| Topic Name: |
Forrest Carr Out At WFLA-TV |
| Message Name: |
evac plan or combative? |
| Date Posted: |
06/06/2005 |
| In Reply To: |
News Director Out at WFLA
By CHASE SQUIRES
St. Petersburg Times TV columnist
The director of Tampa Bay's top-rated television news operation said he was fired Wednesday for disputing management's refusal to write a hurricane evacuation plan for employees at the station's waterside Tampa headquarters.
"It's not a job-performance issue," Forrest Carr said Wednesday. "It's just an issue where I pressed hard on an issue of employee safety that I felt passionately about. They said I pressed too hard.
"I'm shocked over what happened. Nobody is questioning the quality of our product. The station has a great reputation, so you would think that would have bought me a little leeway to stand up in a department-head meeting and argue for employee safety."
Station general manager Eric Land said Wednesday that it was the station's policy to not discuss personnel issues. He said he could say only that Carr no longer worked at WFLA and that the station would be looking for a new news director.
Carr said that last year as Hurricane Charley threatened the bay area, WFLA management did not evacuate the station, located at the top of Hillsborough Bay on the edge of the Hillsborough River. WTSP-Ch. 10 in St. Petersburg did evacuate its studio on Gandy Boulevard near the bay and paid a professional price, going off the air twice from a temporary studio.
With WFLA's news operation in a vulnerable location and subject to mandatory evacuation orders, Carr said he felt that the station should have a written policy to move to a temporary studio if a storm got too close. The disagreement got loud last week.
"Eric Land and I had a disagreement at a department-head meeting. I was pressing for Eric to allow us to discuss writing an evacuation plan for the news center," Carr said. "I followed up with a couple of memos, laying out why I thought we should open up the writing of a hurricane plan at the department-head level. I pointed out to Eric that ignoring a mandatory evacuation order was a violation of Florida law. They fired me. . . . They specifically cited my statement that ignoring mandatory evacuation orders was a violation of the law. . . . They said they took that as a threat.
"We do stories all the time about the problems caused when people ignore mandatory evacuation orders," Carr said. "It's therefore more incumbent upon us, not less, to set an example and follow the law."
Carr, 47, is a 25-year television news veteran and served three tours at the station, starting as an 11 p.m. news producer in 1987. He returned as assistant news director in 1993, and after a post in Arizona, he came back as news director in 2001.
According to a station news release, WFLA wrapped up the May ratings period with the area's highest-rated newscasts at 5 p.m., 5:30 p.m., 6 p.m. and 11 p.m.
Carr, who has had disagreements with Land in the past, said that after a meeting, he sent memos to Land on the hurricane policy on May 24.
"When I asked Eric if we could follow up the two memos, it resulted in an angry explosion from Eric, and I was fired on the spot," he said.
That was amended to a suspension the next day while rumors circulated among news professionals on the Internet. Carr said he was called back to work Wednesday, and at 4:30 p.m. he was fired.
Carr said he remained true to a book he co-authored on news broadcasting.
"The advice that I have is don't quit, never say die, keep the faith," Carr said. "I didn't quit."
Carr said he is proud of the work the journalists at WFLA do and he does not relish being pushed out. He said he's not sure what will come next for him.
"I've got to do some soul searching," he said. "It's no fun getting fired." |
| Message: |
Of course the station should have an evac plan. I worked at one where we reviewed it every year before hurricane season, revised it and re-issued it clearly outlining who stays behind and who evacuates at each stage.
But if we disn't have one, should ANY department head be combative about it in the weekly management meeting?
or should they be pushing for it, drafting it, researching it, volunteering to put it together?
I do know Forrest. I like the guy. but a combative position against your GM is just suicidal arrogance.
He was fired over the attitude, not the plan.
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