6 laid off at WTVT-Ch. 13; news finally in HD
Tampa Fox affiliate WTVT-Ch. 13 is the latest TV station to feel an economic pinch, laying off six workers on Thursday including four staffers from its newsroom.
Skeptics predicted that job reductions might follow the start of a new Local News Service allowing WTVT to team with rivals WFTS-Ch. 28 and WTSP-Ch. 10 to gather footage of routine news events.
But WTVT general manager Bill Schneider insisted the job reductions and the LNS were not connected, citing the station's success Saturday in securing the last TV interview with infomercial king Billy Mays before his death as evidence their newsroom continues to move along.
"The decision to make changes in the building is an ongoing process which has lasted a year," he added.
WTVT also plans to debut high-definition newscasts at 5 p.m. Tuesday, making the Fox station the last Tampa broadcaster with a news department to go HD. (WFTS-Ch.28, WTSP-Ch. 10 and WFLA-Ch. 8 were all broadcasting newscasts in HD by January 2008.)
"When you do nine hours of news a day, it's a huge undertaking," said Schneider, noting recent figures from Nielsen Media Research indicated about 41 percent of the market can now watch high-definition programming.
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The Feed is a blog on TV, media and modern life by St. Petersburg Times TV/media critic Eric Deggans. Possibly the most critical guy at the Times, he has served as music, media and TV critic at various times over 10 years.
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IN ALL THINGS AROUND THE WORLD ,I MYSELF HOPE NO ONE GETS LAYED OFF LIKE I DID FOR 11 MONTHS, AS FAR AS THE BLAME,THE CORPORATIONS THAT STOLE ALL THESTOCKS, BUSSINESSPROPHETS,AND OTHER STOCKS ETC FROM ALL OF US AND TOOK OUR WAY OF LIFE AWAY . WE NEED TO AND LEARN FROM THIS
Posted by: MICHAEL/ARCH ANGEL | July 10, 2009 at 04:31 PM
I'd like to know if my favorite news personnality got fired.
Posted by: ilovekelly | July 01, 2009 at 06:01 PM
Who cares?
The drunk police-evader is still there.
Bush is gone, Fox should be gone too.....
Posted by: D.Blue | July 01, 2009 at 12:32 PM
I wish someone would lay off Gayle Guyardo at channel 8. She is sickening.
Posted by: Cathy | July 01, 2009 at 12:10 PM
Ex-Tribuner, really, you have a job?? Hmmmm, ok, then you have free time to complain about things that really don't matter to anyone. You must be bitter, ie. "Ex-tribuner"
Posted by: Dee | July 01, 2009 at 08:24 AM
I blame Obama.
Posted by: lonewolf | July 01, 2009 at 06:41 AM
I blame Bush
Posted by: chris | June 30, 2009 at 11:24 PM
Speaking of Fox Tampa Bay...who do you think would win a "Celebrity Deathmatch" between Kelly Ring and NC8's Gayle Sierens?
Posted by: Paul | June 30, 2009 at 06:19 PM
2008-2009 MARKS THE DEATH OF JOURNALISM.
It is caused by news agency trying to make news instead of reporting the news.
Prime example is MSNBC & CNN.
May they rest in peace through ratings death.
Posted by: John | June 30, 2009 at 04:54 PM
Dee:
Harassing the Times? What in heck are you talking about? My post had nothing to do with the Times. Try reading more slowly next time.
And by the way, I have a job, thank you very much.
Posted by: ex-Trib employee | June 30, 2009 at 02:04 PM
Hopefully, one was Russell Rhodes - if he wasn't let go already!
Posted by: Tracy | June 30, 2009 at 01:23 PM
They could do away with live people altogether and just do some pre-recorded Limbaugh with puppets.
Posted by: Would not list on resume | June 30, 2009 at 12:50 PM
be nice if we knew who got laid off!! this story is pointless!!
Posted by: out of the loop | June 30, 2009 at 12:45 PM
Eric,
WHO got fired?
Maybe they could've saved some jobs if they quit paying for hair dye for that fossil John Wilson.
Posted by: Jim | June 30, 2009 at 12:37 PM
Ok Ex-tribuner, so, why aren't you reporting??? Quit harassing the Times and find a job already!
Posted by: Dee | June 30, 2009 at 12:11 PM
get rid of the five o'clock report...it's redundant
Posted by: mary | June 30, 2009 at 12:08 PM
and one more thing:
So they got "the last TV interview" with Billy Mays?
That's a matter of fate, not any particular nose for news gathering. Anyone could have talked with Mays upon his return to TPA.
Posted by: ex-Trib employee | June 30, 2009 at 11:16 AM
Another news organization damaged because of the "brain trust" at the top:
These top managers and top execs at news organizations (print & broadcast) actually believe that they'll make their organization stronger by reducing the number of people who research, gather info, report and edit?
They don't get, apparently, that when you reduce the "talent" -- the quick and easy way out to temporarily stop $$ bleeding -- you hurt the quality of what you deliver to people.
And when the quality drops, viewers/readers drop off. And when that happens, advertisers notice, and stop advertising.
It's not rocket science, folks.
Posted by: ex-Trib employee | June 30, 2009 at 11:13 AM
LNS won't last long, it's a big joke.
Posted by: newsdude | June 30, 2009 at 08:59 AM
How can this article not give the names of the six people who were laid off? Or at least their departments? Very weak.
Posted by: Jack | June 30, 2009 at 07:58 AM
Check out http://billymayes.blogspot.com/ for his last interview it is sad
Posted by: lydiaphilpot | June 30, 2009 at 01:59 AM
hd finally... it was funny how they always claimed to have HD weather
Posted by: drinklime | June 30, 2009 at 12:45 AM
I bet he had a brain bleed from the hit on the head. I know too many people and stories about the same situation. Hit on head by something and within a month or just days, they die. Get checked out at the hospital if you hit your head.......... Mandatory people..... http://billymayes.blogspot.com/
Posted by: howardamin | June 30, 2009 at 12:33 AM
They still have the best local news program by a mile. I have lived in six major cities and have never seen better and more comprehensive weather coverage. I hope they do not cut back too much.
Posted by: tvwatcher | June 29, 2009 at 10:58 PM
The LNS has nothing to do with the layoffs, yeah... that's the ticket.
Posted by: bulletinizer | June 29, 2009 at 10:27 PM
W,W,W,W,W = 5 Ws.
So ... Who? It's
not even addressed?
Posted by: wayne | June 29, 2009 at 08:40 PM