict the amount of money needed to cover the news. News events set their own costs and cannot be known in advance. All news companies have sums of money put aside for unexpected breaking news stories, but who could ever have imagined a situation where world-changing stories were occurring in the Ukraine, Gaza, Ferguson, while at the same time trying to cover ISIS and an Iceland volcano?
I hope Mr. Martin doesn't count on "reducing spending" on CNN news operations. Poor Jeffrey Zucker is having a hard enough time running his business on the budget he has. Cuts won't help him, or, I believe, CNN's bottom line.
MSNBC ratings have been declining for a while, and CNN has been making slight gains in its audience size. Now is not the time to begin "reducing spending," certainly not if you're trying to maximize "growth and profitability."
While MSNBC's Al Sharpton is doing his best to make Ferguson story all about him, it's not helping his network gain viewers.
In what was a very busy news week, Fox News topped the cable news ratings, while MSNBC's numbers were awful.
Fox News Channel had its second highest-rated week of the year, while MSNBC was stuck at the bottom.
Variety says that FNC, with several shows hitting 2014 highs, won in adults 25-54 and total viewers on both a primetime and total-day basis for Monday through Friday of last week. Tune-in was above average across the news board due to coverage of the protests in Ferguson and the murder of James Foley.
Looking at the Nielsen numbers, Fox News averaged 443,000 adults 25-54 in primetime to finish ahead of CNN (361,000) in the key news demo, with both networks more than doubling the tally of MSNBC (179,000). CNN had narrowly won in the demo on Monday and Tuesday, before Fox News asserted itself Wednesday through Friday.
In total-day numbers, FNC averaged 272,000, to 241,000 for CNN and just 106,000 for MSNBC.
The only week to rate higher for Fox News this year was the State of the Union frame in January.
It total viewers it was Fox News (2.25 million in primetime, 1.26 million total-day) beating the combined tune-in of CNN (901,000 in primetime, 690,000 in total-day) and MSNBC (737,000 in primetime, 402,000 in total-day).
KNBC's Keith Esparros was Assistant News Director at the station and many thought (including him) he was heir apparent to the ND when long time news director Bob Long retired in 2009.
However, Esparros was passed over in favor of the next three news directors, Vickie Burns, Steve Lange and the current news director Todd Mokhtari.
Then Esparros moved from the Deuce job to special projects. Now, he's leaving the station altogether.
He sent out this internal email to the staff, obtained by FTVLive:
From: Esparros, Keith (NBCUniversal, KNBC)
Sent: Wednesday, August 20, 2014 4:29 PM
To: @NBC Uni KNBC Stories
Subject: party (that'll get your attention)
In my lifetime I have been invited to a lot of parties. From the simple bayou crawfish boil to swanky affairs with live jazz bands and caviar bars. And when it comes to parties I have steadfastly lived by three rules. Number one, never be the first to arrive. Secondly, always bring something (sparkling bon mots and/or strong spirits work best). Finally, and perhaps most important, know when to leave.
After more than a decade here at NBC4, that time has come. I have deferred some other projects for quite a long while, and the time has come to pursue them.
During my 10+ years at the Peacock, I have had the honor and distinction of working with some excellent journalists, and for that I am grateful.
My last full day in my current role will be August 29.
My departure will not be too sudden though. I will still work on the upcoming election, returning to the office occasionally until after November 4.
In the meantime, good luck, remember to always seek the truth, and of course, party on.
Keith
FTVLive told you yesterday about a very quiet (well, it was until we reported it) research project being done by WFTV in Orlando.
The station wants to see what viewers think about pairing anchors Vanessa Echols and Jorge Estevez on the station's 4PM newscast?
The Cox station is doing research on Echols and Estevez as a co-anchor team.
Here is another screen grab from research project.
And Estevez sent out the tweet below saying that he will be anchoring the morning show all week with Echols. Looks like WFTV wants viewers to get a taste of what their new 4PM anchor team will look like. You know....depending on how the research goes.
WFTV has denied they are making any changes or even thinking about it. Believe that if you want.
We're guessing this will not be going on her resume reel.
H/T KVIA El Paso (Used under the fair use guidelines)
Back in October of 2012, WTSP (Tampa) hired Joe Gumm to be their new Morning Anchor.
“Joe is definitely someone you want to start your day with. He combines a great personality with a real knowledge of the news”, said Peter Roghaar, WTSP News Director at the time. “Ginger Gadsden and Joe really hit it off during rehearsals. I think we have the makings of a great team.”
Fast forward to less than two years later and Gumm is gone from the station and already has been replaced.
Gumm had been missing from the air for weeks, then the station quietly took down his bio on the WTSP website.
WTSP General Manager Elliott Wiser confirmed to Florida News Center that Gumm is in fact no longer with the station and that the station has already named his replacement. Ian Reitz fills Gumm’s chair on the morning show, starting September 30th.
We still get a kick of how stations beat the drums when they make a new hire, but a deafly silent when that same anchor is bounced.
You just gots to love the communications business.
You have to give the guy credit for being honest....
KDVR News Director Ed Kosowski doesn't seem to be a big fan of Denver.
He is leaving the station when his contract comes up on September 2nd. He's been at the station for 3 years.
“Denver is not feeling like a destination market to me,” he said. “Peter (Maroney, general manager) asked me to stay on. I’m not ready to make that commitment.”
Kosowski says has no job lined up.
H/T Denver Post
On September 5th, KSAT in San Antonio will dump their low rated 4PM newscast.
Three days later the station will expand their 6PM newscast by a half hour.
“We’re constantly reviewing our commitment to the community and listening to our viewers and we’ve learned that people get more news in the early afternoon ‘on the go’ using their smartphones, tablets and online,” said KSAT vice president/general manager Phil Lane. “That’s why we’ve recently launched a brand new web site and offer live-streaming of all our newscasts on our mobile apps.”
As for the expanded 6 p.m. news, Lane added, “it will be more accessible to people who work outside the home and want to catch up on the latest breaking news when they return home.”
FIRST on FTVLive! Here's an interesting nugget out coming out of Jacksonville.
As you know, FTVLive FIRST told you that Cox owned WTEV/WAWS is blowing up their main anchors and replacing them all. The changes are expected to take place in the coming weeks.
But, that isn't the only change that Cox is planning on making to their Jacksonville stations.
FTVLive has learned that Cox has petitioned the FCC to change both stations call letters.
WTEV will be changing over to WJAX and WAWS will change their call letters to WFOX.
The number 1 station in Jacksonville is WJXT, could Cox be hoping that viewers confuse WJXT with WJAX?
As for WFOX? How the hell hasn't those call letters already been taken by an east coast Fox station or affiliate? You have to give Cox props for jumping on those call letters and bringing them to their Fox affiliate in Jacksonville.
A search of the FCC website shows that Cox made the requests for the new call letters late last month.
Look for the stations to change their call letters around the same time they change out the anchors.
Stay tuned....
FTVLive told you this morning about CNN's Jeff Zucker told the staff that “We are going to do less and have to do it with less.”
It looks like the ax is starting to be sharpened as we speak.
Word is that some 550 buyouts are to be offered at Time Warner's Turner network this week, including a large number of those at CNN and HLN, which will lead to layoffs if they are not taken voluntarily.
The buyouts will come across the Turner division, with a couple of hundred expected at CNN and HLN, the individual said.
“I am working with the senior management team at CNN to figure out what this means for us. This will result in changes and what we do and what we stop doing,” Zucker told the staff.
A CNN spokeswoman had no immediate comment.
H/T The Wrap
Most of the time, it takes local stations or networks forever to make a personnel change; even if it appears a 'no-brainer' to everyone else. CNN apparently took some pretty quick action after a very unfortunate comment by one of their anchors.
As FTVLive reported last week, CNN's Rosemary Church wondered why police in Ferguson weren't using water cannons on protestors? Social media immediately lit up, as it should. Church is now missing from the air and replaced by Isa Soares. Hopefully, they gave Church a US history book about the civil rights era.
Church's co-anchor, Errol Barnett, was quick to welcome his new co-anchor on social media. More from Atlanta Daily World.
Now, if we could just get CNN to understand that no one west of NYC wants to watch international anchors in the evening.
Update: We can blame the Intern on this one (check the byline). He posted the story from the Atlanta Daily World and it did appear that Church was off the air for a few days but is back now. No word if those couple days off were planned, or was in regards to her comments?
After saying that she supported David Gregory as the host of Meet The Press, NBC News boss Deborah Turness has finally come clean.
Turness admitted to the NY Times what everyone already knew, MTP under Gregory basically sucked.
Turness tells the Times that the show will go a different direction:
"Her new vision for “Meet the Press” includes adding a regular panel of journalists who will question guests, something of a return to the venerable show’s original format. “The show needs more edge,” she said. “It needs to be consequential. I think the show had become a talking shop that raked over the cold embers of what had gone on the previous week. The one-on-one conversation belongs to a decade ago. We need more of a coffeehouse conversation.”
So Gregory's show was one that was "raked over the cold embers."
Ouch! That's going to leave a mark.
The St.Louis Cardinals got wrapped up in a extra inning game with the Philadelphia Phillies this past Weekend and it was a long game to say the least.
KSDK Sports Anchor Frank Cusumano sent out a tweet that was in poor taste on how long the game was taking.
It seems that Cusumano may have figured out (or is was pointed out to him) the tweet was a bit insensitive, because it appears that he deleted.
TV news people really need to think before they tweet.
Just saying.....
Cox is one of the better companies that is left in TV news, but if they have a downfall, it is they are choked by research.
Cox won't change the paint color in the men's room at the station which fully researching it first and having a focus group weigh in.
So, it is interesting that Cox owned WFTV in Orlando has quietly been conducting a survey with area viewers about a possible paring of anchors.
The station has launched a research project on the pairing of Vanessa Echols and Jorge Estevez on the station's 4PM newscast.
Echols has been the station's morning anchor since 1997 and it looks like WFTV is thinking about finally letting her sleep in.
Here is screen cap of some of the questions that WFTV is asking viewers about pairing up the two.
Stay tuned....
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