Demotions at Fox47

[TheWayItIs]

They are jumping off the ship and FAST! Morning anchor Mikayla Temple just announced that she was leaving her “dream” job for… you guessed it… a PR job at Okemos public schools. While that’s an interesting enough development what also caught my eye was current and past coworkers posting messages like “FREEEEEE” and congrats for making it to the other side. There is something bad in the water at FOX 47.

I think we need to walk that one back a bit. This was her first job. Her first time in TV. She didn’t even last 3 years. She calls it the “highlight of her career”…it WAS her career.

Also. I’ve followed you on other threads, Sink. You’ve had to have seen similar responses to every other TV news departure. It’s not a 47 thing. It’s an industry thing. The whole thing sucks. It didn’t used to be that way, but it is now.

She’s probably making twice as much to work half has hard with 8 times the benefits with the school system. Good for her.

[sinklair]

I’m glad I have one fan in you.

I merely quoted Mikayla’s own post.

I have no doubt she’s making more money, better schedule, better benefits, better work/life balance.

Isn’t that the problem, though? You have companies like Scripps that continue to stations on the cheap, run their staff into the ground, and run promising young journalists right out of the business.

On the other threads, people on the Buzzboard bemoan the lack of journalism. That’s because kids right out of college are being hired cheaply into big markets — without first paying their dues, making their mistakes in small markets, and learning the skills that will serve them well as they make jumps into bigger markets.

Well it seems GM Gary, News Director Matt, and Assistant News Director Neille are running their staff who call this their “dream jobs” right outta da biz. Great job, Fox 47!

[deathstar]

Mikayla filmed stand ups in the same spot for ever story, she did not have aspirations to grow in the industry and didn’t want to put in effort to be a solid story teller. Management pushing you to work harder and be a good story teller shouldn’t “run you out of the business”

Some people aren’t meant to be in the business.

[sinklair]

That’s what 47’s management is doing? Pushing their MMJs to work harder? Interesting.

It would seem that being a one-man band, turning 2+ stories daily, anchoring the morning news, working on specials, taping promos, representing the station at community events, attending too many pointless meetings , publishing content to website, facebook, youtube, etc. all while getting paid pennies… yeah, I’d leave too.

Mikayla and her big 1920s hair might not have set the journalism world on fire… but let’s not blame her for piss poor management at Fox 47 who expect the world out of kids right out of college with little to no support.

News and station managers are the first ones to blame others when something goes wrong, but are the last to step up to help out.

[deathstar]

Reporters there are not required to turn 2+ stories a day. When Mikayla worked there the quota was 2 stories a week and 5 reporter VOs (which she filmed in her backyard. Also Fox 47 doesn’t have anchors, and when they did they were prerecorded which only took 20-30 minutes of the day…

MMJs get one day a week called a workday where the are PAID to attend community events and aren’t required to turn a story only a reporter VO.

You know absolutely nothing about Fox 47.
Go outside and touch some grass you look desperate.

[deathstar]

Also posting to Facebook, website and YouTube? How long have you been out of the broadcast industry???

Those are posted automatically! You are aging yourself Sinklair

[Jack5o2soco]

I think the answer is everyone is right. Some are worked way harder than others. Management sucks. Scripps sucks. The people suck. It's a suck fest at fox47 but look who their competitors are. A bar set barely any higher.

[sinklair]

Watch out Jack. Deathstar knows more than you. How dare you criticize Fox 47 management???

[MasterB]

Why Gray should be doing the news for Fox47 or Scripps should let Fox17 do the news for Fox47 WSYM is the dog station that isn't going to ever get out of last place.

[sinklair]

MasterB: I agree.

Either Fox47 should get serious about putting on a quality newscast — not this gimmicky “In Your Neighborhood “ crap — or just not do it at all.

I’m not sure a market the size of Lansing NEEDS three TV stations producing news.

That being said, I think it’s great that there is a third station.

I can remember a time when WLAJ (ABC 53) tried their hand at News — in between stints of running WXYZ and simulcasting WLNS. It wasn’t always pretty watching Joe P, but at least there was a serious attempt to do something different.

Now, all Scripps wants is a Lansing bureau that can help fill News for its other Michigan stations as cheaply as possible— reduce syndication costs by filling up dayparts with Scrippscast newscasts — and maximize local ad inventory.

The problem is no one is watching because the product is unwatchable.

GM Gary has no vision and is on a short leash from Scripps higher ups. News Director Matt has been unable to improve the quality and Neille has failed (albeit in a short time) to focus on anything but soft, featurey news.

Weather is done out of house. There’s no consistent sports presence. Since most newscasts aren’t done live, you lose any chance to win breaking/developing news. They rerun stories over and over… so viewers see repetition and stories that aren’t updated for days. You dont have a trusted anchor team — hell, they don’t have “anchors” to start with. So viewers have no connection with the station. How are you supposed to compete with people like Sheri Jones, Dave Andrews, Ann Emmerick, David Young, Tim Skubick who have been in the market and have many contacts?

Fox 47 just has a failed news model. They need to go back to the drawing board.

[deathstar]

In your neighborhood is the future of news. They may not have anchors but they have MMJs the community know and trust.

They’re not a perfect station and truthfully what station is?

News is dying and all the other stations that chase car crashes and fires are going to die with it.

But that stations that are new and innovative will succeed.

[TheWayItIs]

MasterB: I agree.

Either Fox47 should get serious about putting on a quality newscast — not this gimmicky “In Your Neighborhood “ crap — or just not do it at all.

I’m not sure a market the size of Lansing NEEDS three TV stations producing news.

That being said, I think it’s great that there is a third station.

I can remember a time when WLAJ (ABC 53) tried their hand at News — in between stints of running WXYZ and simulcasting WLNS. It wasn’t always pretty watching Joe P, but at least there was a serious attempt to do something different.

Now, all Scripps wants is a Lansing bureau that can help fill News for its other Michigan stations as cheaply as possible— reduce syndication costs by filling up dayparts with Scrippscast newscasts — and maximize local ad inventory.

The problem is no one is watching because the product is unwatchable.

GM Gary has no vision and is on a short leash from Scripps higher ups. News Director Matt has been unable to improve the quality and Neille has failed (albeit in a short time) to focus on anything but soft, featurey news.

Weather is done out of house. There’s no consistent sports presence. Since most newscasts aren’t done live, you lose any chance to win breaking/developing news. They rerun stories over and over… so viewers see repetition and stories that aren’t updated for days. You dont have a trusted anchor team — hell, they don’t have “anchors” to start with. So viewers have no connection with the station. How are you supposed to compete with people like Sheri Jones, Dave Andrews, Ann Emmerick, David Young, Tim Skubick who have been in the market and have many contacts?

Fox 47 just has a failed news model. They need to go back to the drawing board.

What’s funny to me is that you think this is a local idea or mandate. You think Gary came up with this on his own and is dying on this sword? Unlikely.

Smells like a stinky corporate decision - to cut costs, cut corners, and just annihilate the product without knowing a thing about the wants/needs of the market. Best part? Since they aren’t local - they aren’t the ones picking up the complaint line…or the pieces of the mess they made.

[sinklair]

TheWayItIs: you’re right that it is a stinky corporate mandate. Never said it wasn’t. But Gary is still the station manager who is the cheerleader for this crap. He’s the captain of the Titantic. He deserves as much blame as the bean counters.

Deathstar: you are delusional is you think In Your Neighborhood is the future of news. I guaran-dam-tee you that no one in the Greater Lansing community knows these MMJs who last maybe six months before moving on to bigger markets.

You must be a Scripps lackey who drank the kool Ade. Prove me wrong. Show me ratings that say Fox47 is beating either WLNS or WILX head to head in any daypart in households (not some obscure demo). Let me save you the time… you can’t.

These experiments in innovation are just code for putting News for less money.

[TheWayItIs]

He’s to blame for attempting to keep up morale? There’s something to be said about a GM who is both approachable and kind. You don’t find many of those.

Here’s the million dollar question, sink. Have you worked in Lansing?

As for the in your neighborhood idea….you’re right. Awful. But I can’t help but think if they had anchors and live shows, the concept would work. But that costs money and let’s be honest, none of these big corporations want that. Highest output, lowest input, right?

[deathstar]

The GM Gary does not boost morale he crushes it. Anyone outside of sales will tell you that