WOOD-TV8 staff push back on internal memo to tone down Pride Month coverage

[sinklair]

I’m incredibly impressed with the coverage provided by The Desk. Much more thorough than FTV Live.

Here’s the latest report on the mess inside WOOD TV8…

https://thedesk.net/2023/06/susan-tully ... lgbt-memo/

The fact that a corporate exec held an all-staff meeting to scold people for leaking the anti-LGBT coverage memo is astounding.

When you think local management can’t be more tone deaf, Susan Tully says “hold my beer”.

Sure it might have caused less negative press attention if WOOD employees went to corporate with their complaints (however NO ONE believes that would have made a difference — they would have backed their local GM). While Tully says the email was wrong, yet Tang and Fox are still employed. The GM who backed Tang and Fox and was rebuked by Tully’s statement that the memo was inappropriate has made zero changes. No wonder why insiders don’t believe anything Nexstar says.

A once great station is being undermined by bad management. And short of a complete house cleaning, why would anyone want to come and work there?

[MasterB]

I'm surprised that Tang isn't suspended until the investigation is over that tells me that the higher-ups at Nexstar are just going to give Tang & Amy Fox a slap on the wrist. Yeah, The Desk doing a better job than FTVLive on this story.

[whitebalance]

I believe there is no confidence in the management. No trust. It's probably time to replace Julie, Amy and Stanton.

[sinklair]

FTV Live’s take on this whole mess:
https://www.ftvlive.com/sqsp-test/2023/ ... to-ftvlive

Whitebalance: completely agree. The longer this drags on, the worse it gets. Nexstar needs to clean house and get a new management team that can work to rebuild trust.

[Big-D]

Time to clean house when it comes to upper management. Maybe someone at Nexstar can coax Bob Henry out of retirement.

[TC Talks]

Nexstar will not likely clean house unless it somehow costs them money. If the lgbtqr+ community hasn't started protesting by now, this will fade away.

[BirdieKingBobo]

Amazing that Grand Rapids area is stuck at 499 posts...

WOOD TV was the best station when I worked at the GR Press 25 years ago....

What happened??

Teri Debor is a grandma .... Bill is still around .... and now management cares what viewers think??

[inmyopinion]

Nexstar will not likely clean house unless it somehow costs them money. If the lgbtqr+ community hasn't started protesting by now, this will fade away.

I believe Tang will be canned for the "be careful if you vote in the primary" email. I believe they can spin it that they (Nexstar) are "for our workers' constitutional rights" to vote and they can say Tang's email was a threat against that. I believe that will also allow them to fire him without severance pay and it would allow them to claim they "didn't cave to the woke mob" on the other issue.

I don't think a NDirector saying to "do something that's better for ratings" is frowned upon by corporate execs and I also think it is possible to "get the other side of the issue" WITHOUT giving a voice to the haters and bigots. It may not be easy but I think it's possible.

The only surprise here really is that Nexstar hired Tang in the first place, anyone who ever stepped anywhere near 3mile and Alpine could have told you what an odd fit it would be.

[TC Talks]

He knew the market, he does have the prevailing political beliefs of the outlying area.

The primary vote email happened long ago, it's probably a dead issue by now.

Change costs money. Headhunter, disruption in the newsroom, 3 - 6 month learning curve. I believe it is easier to weather the storm than make a change. Wouldn't that be left up to the GM anyway?

[inmyopinion]

He knew the market, he does have the prevailing political beliefs of the outlying area.

The primary vote email happened long ago, it's probably a dead issue by now.

Change costs money. Headhunter, disruption in the newsroom, 3 - 6 month learning curve. I believe it is easier to weather the storm than make a change. Wouldn't that be left up to the GM anyway?

Hard to say who calls the shots over there, Sometimes it's the GM, sometimes is corporate if it gets ugly enough. I realize the voting issue was a long time ago, but it was recently uncovered as part of Corporate's "looking deeper into the issue". "Weathering the storm" is great if you think the leader can/will be good or effective once the storm has passed. Anyone who worked at 13 and now anyone who has brought up all the several other issues with him at WOOD, all realize he is not effective at his job.
Zero chance he stays, zero !!!

[TC Talks]

Well, it came up on a industry website.

Effectiveness is a matter of perspective. Ratings is the ultimate yardstick, generally. Employees disgruntled isn't always a measure of effective, it should be but it isn't.

I'm from radio, back in my day the sales people were always bitching about something and talent were always working some angle. This is, after all, an industry of egos.

[TeleCine]

Are they looking into his decision-making regarding gun issues? He belongs to a pro-gun group. Will he advocate for getting the other side during the next school shooting?

[whitebalance]

The vote memo was clearly voter suppression. He needs to go and if the GM knew about the memo, she needs to go to.

[km1125]

VOTER SUPPRESSION???



How would they know if/how/when you vote??

[Big-D]

Will he advocate for getting the other side during the next school shooting?

You already know the answer to that, which is no.