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One big mistake or a series of mistakes? What was it?

Discussion pertaining to the Tri-Cities, Flint, Mt. Pleasant, and Bad Axe
sinklair
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Re: One big mistake or a series of mistakes? What was it?

Post by sinklair » Sat Jun 06, 2020 10:00 am

Those do-nothing engineers literally built a state of the art broadcasting facility from the ground up. What was the old Northwest Tire site on Pierson Road was completely renovated and is now the envy of the other two stations for the technology improvements. For a station that literally couldn’t stay on the air during severe weather, 25-66 is light years ahead of where they were.

As for what went wrong... HORRIBLE management. The egomaniac/former accountant in chief, the ASSistant GM, the in over her head News Director, the HR Director/party planner, the Director of Declining Sales. They all need to go. Sinclair Broadcast Group needs to be broken up by the FCC.

25-66 forced its stations to run politically slanted news stories. It forces its anchors to read corporate mandated promos. The station has the smallest staffing in the market and pays the least. It covers less local news than the other stations and is more focused on gimmicks. There’s more focus on social media clicks than quality storytelling. Grilled cheese sandwiches are substitutes for actually respecting employees. The sales department can’t make budgets to save their lives forcing every other department — especially news — to face budget cuts. But don’t ask the Director of Declining Sales to give up his perks. The HR Director covers up complaints from staff and threatens anyone complaining with discipline. The In over Her Head News Director is a yes woman to the incompetent regional manager Lame Michaelson. No new ideas. Just let’s rebrand with Mid-Michigan Now and hope viewers won’t notice nothing’s really changed. Minority journalists are run out. Unless youre Nike Woolfolk who they need to feature prominently so they can claim they’ve checked the diversity box. Anyone with half a brain quickly realizes all they need to do is endure their two year contract and jump quickly to a bigger market. There’s no reason ever to stick around.

There was promise at the station. Now, no one on Pierson Road gives a f***. Congrats Chad! Now you can screw up Seattle too. Sinclair’s new philosophy: “promoting managers to their highest level of incompetence!!!”



CK-722
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Re: One big mistake or a series of mistakes? What was it?

Post by CK-722 » Sat Jun 06, 2020 12:05 pm

One of the things I've noticed over the years, is that many people who work at large group owned stations near Flint, think they are just passing though, paying their dues, until they make the big time Major Markets. Many have a really bad attitude about the area. They excuse their own failures by using that as an excuse. Sales not up to snuff, well, it's FLINT, what do you expect? There are many smaller market stations with many fewer people in those markets that survive better. There are as many total people in the areas around Flint who are just as affluent as the total people in those small markets, even though the poverty rate is higher in Flint. Just as many affluent people as in those smaller markets. This attitude is not just in Broadcasting, but in all businesses where you move up through the middle management ranks to bigger markets and "Headquarters/Corporate Offices". When I was young, I was told you can make yourself look good even in the "Mail Room" if you have a good attitude.


Is THAT where they got the idea for the 486-SX?

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rugratsonline
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Re: One big mistake or a series of mistakes? What was it?

Post by rugratsonline » Sat Jun 06, 2020 8:34 pm

sinklair wrote:
Sat Jun 06, 2020 10:00 am
Sinclair Broadcast Group needs to be broken up by the FCC.

25-66 forced its stations to run politically slanted news stories. It forces its anchors to read corporate mandated promos.
The fact they are owned by Sinclair, where they have a high right-wing corporate bias and mandate its stations to run certain programs and segments, makes me turn them off altogether. Currently, I live in Maine, where I actually have a choice of two CBS outlets -- WABI in Bangor, owned by Gray and a sister to WJRT; and WGME Portland, owned by Sinclair. I prefer WABI for CBS and ignore WGME altogether, though I couldn't help catching a WGME newscast while at a local restaurant, where they now use an American flag in their news open and the bottom captions. (Does Sinclair make 25-66 use that style as well?)

On the Grand Rapids forum, it was mentioned that WWMT, sister to 25-66, was reporting less on the recent protests / riots in Grand Rapids, sticking to its normal programming while the competition continued extended coverage. While they are licensed to Kalamazoo, WWMT represents CBS for the entire market.



MasterB
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Location: Kalamazoo

Re: One big mistake or a series of mistakes? What was it?

Post by MasterB » Sat Jun 06, 2020 10:57 pm

I'm surprised that LL101 isn't GM/ND for 25/66 but then again he tells the news anchors to call all police officers pigs and report all the bad stuff about police and not the good stuff they do. didn't you work for channel 12 or for that channel 5 as someone has posted and are bitter about being fired by them?


Go Pistons, Let's Go Redwings.

DAC
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Re: One big mistake or a series of mistakes? What was it?

Post by DAC » Sat Jun 06, 2020 11:50 pm

I'll have to look that up.



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Herm
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Re: One big mistake or a series of mistakes? What was it?

Post by Herm » Sun Jun 07, 2020 7:52 am

lovinlife101 wrote:
Sat Jun 06, 2020 9:36 am



In 2013, the station had been sold again, which happened every two to three years routinely, but this time it was to Sinclair, the biggest player in the game.
I worked there for 9 years and all but 3 days of those 9 years was for the same owner. Where are you getting this information that they were sold every 2 to 3 years?



organman95
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Re: One big mistake or a series of mistakes? What was it?

Post by organman95 » Sun Jun 07, 2020 8:25 am

sinklair wrote:
Sat Jun 06, 2020 10:00 am
Sinclair Broadcast Group needs to be broken up by the FCC.

25-66 forced its stations to run politically slanted news stories. It forces its anchors to read corporate mandated promos.
It "is" in the sense of all these subsidiaries that are "independent" and "run through an LMA." It's bullshit, and essentially what Microsoft did when it broken up in the 90s.. "Individual companies" that were still run by one CEO. Happened to AT&T also (although I think that was actually broken up and sold to various other buyers).

The FCC is either totally blind to that, or doesn't care. How else does a station effectively own three stations in a market with 7 commercial stations?

The exact same thing in Northern MI with 7&4/29&8 and 9&10/32&45



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Herm
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Re: One big mistake or a series of mistakes? What was it?

Post by Herm » Sun Jun 07, 2020 8:32 am

lovinlife101 wrote:
Sun Jun 07, 2020 8:27 am
1996 Smith Broadcasting, 1997 Sunrise, 2002 Lin, then 2004 Barrington Broadcasting.

Four owners in eight years.
And then the same owner for 9. It would seem that the routine you referenced stop being a routine approximately 16 years ago. Try to keep up with the times if you’re going to participate in a discussion.



innate-in-you
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Re: One big mistake or a series of mistakes? What was it?

Post by innate-in-you » Sun Jun 07, 2020 2:25 pm

rugratsonline wrote:
Sat Jun 06, 2020 8:34 pm
sinklair wrote:
Sat Jun 06, 2020 10:00 am
Sinclair Broadcast Group needs to be broken up by the FCC.

25-66 forced its stations to run politically slanted news stories. It forces its anchors to read corporate mandated promos.
The fact they are owned by Sinclair, where they have a high right-wing corporate bias and mandate its stations to run certain programs and segments, makes me turn them off altogether. Currently, I live in Maine, where I actually have a choice of two CBS outlets -- WABI in Bangor, owned by Gray and a sister to WJRT; and WGME Portland, owned by Sinclair. I prefer WABI for CBS and ignore WGME altogether, though I couldn't help catching a WGME newscast while at a local restaurant, where they now use an American flag in their news open and the bottom captions. (Does Sinclair make 25-66 use that style as well?)

On the Grand Rapids forum, it was mentioned that WWMT, sister to 25-66, was reporting less on the recent protests / riots in Grand Rapids, sticking to its normal programming while the competition continued extended coverage. While they are licensed to Kalamazoo, WWMT represents CBS for the entire market.
WKNX-TV was a UHF orphan. Nobody knew Channel 57 even existed - because TV sets didn't have UHF tuners.

They only became significant in the late 1960's, when new sets had UHF tuners, they moved to channel 25 and a new taller tower (increasing range), and greatly increased their power.



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rugratsonline
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Re: One big mistake or a series of mistakes? What was it?

Post by rugratsonline » Sun Jun 07, 2020 3:07 pm

innate-in-you wrote:
Sun Jun 07, 2020 2:25 pm
WKNX-TV was a UHF orphan. Nobody knew Channel 57 even existed - because TV sets didn't have UHF tuners.

They only became significant in the late 1960's, when new sets had UHF tuners, they moved to channel 25 and a new taller tower (increasing range), and greatly increased their power.
Amazed that they survived long enough to move to channel 25 in 1965 -- many UHF stations had folded prior to the mid-1960s, as viewers that got VHF stations preferred them over UHF. The only exceptions were in markets where UHF was the only choice (such as Lexington, Rockford or Youngstown).



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Herm
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Re: One big mistake or a series of mistakes? What was it?

Post by Herm » Sun Jun 07, 2020 9:00 pm

lovinlife101 wrote:
Sun Jun 07, 2020 11:51 am
Herm wrote:
Sun Jun 07, 2020 8:32 am
lovinlife101 wrote:
Sun Jun 07, 2020 8:27 am
1996 Smith Broadcasting, 1997 Sunrise, 2002 Lin, then 2004 Barrington Broadcasting.

Four owners in eight years.
And then the same owner for 9. It would seem that the routine you referenced stop being a routine approximately 16 years ago. Try to keep up with the times if you’re going to participate in a discussion.
That nine years is an anomaly.
Followed by another 7 years of the same owner.
It would seem that the anomaly was actually the start of a new routine.
In fact, one routine last for 8 years and the other has lasted for 16. It would seem that the routine you laid out is the actual anomaly.



CK-722
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Re: One big mistake or a series of mistakes? What was it?

Post by CK-722 » Sun Jun 07, 2020 9:19 pm

Like WKNX-TV, WTAC-TV 16 was first envisioned to serve only a small local area. It only stayed on the air for four months in 1953-1954. It broadcast from a 470 foot tower at 2302 Lapeer Rd in Flint, that now is the location of the present Studios of WJRT-TV 12. WKNX-TV 57 survived by moving to 25, going big, and providing wide area service for CBS (before that time, WJIM-TV 6 placed Grade B service for CBS, but nowhere near City Grade Service, over Genesee County).

Image


Is THAT where they got the idea for the 486-SX?

Same (x, y, z), different (t)

Your bullet missed my trial balloon.

RTN Price. Not guaranteed. As of 12:30, 157.71 Down 0.22.

Artificial Intelligence is a Child that needs a Parent to guide it through.

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Herm
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Re: One big mistake or a series of mistakes? What was it?

Post by Herm » Mon Jun 08, 2020 6:50 am

lovinlife101 wrote:
Mon Jun 08, 2020 12:12 am
Herm wrote:
Sun Jun 07, 2020 9:00 pm
lovinlife101 wrote:
Sun Jun 07, 2020 11:51 am
Herm wrote:
Sun Jun 07, 2020 8:32 am
lovinlife101 wrote:
Sun Jun 07, 2020 8:27 am
1996 Smith Broadcasting, 1997 Sunrise, 2002 Lin, then 2004 Barrington Broadcasting.

Four owners in eight years.
And then the same owner for 9. It would seem that the routine you referenced stop being a routine approximately 16 years ago. Try to keep up with the times if you’re going to participate in a discussion.
That nine years is an anomaly.
Followed by another 7 years of the same owner.
It would seem that the anomaly was actually the start of a new routine.
In fact, one routine last for 8 years and the other has lasted for 16. It would seem that the routine you laid out is the actual anomaly.
There was no other nine year ownership. It’s the dictionary definition of an anomaly.
You referenced a routine, implying a repeated set of occurrences. So now you want to use the length of each individual ownership. Okay, none of these time frames are the same. It would seem, based on the dictionary definition of an anomaly, that they are each an anomaly. If this is the case, then where is this routine that you originally referenced?
You are also conveniently leaving out the last 6.5 years under the current ownership.
Maybe you should just move on.



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Herm
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Re: One big mistake or a series of mistakes? What was it?

Post by Herm » Mon Jun 08, 2020 9:07 am

lovinlife101 wrote:
Sat Jun 06, 2020 9:36 am



In 2013, the station had been sold again, which happened every two to three years routinely, ...
I looked it up! Here is actually what you said.



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Herm
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Re: One big mistake or a series of mistakes? What was it?

Post by Herm » Mon Jun 08, 2020 9:15 am

lovinlife101 wrote:
Mon Jun 08, 2020 9:12 am
lovinlife101 wrote:
Sun Jun 07, 2020 8:27 am
1996 Smith Broadcasting, 1997 Sunrise, 2002 Lin, then 2004 Barrington Broadcasting.

Four owners in eight years.
Routine, yo.
Get current, yo



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