| Topic Name: |
FOX 29/Philly |
| Message Name: |
So You Are Saying What? |
| Date Posted: |
05/15/2005 |
| In Reply To: |
first off, the 10pm is still extraordinarily competitive. it does beat wb17's show; typically double or triple their ratings. and that's with the "handicap" of having an additional half hour as part of the average. the show is still very dependent on lead-in; more so than most in the market. cn8's 10pm news is an afterthought, since they barely creep into the 1's on any given night.
regardless, the show is a mess at times and rarely lives up to the local-driven product from the mussoni era of just a few years ago. often times i watch and can't believe that this show is coming from the 4th (or 5th depending on how you twist the numbers) market.
any sort of professional disarray at the station right now is overexaggerated. the biggest problem facing 29 is a lack of solid staff. dayside and nightside it is a scramble to put a show together because the operation is sorely understaffed. if most people are unhappy with the way things are going with current management, they are probably too busy on a day-to-day basis to really think about it. i don't see morale as being low at the station, but the stress caused by the current situation (mostly lack of resources) is starting to take an effect on some of the employees, both above and below the line.
there is also a huge stratification between the old timers and the newbies that have appeared during the housecleaning of 2002-2003. there is not a lot of communication going on between key departments and key personnel. turnover is par for the course in local tv to be sure, but the people who have been around a long time at 29 are used to a certain protocol, and those needs are not being met regularly. that's not an effect of some sort of "my way or the highway" governing from the nd and news management; rather, a distinct plan of action/news vision hasn't arrived since holly came on board. that's not entirely her fault; she's still cleaning up some of the mess that scott matthews made when he abandoned ship. the current building reconstruction and the attention given to the new set haven't helped things either.
i don't see the kind of problems other people are bitching about with the employees mentioned in the gossip above me. i think the biggest problem is there are too many missing links between these alleged "troublemakers," and its making day-to-day management a stuggle for people on both sides.
for what its worth, i think the changes brought from the new gm and the last two nds have been great. but most of us have been surprised that the "growing pains" have lasted as long as they have, and we don't have much to show for it apart from blueprints for the future.
now get back to work. |
| Message: |
Part of your message is that the 29 is screwed up, the other part that things are OK. What gives exactly?
The on-air problems are not exclusively the fault of veterans. Some of the blame must be laid at management, who have either maintained or picked a marginal talent roster. The Huddleston/Stensland anchor team isn't cutting it in Philly; maybe Rob Guarino and Sue Serio aren't the answer in weather in the PM and AM.
The LaMay/Mussoni years had its issues, but the anchors and reporters during that time usually knew and connected with Philly pretty well. I don't think that is the case anymore.
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