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Out of Towners Club

Discussion pertaining to the Tri-Cities, Flint, Mt. Pleasant, and Bad Axe
sinklair
Posts: 2209
Joined: Sun Dec 08, 2019 11:59 am

Out of Towners Club

Post by sinklair » Wed Aug 25, 2021 11:06 pm

One of the (many) problems facing local TV stations is that top management have no connection to the local community.

At 25-66, General Manager Jennifer Rieffer comes from Lexington, Kentucky. News Director Neille-Ann Giffune is a Boston native, who doesn’t even live in the Flint-Saginaw DMA she oversees news coverage for.

Over at ABC 12, they’re no better. GM Pete Veto is an East coaster, while ND Denise Killian is from Texas.

The only true locals would be WNEM GM Ken Frierson who started in the market in 1991 and News Chief Jayne Hodak who grew up in the Detroit area and worked in Flint since 2003.

How are GMs and News Directors supposed to grow station presence and relationships with key stakeholders if they don’t have connections to the communities they cover? There’s a reason 12 is floundering and 25-66 has never gained traction, despite an initial strong push. If these mega broadcasting corporations don’t start understanding that we serve our communities and have to be present in them, we will soon go the way of the radio conglomerates and failing newspapers.



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TC Talks
Posts: 10106
Joined: Wed Oct 26, 2005 2:41 am

Re: Out of Towners Club

Post by TC Talks » Wed Aug 25, 2021 11:41 pm

A Flint native wouldn't be an improvement.


“The more you can increase fear of drugs, crime, welfare mothers, immigrants and aliens, the more you control all of the people.”
― Noam Chomsky

Posting Content © 2024 TC Talks Holdings LP.

mr v
Posts: 92
Joined: Mon Feb 07, 2005 9:45 am
Location: Michigan

Re: Out of Towners Club

Post by mr v » Thu Aug 26, 2021 6:17 am

TC Talks wrote:
Wed Aug 25, 2021 11:41 pm
A Flint native wouldn't be an improvement.
Why not? You would have stories lie these; "Billy-Bob's Flint built 1998 Lesabre has amassed over a million miles on it's 3800 engine since rolling off the Buick City assembly line. What's his secret? We'll tell you in our 6 o'clock hour"
And "Who has the best Flint Style Coney's? We'll visit local bars and tell you which local dive you should dive into."



Matt
Posts: 9853
Joined: Mon Dec 06, 2004 12:18 pm
Location: Where Ben Zonia couldn't cut it

Re: Out of Towners Club

Post by Matt » Thu Aug 26, 2021 6:37 am

TC Talks wrote:
Wed Aug 25, 2021 11:41 pm
A Flint native wouldn't be an improvement.
:lol :lol :lol


What's more pathetic: harassing an old man who is paying to do a radio show or supporting a grifter like Trump?

Martin Stett
Posts: 99
Joined: Sun Sep 06, 2020 1:01 pm

Re: Out of Towners Club

Post by Martin Stett » Thu Aug 26, 2021 12:23 pm

You mean LOCAL news. Given that the market extends to Alpena, there's no "local" anymore.
And since Lapeer and Owosso are in different markets, we're more likely to get stories from 100 miles away instead of 15.
Unless they involve cannibalism.



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

Re: Out of Towners Club

Post by sinklair » Thu Aug 26, 2021 8:57 pm

Because the endless rotation of young, cheap labor is serving local viewers so we’ll right now? Maybe when In Over Their Head News Directors and Shipped In from Out of Town new GMs understand the value of anchors and reporters who have sources in the community, then we’ll get real stories that are actually interesting and impactful to our viewers.



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