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

If you're so unhappy, why do you stay?

Discussion pertaining to the Tri-Cities, Flint, Mt. Pleasant, and Bad Axe
Beerbong
Posts: 365
Joined: Tue Dec 31, 2019 7:44 pm

Re: If you're so unhappy, why do you stay?

Post by Beerbong » Wed Jan 08, 2020 9:08 am

I have nothing to do with either station. I’m out of the business.
This is a small market compared to Detroit.
Must runs are just that. You don’t have to agree with the corp. political stance, but that’s the way it is. Explain how you’re going to convince them to change.
12 may pay more to the old timers but entry level is right about where I said for new hires.
The union? If your raise is essentially paying for your dues what is the benefit? I happen to be pro union. But in the case of 12, what’s the point. Nabet is weak. They bend over at the first offer they see.
Corporations making a lot of money. Imagine that. That’s why they are in business.
While I think you have great intentions and high aspirations, I can’t help but think you are a bit naive.
You have every right to try and improve your working conditions. With that said, I also think you’re going about it all wrong trying to do it here. But that is also your right.



Grimmit
Posts: 14
Joined: Thu Jan 02, 2020 7:07 pm

Re: If you're so unhappy, why do you stay?

Post by Grimmit » Wed Jan 08, 2020 9:44 am

There’s not this much drama at 5 or 12 or any other station in the nation for that matter. What is this? High school?



Beerbong
Posts: 365
Joined: Tue Dec 31, 2019 7:44 pm

Re: If you're so unhappy, why do you stay?

Post by Beerbong » Wed Jan 08, 2020 10:13 am

No one at 12 would dare air their disapproval of the stations tactics here. They are all scared shitless.



Youplus
Posts: 15
Joined: Mon Dec 30, 2019 11:52 pm

Re: If you're so unhappy, why do you stay?

Post by Youplus » Wed Jan 08, 2020 12:07 pm

I personally like working at weyi, but there needs to be a change. It seems like everyone who cared about the place was forced out or just left, and now we are stuck with people who can't find a job anywhere else and it shows big time.



Youplus
Posts: 15
Joined: Mon Dec 30, 2019 11:52 pm

Re: If you're so unhappy, why do you stay?

Post by Youplus » Wed Jan 08, 2020 1:43 pm

I think us coming to this website to criticize our workplace was the only option. When you try to talk to management they don’t listen or just don’t care. But now the world sees how messed up the station is.



Youplus
Posts: 15
Joined: Mon Dec 30, 2019 11:52 pm

Re: If you're so unhappy, why do you stay?

Post by Youplus » Wed Jan 08, 2020 4:32 pm

As a whole, I think most people at the station knows who is all using this website. Plus it's some who want to voice their concerns but are afraid to lose their job. Which I totally understand, that's why I'm currently looking for a different job. Even though I would love to stay here at the station, it's doesn't seem like that will happen. Management no longer cares about the workers only the bottom line.



Beerbong
Posts: 365
Joined: Tue Dec 31, 2019 7:44 pm

Re: If you're so unhappy, why do you stay?

Post by Beerbong » Wed Jan 08, 2020 5:18 pm

sinklair wrote:
Wed Jan 08, 2020 8:11 am
Welcome back NBC 25/Fox 66’s management to the Buzzboard! Thank you for adding your “spin” to this thread.

Let me correct you on several points:

First, the Flint-Saginaw TV market is not a small market. It is market 65 out of 205 DMAs in the US. It’s not Detroit (large market)... but it’s not Marquette or Alpena. This is your main argument. While the GM at 25-66 runs the station like it is a small market (small staff size, low pay), that is because he wants to increase profit margins.

Let’s be clear: Sinclair Broadcasting is making TONS of money. Don’t believe me? Check out its public filings. CEO Chris Ripley and Board Chair/owner David Smith make some of the highest salaries in the broadcast industry.

The company’s recent plan to raise minimum wage to $15 an hour is a nice gesture. However, it’s embarrassing that there are many veteran staff members at 25-66 that are in a position to “benefit” from this pay adjustment. $15 an hour should be the starting wage for entry level employees in the company’s smaller markets/training grounds, like WPBN in Traverse City... not significantly larger markets like Flint.

If you’re making $15 an hour... that equates to a yearly salary of $31000. More money than I was making when I first got into the business in the 1990s... but hard to pay bills, student loans, professional clothes and makeup, etc.

For the record, 12 and 5 pay more than $17 an hour for employees with experience. But for the sake of argument, the additional $2 an hour difference between starting wages at 25-66 and 5&12 equates to an addition $4000 a year. When you’re only making $30000 a year, an extra $4000 is a lot of money. The least 25-66 should do is raise their pay to the market rate. Want to keep good people and prevent them from leaving after one contract cycle? That would be a good start.

You send a lot of your post bashing unions. Must be afraid of a balanced negotiation where workers have an increased voice in improving pay and work conditions. If you want to head it off, all management needs to do is listen and include workers’ voices in the process. That won’t happen with current management at 25-66... which is why some workers (not all) are talking about union organization.

Your argument about understaffing is essentially everyone else is doing it, so there’s nothing wrong with having the least amount of news staff, adding more responsibilities, and more news on multiple stations. That’s a crap argument. If all other stations jumped off a cliff, you’d probably follow — based off your argument.

Here’s a new approach: give your journalists (in front and behind the camera/in the field and back at the station) the support, time and resources to do actual journalism... not the gimmicks, advertiser sponsored segments and fluff community events that are currently taking over our newscasts these days.

Low morale — “don’t hate, appreciate.” Great comeback. There’s a reason why workers call them “f-off Fridays”. The GM and HR Director believe potlucks, Family Feud, Easter Egg hunts, grilled cheese sandwich days fix everything else that’s wrong with the station. It doesn’t. Plus they hold these events many tines when overnight staff have gone home, day news and production staff are out in stories or night staff haven’t even arrived at work. That means it’s more of a party for managers and for the sales team, who should be out with clients making sales. And when you’re out on a story (you know, actually doing work) and can’t participate, the HR Director/party planner accuses you of not having any team spirit.

You clearly believe the station can’t do anything more to recruit minorities than to post jobs in its website. How about networking with minority journalism organizations like NABJ? The station actually made an effort years ago... which resulted in hires like Walter Smith Randolph, Jane Park, Kristen Aguirre, Kelli Taylor, Sherise Thompson, Courtney Wheaton, etc. No such ongoing networking and recruitment is going on. Hence why in a market with a significant African American and Hispanic population, only Mike Woolfolk is a person of color with a main anchor role. It’s a pathetic argument that recruiting is limited to only those who apply and is yet another example of lazy management.

Biased corporate must runs — are you really comparing Sinclair’s politically slanted stories to other broadcasting groups like Gray? That’s laughable. NO OTHER broadcast group runs biased news stories like Boris commentaries and conservative slanted stories like Sinclair. No one. Plus add in a mandated promo with local anchors that was widely mocked. The GM and News Director need to do their job and push back against these corporate must runs and demand that (at the very least) these stories aren’t politically slanted. They won’t because they are “company” men and women.

Beer: you clearly don’t know me. I’ve worked in many markets, lots of experience working with good and bad stations. Hence why I can call out bad management and bad journalism. Maybe it’s time for you to get more perspective. You’ve drunk the Kool Ade.

There is no consequence for bad management. When you speak up and offer suggestions to improve things you are labeled a “complainer”, ignored, disciplined, fired, forced out or not have your contract renewed. The GM and “Assistant GM” only want yes people working under them. You say managers manage. Let me rephrase that for you... at 25-66, bad managers manage badly.

The GM is the station’s former sales manager. So when the station can’t make its numbers as you suggest, then maybe a change at the top needs to happen. If as you suggest that news can’t make ratings, then maybe the GM should stop micromanaging the news department and let real journalists do the news. Crazy idea, I know.

“No soup for you”... that’s January’s employee appreciation activity.

In closing: I’ve worked my butt off and I don’t need to be lectured by people who believe a 3rd and 4th place station simply is doing the best it can. I will stay at 25-66 as long as I want, continue to do my best job, and continue to call out bad management. If you don’t like it, then fix the many problems.

And if you think money isn’t a driving factor for every employee, you’re delusional. We’re not coming in and putting in long hours for charity. That’s one of the dumbest statements ever made on the Buzzboard... with the possible exception of every statement typed by LL101.
If nothing else you are passionate about your beliefs.
Why not try to address the issues the correct way, instead of with all these rambling statements about this or that. Most people in this forum really don't care about your problems. They’re here just to see the train wreck.

This is a guide that was copied from a website.

Explain the goals and objectives of the change.
Explain why the change is necessary.
Discuss what the change may look like and how it may affect departments and individual employees.
Speak in terms of how the company and everyone will benefit from the change.
Establish roles and responsibilities for how the change will be achieved; that is, who is going to do what, when, why, and how.
Discuss the project time frame and timelines.
Establish the desired results.
Keep providing progress updates.
Encourage feedback from all employees to continuously improve the plan.

Now this is just an example of how things are done. You can change it to fit your situation.
Lay out your grievances in a professional manner and submit it.
If you're not willing to try a legitimate route for change, you're just pissin' up a rope.
And one more thing. Have someone proof read it before you submit it.
Last edited by Beerbong on Fri Jan 10, 2020 5:22 pm, edited 1 time in total.



Grimmit
Posts: 14
Joined: Thu Jan 02, 2020 7:07 pm

Re: If you're so unhappy, why do you stay?

Post by Grimmit » Wed Jan 08, 2020 5:30 pm

What I think is interesting is that some people on this board say one thing and a few posts later their position as totally changed.



Youplus
Posts: 15
Joined: Mon Dec 30, 2019 11:52 pm

Re: If you're so unhappy, why do you stay?

Post by Youplus » Wed Jan 08, 2020 6:14 pm

In 2019, over 20 people have left the station. Most of them that left were hard workers and really cared about the work we were doing. Now the people here are just happy to have a job.



Beerbong
Posts: 365
Joined: Tue Dec 31, 2019 7:44 pm

Re: If you're so unhappy, why do you stay?

Post by Beerbong » Wed Jan 08, 2020 6:47 pm

I know, right?



sinklair
Posts: 2209
Joined: Sun Dec 08, 2019 11:59 am

Re: If you're so unhappy, why do you stay?

Post by sinklair » Wed Jan 08, 2020 9:17 pm

Beer: if you’ve read the previous posts you would know that several of us have tried addressing these concerns - several times - with the GM, News Director and HR Director... to no avail.

You seem to have the same selective memory problem that the boss in the corner office has.

And it’s never a good thing when LL101 starts siding with you.



Beerbong
Posts: 365
Joined: Tue Dec 31, 2019 7:44 pm

Re: If you're so unhappy, why do you stay?

Post by Beerbong » Thu Jan 09, 2020 3:56 am

sinklair wrote:
Wed Jan 08, 2020 9:17 pm
Beer: if you’ve read the previous posts you would know that several of us have tried addressing these concerns - several times - with the GM, News Director and HR Director... to no avail.

You seem to have the same selective memory problem that the boss in the corner office has.

And it’s never a good thing when LL101 starts siding with you.

Sounds to me like we’re both beating a dead horse.
When you find Utopia let me know.
Utopia-an imagined place or state of things in which everything is perfect.

As for 101, a moment of clarity should be appreciated.



sinklair
Posts: 2209
Joined: Sun Dec 08, 2019 11:59 am

Re: If you're so unhappy, why do you stay?

Post by sinklair » Thu Jan 09, 2020 6:38 am

Not Utopia... just looking for my colleagues to — as our esteemed First Lady would put it — to “Be Better”. If things improve, I’ll give credit where credit is due. If things remain bad, I’ll call that out as well. I just want to do good work and feel supported by the company that I spend 9+ hours daily working for.

Let’s hope LL101’s moment of clarity lasts...



Beerbong
Posts: 365
Joined: Tue Dec 31, 2019 7:44 pm

Re: If you're so unhappy, why do you stay?

Post by Beerbong » Thu Jan 09, 2020 7:02 am

Let’s hope LL101’s moment of clarity lasts...
[/quote]

Amen.



User avatar
Herm
Posts: 275
Joined: Thu Jan 26, 2006 10:31 am

Re: If you're so unhappy, why do you stay?

Post by Herm » Thu Jan 09, 2020 11:20 am

Beerbong wrote:
Tue Jan 07, 2020 6:39 pm
]
4. Low minority representation. You have to hire from the pool of best candidates available. I repeat. You have to hire from the pool of best candidates available. To think that there is some super secret scheme to not hire minorities is ridiculous.
Are you implying that there are no people of color in this pool of best candidates available?



Post Reply Previous topicNext topic