Lack of local news in Mid-Michigan Now 6pm newscast

[sinklair]

12 can put on 2and a half hours of news in early evening daypart.

5 can do an hour and a half of news starting at 5pm.

“Mid-Michigan Now”’s 6pm News has a half hour. So how much local news is in that half hour? After lots of commercials, weather and national news... that leaves about 7 minutes of actual news covering Flint. On a good day, we might send a photographer up to Saginaw-Bay City-Midland. Unless it literally blows up, don’t even consider pitching a story in one of the other dozen counties that the FCC says we’re responsible for covering.

The failed news leadership that was in place when Barrington Broadcasting was running WEYI into the ground now is going back to the old playbook. Our morning and afternoon news meetings go like this... anyone have a story idea? No? OK, let’s go and do stories that 12, 5, M-Live have done. Instead of actually looking into real news, let’s go get fluff community events. We still have 25 minutes to fill? Let’s run more biased corporate news reports. When we’re done let’s pretend that was actual journalism and not upset the in over her head news director who won’t stand up for the news team to the GM and “Assistant GM”.

[Grimmit]

They probably shouldn’t call it “Mid-Michigan Now” then. Maybe they should call it “National News Now from Mid-Michigan” or “Conservative BS Now”. Call it what it is.

[Grimmit]

They probably shouldn’t call it “Mid-Michigan Now” then. Maybe they should call it “National News Now from Mid-Michigan” or “Conservative BS Now”. Call it what it is.

I’d call it “other outlets’ news days later.”

That’s good too.

[Deleted User 4520]

Sounds like WEYI needs to clean house and totally revamp the news department and get people in there willing to do the work. Less fluff and more local news? Yes PLEASE!

[Dudley]

If it is on Pathfire it's good enough for the news. Copy Paste = 6:00 news!

[sinklair]

It didn’t use to be that way. It doesn’t need to be that way. It’s a sad state of affairs that the in over her head News Director and producer clutters the show with this crap.

[Grimmit]

Copy + paste = pure laziness

[sinklair]

It’s the “new normal” — gimmicks over real effort. The strategy comes from the top down.

[Grimmit]

I agree a lot of things come from the top down, but I believe many people are lazy and no one ever tells them to shape up and get better. Instead they just let them be lazy because it’s easier than telling them every day to do actual work.

[sinklair]

Grimmit: so is that a failure of the worker who thinks they’re doing what management expects.... or is it a problem that management is setting low expectations and making this our new normal?

When workers go to the GM, News Director and/or HR Director and nothing gets done or changes, it is frustrating for those of us who want things to improve. When the former news director is let go for objecting to these low standards, why would many people put their necks on the line? The corporate and station managers IMO set the example, expectations that have us sucking and there’s a woeful lack of vision on how we’re going to improve. What we do have is an us vs them mentality (East-News vs West-Administration), lack of trust due to a Promotions Manager who couldn’t promote the news if her life depended on it, and an unwillingness to do anything about it.

People may be upset that the dirty laundry is being aired in the Buzzboard. Then my suggestion to my colleagues and bosses are to start doing your laundry. Don’t blame us for the problems you created and fail to fix.

[Grimmit]

Sinklair: Oh, I agree. Management is lazy for letting the lazy people be lazy. Sounds like there is a lot of laziness and people just plain not caring or else they are just plain stupid and can’t do their job even if they think they can. I feel for you having to deal with those working conditions. It’s disrespectful on management’s part to have expectations that low when you are there willing to work and want change, but you have to deal with incompetent coworkers. Management needs to expect more and challenge those who are lazy and maybe some change will happen. Those who are lazy and don’t care need to be weeded out even if those people are management. Easier said than done. Good luck to you.