Acceptable registrations in the queue through March 16 at 11:00a ET have now been activated. Enjoy! -M.W.

Terms of Use have been amended effective October 6, 2019. Make sure you are aware of the new rules! Please visit this thread for details: https://www.mibuzzboard.com/phpBB3/view ... 16&t=48619

On Screen Faces Departing FOX 17

Discussion pertaining to Grand Rapids, Kalamazoo, Muskegon, Battle Creek, Big Rapids, and Michiana
Transmitter
Posts: 14
Joined: Mon Jun 03, 2019 6:45 pm

Re: On Screen Faces Departing FOX 17

Post by Transmitter » Sun Jul 18, 2021 9:09 pm

It was a happy go lucky atmosphere a couple years back. People brought their dogs to work. The insurance was great (Blue Cross-Illinois), news was being broke like never before and a couple of the sour pusses like Christian Frank had left the building. Then Scripps came in and jammed all kinds of requirements down evereyone's throat. A little sensitivity or implied bias training is one thing but it seemed to be never ending tutorials you had to wade through. The digital craze took priority over getting bodies out in the field to cover stories. The news directors had to spend their time on the computer filling out never ending reports and babysitting everyone doing the same. Offhand I can think of more than a dozen quality people who left the newsroom since 2019 after Scrips came in here: Dayna Campbell, Ahtra Elnashar, Darren Cunningham, James Gemmell, Bob Brenzing, Rebecca Russell, Nicole DiDonato, Jamie Smet, Brody Carter, Derek Francis, Erica Francis, Eric Kostrzewa, Will Frederick (temporarily?), Sarah Grimmer.



User avatar
dwp49423
Posts: 83
Joined: Tue Dec 07, 2004 10:46 pm
Location: West Michigan

Re: On Screen Faces Departing FOX 17

Post by dwp49423 » Mon Jul 19, 2021 9:29 pm

Darren Cunningham and Sarah Grimmer both still work for Scripps. They are at WXYZ Detroit and WSYM Lansing, respectively.


---
"Cheap Cheap Cheap" it is live or is it Gannett?

MasterB
Posts: 1398
Joined: Sun Apr 23, 2006 2:59 pm
Location: Kalamazoo

Re: On Screen Faces Departing FOX 17

Post by MasterB » Tue Jul 20, 2021 11:22 pm

Ahtra Elnashar works for Sinclair as a national correspondent in DC.


Go Pistons, Let's Go Redwings.

humblenewsman
Posts: 18
Joined: Wed Jul 20, 2016 10:48 am

Re: On Screen Faces Departing FOX 17

Post by humblenewsman » Wed Jul 21, 2021 4:37 pm

There are some new anchors/in-studio reporters I’m not recognizing (they are not included in the FOX 17’s On-Air-Staff roster nor are they identified in any way) during their reports on the newly formatted FOX 17 News at 4.
Last edited by humblenewsman on Wed Jul 28, 2021 4:51 pm, edited 2 times in total.



User avatar
MWmetalhead
Site Admin
Posts: 11870
Joined: Sun Oct 31, 2004 11:23 am

Re: On Screen Faces Departing FOX 17

Post by MWmetalhead » Wed Jul 21, 2021 11:10 pm

Not surprised to hear Scripps is running WXMI into the ground.

In terms of on-air visual look, I think the station has taken a step backward as well.

Lately, I think WZZM delivers a better news product than WXMI.



User avatar
dwp49423
Posts: 83
Joined: Tue Dec 07, 2004 10:46 pm
Location: West Michigan

Re: On Screen Faces Departing FOX 17

Post by dwp49423 » Fri Jul 23, 2021 6:40 pm

humblenewsman wrote:
Wed Jul 21, 2021 4:37 pm
There are some new anchors/in-studio reporters I’m not recognizing (nor are they included in the FOX 17’s On-Air-Staff roster) during the newly formatted FOX 17 News at 4.
News@4 anchor Doug Reardon posted a few behind the scenes shots of the new format to FB. As I suspected, it's done on a green screen. Doug's post also mentioned it now features from Scripps national desk. That would explain my recognizing the Newsfeed anchor. Wouldn't be surprised if all the anchors/reporters that appear during the new News@4 are at green a screen in their respective studios using standardized graphics to give the illusion of all being in the same studio. Yet only Doug has a Fox17 logo in the background of his shots.


---
"Cheap Cheap Cheap" it is live or is it Gannett?

inmyopinion
Posts: 88
Joined: Fri Mar 04, 2016 10:25 am

Re: On Screen Faces Departing FOX 17

Post by inmyopinion » Sat Jul 24, 2021 1:35 pm

MWmetalhead wrote:
Wed Jul 21, 2021 11:10 pm
Not surprised to hear Scripps is running WXMI into the ground.

In terms of on-air visual look, I think the station has taken a step backward as well.

Lately, I think WZZM delivers a better news product than WXMI.
To even be in the same conversation as 13 speaks volumes to Scripps' ineptness. While I disagree, point made loud and clear.



User avatar
MWmetalhead
Site Admin
Posts: 11870
Joined: Sun Oct 31, 2004 11:23 am

Re: On Screen Faces Departing FOX 17

Post by MWmetalhead » Sat Jul 24, 2021 5:26 pm

I do think 13 has gotten better lately, too.

I never will like their weeknight anchor pairing, however.



User avatar
Localnewsisdead
Posts: 94
Joined: Tue Jul 11, 2006 7:47 pm

Re: On Screen Faces Departing FOX 17

Post by Localnewsisdead » Mon Jul 26, 2021 6:20 am

Long time anchor Mike Avery has announced he is leaving Fox 17. Here is his Facebook announcement:

It’s time West Michigan! It’s time to say goodbye. I have been with FOX 17 for the past 16 years, most of it as a member of our morning show team. Except for being a husband and a dad, it has been the most enjoyable, rewarding role of my life. I have worked with some amazing people and the station has always been supportive of me and my family. I will miss our viewers most of all. You have been faithful to our news and especially our antics over the years; I thank you all from the bottom of my heart. It never felt like work, just a group of friends hanging out, enjoying a cup of coffee before heading out the door. It’s now time for a new adventure. My family and I are heading to Northern California to be closer to family for the first time in nearly 20 years. We are excited, but will certainly miss all our friends here in West Michigan. I wish you all the best and we can certainly stay in touch through social media. In the coming weeks, I will also share what I will be doing next. Take care, West Michigan, and Thank You for taking care of us.

Will the last person out of the Fox 17 newsroom please shut off the lights? What a disaster.

Sent from my SM-G950U1 using Tapatalk




User avatar
Localnewsisdead
Posts: 94
Joined: Tue Jul 11, 2006 7:47 pm

Re: On Screen Faces Departing FOX 17

Post by Localnewsisdead » Mon Jul 26, 2021 6:41 am

Deanna Falzone is scaling back her duties at Fox 17 and leaving the morning show. She'll return to Fox 17 part time in September. Here is her announcement posted via Facebook:

Life is full of seasons, of chapters. Each one leading you on your journey, shaping you, teaching you, and allowing you to grow.

And now it’s time to close a big chapter of my life. I will be stepping away from anchoring the morning show. My last show will be July 30. I’ll be taking the month of August off and then coming back part time in a different capacity (more on that in a bit).

This was a very difficult decision, but one that has been on my heart for a while.

The year of 2020 has brought so much change, in so many ways for all of us. I think for a lot of people it put life into perspective. It made us re-examine our lives, how we were living, what we want out of life and what truly matters. It made us dig deeper into ourselves and challenge us to confront some things we normally push away. Sometimes I think we get so caught up in our routines and schedules we forget to take a step back every once in a while, and this year forced us to do that.

For the first time since becoming a mom, while working remote I was able to wake up with my boys on a regular basis. It was one of those things that I didn’t realize I was missing, until I experienced it. My boys are only little for so long and they deserve more than I able to give them right now (with an alarm that goes off in the middle of the night). As they say the days are long, but the years are short. And in this fleeting season of life, I feel called to be more present with them.

I have talked about my faith before on here and through this past year, I have done a lot of soul searching that led me closer to God. Once I stopped trying to figure everything out on my own and put my trust more in Him, I started to see things differently, more clearly. I started to feel this shift in my life that led me on a humbling journey to “be still” and listen more to what God was saying.

I often get asked, “how do you do it?” (as in getting up so early). Well, it’s all I have ever known for the past 8 years. But to be completely honest, I am exhausted; mentally and emotionally and my kids don’t get the best of me.

As moms these days we can be made to feel like we have to/or can do it all (maybe you have that mentality…I did for a while and that’s great) but here’s the thing, you don’t have to. You don’t have to measure your success against anyone else’s. You don’t have to “keep up.” You don’t have to prove anything to anyone. This is YOUR life to live.

If you would have asked me 10 years ago when I started in this business if I would ever walk away from my dream job, the answer would be a hard no. But as life happens and you grow and change, so do your priorities, so does what matters and that’s OK.

There’s so much I want to say and things that have been on my heart that I want to share, and I’ll do that in the coming days.

But I want to send a sincere THANK YOU to all of you. You helped make the early mornings worth it. You let us, be us (and all the craziness that came along with it). We didn’t have to pretend to be people we weren’t, we didn’t have to be “news anchors”, you let us be real people and I think that’s what made our show so special. It truly felt like we were waking up with our friends and family even though we didn’t personally know you.

On a personal level, you have watched me grow up over the past eight years as we started our family. Through two pregnancies and two post-partum journeys’, you provided me with so much love, support and grace. On the mornings I was running on 2 hours of sleep after my 4-month-old was up all night, you “understood” as I stumbled through the show. You have no idea how much your support has meant to me. Your messages, your comments; they have helped me through my highs and lows. They have helped me feel less alone. There really aren’t words to express my gratitude. I am so thankful for you and the love you have shown my family and me.

While I’m stepping away from the morning show as an anchor, I am thankful for other opportunities at the station. I am grateful that my bosses recognize the need to raise a family but also continue my career that I have poured so much into. I will be transitioning to a part time role providing content centered around the good happening all around us. The stories filled with hope and resiliency. The kind of stories that we could all use a little more of these days.

Sent from my SM-G950U1 using Tapatalk




humblenewsman
Posts: 18
Joined: Wed Jul 20, 2016 10:48 am

Re: On Screen Faces Departing FOX 17

Post by humblenewsman » Mon Jul 26, 2021 5:20 pm

dwp49423 wrote:
Fri Jul 23, 2021 6:40 pm
humblenewsman wrote:
Wed Jul 21, 2021 4:37 pm
There are some new anchors/in-studio reporters I’m not recognizing (nor are they included in the FOX 17’s On-Air-Staff roster) during the newly formatted FOX 17 News at 4.
News@4 anchor Doug Reardon posted a few behind the scenes shots of the new format to FB. As I suspected, it's done on a green screen. Doug's post also mentioned it now features from Scripps national desk. That would explain my recognizing the Newsfeed anchor. Wouldn't be surprised if all the anchors/reporters that appear during the new News@4 are at green a screen in their respective studios using standardized graphics to give the illusion of all being in the same studio. Yet only Doug has a Fox17 logo in the background of his shots.
I’m not seeing much “News” affecting its coverage area during the newly formatted ‘FOX 17 News at 4’. Seems to be more a vanilla/generic hybrid of ‘Discovery’ and ‘History’ channel with a little ‘Inside Edition’ mixed in. Perhaps ‘FOX 17 Feature Stories at 4’ is a more appropriate title for what I am viewing when I tune in.
Last edited by humblenewsman on Tue Jul 27, 2021 4:23 pm, edited 1 time in total.



EricGRR
Posts: 17
Joined: Fri Apr 02, 2021 9:41 pm

Re: On Screen Faces Departing FOX 17

Post by EricGRR » Mon Jul 26, 2021 9:52 pm

Mike Avery announced today he is also leaving FOX 17. FOX 17 can’t seem to keep anyone.



User avatar
MWmetalhead
Site Admin
Posts: 11870
Joined: Sun Oct 31, 2004 11:23 am

Re: On Screen Faces Departing FOX 17

Post by MWmetalhead » Tue Jul 27, 2021 7:01 am

What a complete dumpster fire!

In less than a year, Scripps has managed to completely ruin Fox 17!

That's great news for WOOD and WZZM.

Cannot believe WOOD's N.D. wants to step into this dumpster fire...



EricGRR
Posts: 17
Joined: Fri Apr 02, 2021 9:41 pm

Re: On Screen Faces Departing FOX 17

Post by EricGRR » Tue Jul 27, 2021 3:43 pm

From what I’ve seen of scripps… they are likely trying to rebuild Fox 17s news department from the ground up. Sometimes this strategy works for them and sometimes it’s a disaster. We will see.



User avatar
MWmetalhead
Site Admin
Posts: 11870
Joined: Sun Oct 31, 2004 11:23 am

Re: On Screen Faces Departing FOX 17

Post by MWmetalhead » Tue Jul 27, 2021 5:46 pm

You may be right, but WXMI was in no need of a complete rebuild, especially in terms of mornings.

So far, I've seen a rollout of Scripps' bland newscast graphics, tacky minor changes to the (low budget) news set, and an exodus of some talented individuals.

17's morning show had become the star of the station in recent years, in my opinion. To allow that strong show to decay to shreds is just senseless, in my view.



Post Reply Previous topicNext topic