WFLA weatherman leaves as owner Media General outlines plan for cutting 750 jobs

Mace Michaels, the second longest-tenured forecaster at WFLA-Ch. 8, says he will leave the Tampa NBC station Aug. 4, his job eliminated by budget cuts at the Media General-owned station.

Words of Michaels' departure comes as Richmond Va.-based Media General released a report today noting that a series of job reductions which began in early 2007 will have eliminated 750 jobs from the company by the third quarter of 2008.

About 250 of those jobs were eliminated in 2007, with 500 job reductions remaining this year, according to a company spokesman. The bulk of those job reductions are expected to fall in Florida, where Media General has already offered buyout packages to half its 1,326 employees, including people who work at WFLA, TBO.com, The Tampa Tribune Spanish-language CENTRO, Hernando Today, Sunbelt Newspapers and a host of other smaller daily and weekly newspapers.

Michaels, 37, who is 9 months into a new, three-year contract, said his deal's non-compete provisions have been lifted, allowing him to pursue work at other area stations. The station had exercised a provision allowing them to end his contract early.

He came to WFLA in April 2000 from WINK-TV in Ft. Myers, getting a rocky start when he broke away from a U.S. Open broadcast to report on a waterspout just as golf great Tiger Woods was finishing a record, 15- stroke victory in June 2000. Later, in 2002, it was announced he was leaving WFLA, but Michaels wound up staying six more years.

"They told me this was 100-percent budget-related," said Michaels, who found out two weeks ago WFLA was letting him go. "They're cutting the budget and I'm the victim of it, I guess."

Florida continues to be a problem child for Media General, which cited weakness in classified advertising in Tampa as much of the cause for a $9.6-million drop in April revenue from last year, ($78.7-million in April 2008, compared to $88.3-million in April 2007). According to the report, publishing division revenues in Florida dropped 27 percent in April 2008 compared to April 2007; excluding Florida, the publishing revenue drop was just 14.3 percent.

Other observations: the company expects the job cuts to save $40-million in 2009.

* 745 jobs will be reduced from the publishing division, 45 in broadcasting and 20 across other departments, though the company won't say yet how many of those jobs will be in Florida. They expect to add 60 jobs in their Interactive Media Division. The 750 jobs would be about a 10 percent drop from the company peak of 6,900 jobs in early 2007.

* In publishing, classified advertising revenue fell 29 percent, mostly due to shortfalls in Tampa and Richmond, Va., where Media General owns the Richmond Times-Dispatch. Retail advertising declined $1.2-million, mostly due to lower spending in Tampa. In the company's three metro markets -- Tampa, Richmond and Winston-Salem, N.C. -- revenue from employment, real estate and automotive ads all declined about 40 percent.

Comments

[Steve]

Mace Michaels is a guy who also won me over with his effort and professionalism. Only Steve Jerve is better at his craft at Channel * than Mace. Jen Hill is a joke but it would be politically incorrect to cut her. The PC crowd would be in an uproar.

[Ian]

Stop blaming the Media for your problems. Whether or not Fox or NBC is honest pales in comparison to the lying and cheating banks and money brokers have done in the past 5 years. The subprime mess devalues what we hold most dear, our homes and propery, and our bank accounts. By outright fraud in literally trillions of dollars around the world, the investment bankers and speculators have destroyed our futures (with complicit help from politicians of course).
Bad leadership and corruption are the root of the problem, that is what is destroying consumer confidence, not reporters telling the truth.

[Interstate4Jammer]

I hated to hear the news that Mace's job was being eliminated. I know how he feels, having been a former radio Assistant Operations Manager who got cut (with his boss) in a belt-tightning move (the owner shut down the station six months later).

When he first came in Mace seemed to look too much like a kid fresh out of high school to be that credible, but he won me over soon afterward.

The real story is that MG hired their new weekend meterologist only a couple of months ago. That shows it was mainly a question of money. Mace was making too much, and MG could bring in someone cheaper.

Good luck, sir. Maybe we'll see Mace at Bay News 9.

[Frank]

Weak Dollar, Bob is correct. The weak dollar is mostly due to the Federal Reserve's recent policy of lowering interest rates. Times writer Kris Hundley acknowledges this in an article today about gas prices saying

"What we have instead is a combustible brew that includes a strained world supply, ballooning global demand and a frenzied speculative market. The situation is exacerbated by the dollar's weakness after a flurry of interest rate cuts."

http://www.tampabay.com/news/business/article520418.ece

BTW, the weak economy is due to a number of factors. The liquidity crisis, subprime problem, real estate bubble, high energy costs leading to high inflation. All these factors have led to a loss of jobs in construction, Real estate related fields, retail and the mortage industry. The weak dollar has led to increased exports in electronics, aviation, computors and agriculture.

[Chicken little]

Hey Weak Dollar

The sky is falling!!!!

[Bob]

Weak Dollar, The funny thing is I don't watch ANY of the shows you mentioned. I do read the Wall Street journal and watch CNBC on occasion, but not the shows you mentioned.
The weak dollar is the result of the Fed lowering interest rates too much and keeping them too low for too long. Did you take economics? Foreign countries buying US treasuries strengthens the dollar. It is something that foreign Govs have been doing for decades. We sell treasuries whether there is a deficit or not. When they stop buying treasuries because they don't like the rate of return or they get scared, THEN the dollar drops. Also, when the Fed prints more money and increases liquidity to fund the war, the dollar drops.
This has nothing to do with liberal or conservetive, it is economics.
Educate yourself weak dollar
http://www.brookings.edu/testimony/2007/0626budgetdeficit_rogoff.aspx

http://www.businessweek.com/bwdaily/dnflash/nov2004/nf20041112_3507_db039.htm

[Weak Dollar]

Bob,

The weakened economy is due to the weak dollar. The dollar is weak due to the war in Iraq, which has raided our nation of economic treasure. In order to fund the war, we have been forced to borrow trillions of dollars from foreign investors. Due to the amount we continue to borrow, without collateral to back up the loan, the value of the dollar drops and subsequently, we are faced with higher global prices. When you add in the increased economic roles of India and China, who also want oil, it is obvious our economy is not as strong as it once was. This is not a liberal media conspiracy to bring down America. It is the canary in the coal mine and just the beginning of a tough road. When gas prices reach $6 or $7 a gallon, workers living in suburban households will not be able to afford to go to work. Without being able to sell their home, we could see a foreclosure crisis of cataclysmic proportion. Then a 25% unemployment rate will seem like the good ole days.

You really should try to avoid repeating the ideas Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, Fox News, or Bill O’Reilly. It makes you sound as stupid as them.

[Bob]

Chris, what you are saying carries over much farther than just the real estate market. It is called a self fulfilling prophesy.
Over 75% of the GDP and the economy is based on consumer spending. Many in the media have been comparing the current malaise to the great depression. Last time I checked my history book, unemployment was over 25% during the great depression, it is now just 5% and considered low by historical standards.
The term recession is used so much by the media you would think they know what a recession is. It is TWO consecutive quarters of negative GDP growth. We have yet to have the first quarter of negative GDP growth. Granted, gas prices are skyrocketing, but the reason the investors haven't slowed down their futures buying is the economy has proven to be more resiliant than many would have thought. While we complain about high gas, how many are car pooling? using buses? gave up their SUV's? Why don't the Dems allow more drilling?
Seriously, the "wealth effect" is a know phenomenon that occurs when home values increase and 401Ks increase. People feel better and spend more money. The opposite in happening now. The constant negative stories about the economy, which to me are driven by a laregly liberal media, are scaring people from spending and they are putting off large purchases.
This stories are politically driven during an election year to discourage the status quo. I have heard the Democratic solution and it is scary. Windfall profit tax on oil? The last time this happened, according to the Congressional Research Service, the tax discouraged investment in the domestic oil industry to such a degree that domestic oil production was 3 percent to 6 percent less as a result of that tax, and foreign oil imports grew accordingly by 8 percent to 16 percent. There isn't a single credentialed oil economist in the country who would argue that windfall profit taxes are good for consumers.

[former tampanian]

Mace wasn't good enough to get off the weekends in the 8 years he's been at WFLA. What makes you think he would even be considered for the chief's job at 10? But I don't be surprised if you do see a familiar face from the past fill Flether's spot on WTSP.

[joe hillman]

anyone who can hack off the golfers isn't be all bad.

[Eric Deggans]

Newzmann is right. WFLA exercised an option in Mace's contract allowing them to end it early.

[Newzmann8]

Billy...
I would guess that WFLA declined to exercise an option in Mace's contract. TV reporter/weather anchor/anchor contracts are usually for 3-4 years with built-in options each year. Similar to what professional sports contracts. The key here is, Mace told Eric his non-compete has been lifted so he can stay in the market. (Has WTSP filled their chief's post yet?) If this wasn't a budget move, WFLA could have been tough and held him to the non-compete clause.

[Billy]

I'm confused. The story doesn't make sense, or leaves out some details.

How can his job be "eliminated" and why is he leaving if he has a contract?

If Mace has 2.25 years left on his contract, seems to me WFLA has to live up to their end of the deal. Unless they threatened to take him off the air with pay.

[Billy]

I'm confused. The story doesn't make sense, or leaves out some details.

How can his job be "eliminated" and why is he leaving if he has a contract?

If Mace has 2.25 years left on his contract, seems to me WFLA has to live up to their end of the deal. Unless they threatened to take him off the air with pay.

[Willie]

How can you blame the media for covering the real estate crash? It's like saying they were also responsible for Debra Lafave's criminal transgressions, Hank Earl Carr's murderous rampage or the Rays asking for a new stadium.
I don't get the connection, but I'm not a realtor looking for someone besides myself to blame.
WFLA and the Trib are both well-respected, fact-based, media outlets.
I hope the people losing jobs end up on their feet and further ahead than they were with Media General.

[Bob]

What Media General wont tell eveybody is that they are planning to cut advertising graphic artist jobs here in Tampa and rehire them in India. A good old fashioned outsourcing. Since they control so much of the market here in Tampa I bet you wont hear much more about it either.
It will be great to see advertisers react when they find out that their ads are being produced in Bangalore.
Way to go Bangalore (Tampa) Tribune!

[Chris]

I should note that my comments weren't directed to Mace specifically. I think he's a great weatherman, but his employer (and overall industry) made a decision which ultimately cost him and countless others their jobs.

My lack of sympathy goes to the decision makers in the news media. Not their unfortunate employees.

[Chris]

Surprise, surprise... you mean the media companies are suffering from a decline in advertising???

Well, if they hadn't had helped kill the economy by wrecking the real estate industry with their never-ending "the sky is falling" stories, perhaps they would still be in okay shape.

I'm not saying they should have turned a blind eye, because there were obvious problems that should have been covered. However, the non-stop publishing of negative stories about our economy have created a paranoid consumer who does know what to do.

Well, I wish I could say I feel sorry for them. However, with what the media has done over the past eighteen months, I don't feel sorry for them one bit. They are now suffering the same issues they caused for others.

Karma sucks sometime...

[does anyone know who this is?]

Mace we hardly knew ya

[Jim]

I liked Mace. Sorry to see him go. All the Media General stations are slashing a few on the air positions.

Gannett is also doing some budget cuts. Some behind the scenes positions at WTSP are being cut in master control and graphic design.