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WSYM Hiring It's Own News Staff

Discussion pertaining to Lansing, Jackson, Owosso, and all areas from Alma to Hillsdale
EdWalker
Posts: 125
Joined: Sun Nov 04, 2018 2:51 pm

WSYM Hiring It's Own News Staff

Post by EdWalker » Thu Oct 08, 2020 5:16 pm

Looks like the arrangement with WILX is ending. They're hiring a full staff:

https://michmab.com/careers/current-ope ... ternships/



high fidelity
Posts: 59
Joined: Thu Oct 22, 2009 7:08 pm

Re: WSYM Hiring It's Own News Staff

Post by high fidelity » Thu Oct 08, 2020 9:06 pm

This is a good development. More opportunities for people who want to work in news.



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

Re: WSYM Hiring It's Own News Staff

Post by MasterB » Thu Oct 08, 2020 9:34 pm

I'm surprised that Scripps is building news from the ground up why didn't they do it 5 years ago when they bought WSYM from Journal as I know Jourrnal stop doing news in 2004 or 2005 and let the Gray WILX to do the news.


Go Pistons, Let's Go Redwings.

SixPlusOne
Posts: 332
Joined: Fri Oct 08, 2010 10:03 am

Re: WSYM Hiring It's Own News Staff

Post by SixPlusOne » Fri Oct 09, 2020 2:08 pm

Scripps Preps New Lansing-Based Local Newscast for Michigan Viewers

http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/s ... rs/224912/



wsummers
Posts: 59
Joined: Sat Apr 01, 2006 6:22 pm

Re: WSYM Hiring It's Own News Staff

Post by wsummers » Fri Oct 09, 2020 7:12 pm

My guess is Scripps hasn’t been happy with the lack of a newscast in the 5 to 6:30 time as WILX uses those for its news. I also noticed there were no job postings for anchor or weather...so it seems likely the current ones will be retained.



gotigers
Posts: 63
Joined: Tue Jan 06, 2015 9:40 pm

Re: WSYM Hiring It's Own News Staff

Post by gotigers » Fri Oct 09, 2020 9:14 pm

Could this be where Emily Wahls (formerly of WLNS) lands? The job postings say the application deadline is December 2020 and Emily recently told someone on Twitter that she can't officially announce her new job until next year. Just a thought.



wsummers
Posts: 59
Joined: Sat Apr 01, 2006 6:22 pm

Re: WSYM Hiring It's Own News Staff

Post by wsummers » Sat Oct 10, 2020 8:47 am

gotigers wrote:
Fri Oct 09, 2020 9:14 pm
Could this be where Emily Wahls (formerly of WLNS) lands? The job postings say the application deadline is December 2020 and Emily recently told someone on Twitter that she can't officially announce her new job until next year. Just a thought.
She is currently working at WILX preparing forecasts in the morning. If you check out the Facebook live you can occasionally catch a glimpse of her in the weather center.



gotigers
Posts: 63
Joined: Tue Jan 06, 2015 9:40 pm

Re: WSYM Hiring It's Own News Staff

Post by gotigers » Sat Oct 10, 2020 8:49 pm

wsummers wrote:
Sat Oct 10, 2020 8:47 am

She is currently working at WILX preparing forecasts in the morning. If you check out the Facebook live you can occasionally catch a glimpse of her in the weather center.
I'm in Kalamazoo now so I don't see much of WILX anymore. Is Claire Cameron doing mornings on WILX and FOX 47 since Darrin Rockcole left? If Claire goes over to Fox 47, Emily could slide into WILX's morning show. Or maybe Emily just had a non-compete clause that WILX is waiting out. So many moving pieces involved. No anchor or meteorologist postings for WSYM, so It'll be interesting to see how this all shakes out.



wsummers
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Joined: Sat Apr 01, 2006 6:22 pm

Re: WSYM Hiring It's Own News Staff

Post by wsummers » Sat Oct 10, 2020 10:39 pm

Claire Cameron and Caleb Meute have been covering both stations during the morning. As far as I can tell Emily will take over on WILX once her non-compete period ends. At that time Claire will go back to WSYM and Caleb to WILX weekends (and occasional fill-ins).



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MWmetalhead
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Re: WSYM Hiring It's Own News Staff

Post by MWmetalhead » Sun Oct 11, 2020 8:18 am

I hate how the new Scripps graphics look on sister station WXMI in Grand Rapids.

The station logo doesn't even appear in the lower thirds!!!

I figured it was only a matter of time until the partnership between WSYM and WILX would end.



Editorcj
Posts: 352
Joined: Mon Aug 15, 2011 3:49 pm

Re: WSYM Hiring It's Own News Staff

Post by Editorcj » Mon Nov 09, 2020 10:50 pm

Jessica Williams has been named as the new News Director. She started in Lansing back in the day as a producer, joined Scripps at Ch 7 in Detroit as an AM producer and did great work, took the AM EP gig at the Scripps station in Milwaukee a few years ago and now takes on this new challenge at the end of the month. Congrats Jessie!



sinklair
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Re: WSYM Hiring It's Own News Staff

Post by sinklair » Sat Nov 14, 2020 1:03 pm

Fox 47 has always been a step child in the Lansing market. They’ve never taken it seriously to put someone in charge that has the vision and expertise to make it a true competitor.

By hiring Williams, who has zero experience running a newsroom or launching a new news organization, it just shows that Scripps and the Fox 47 GM aren’t trying really hard.

Will it be a better product than the half-a** effort WILX put in it? Sure. But that’s a pretty low bar to begin with.

In an organization as big as Scripps, are they seriously not able to find anyone with any management experience? Prediction: Jessie lasts less than 2 years before moving on/being pushed out the door. This experiment is doomed from the start.

If I were WILX or WLNS, I’d find a way to compete head to head with Fox in every time period to prevent them from getting a foothold.



Editorcj
Posts: 352
Joined: Mon Aug 15, 2011 3:49 pm

Re: WSYM Hiring It's Own News Staff

Post by Editorcj » Mon Nov 16, 2020 4:26 pm

This station will have a very tight relationship with WXYZ in Detroit, Jessie is well liked and respected in that news room and has well earned reputation as a smart and hard worker. I see her doing very well in this new endeavor and I expect her to get a fair amount of help from Scripps. Every news director has to start somewhere. A small market startup like WSYM in Lansing is as good a place as any.



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

Re: WSYM Hiring It's Own News Staff

Post by sinklair » Tue Nov 17, 2020 1:34 am

Sorry, but Jessie will make it a Detroit-focused newscast in Lansing. That experiment of running Detroit news in Lansing has failed many times. It will fail again.

Scripps won’t be hiring nearly the same staffing levels as 6 or 10. WSYM is just a bureau expected to compete with the established news outlets.

If that’s the challenge facing WSYM, this isn’t a job for a newbie News Director. They need somebody with a vision about how to build and grow a news team, not someone who’s only experience is producing newscasts.

Let’s face it, Jessie was an upward mobility corporate promotion. She’s well liked by the corporate news brass.

I give her less than two years before she realizes WSYM isn’t going to be a contender and she either leaves or is pushed out.



MasterB
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Location: Kalamazoo

Re: WSYM Hiring It's Own News Staff

Post by MasterB » Wed Nov 18, 2020 12:52 am

Editorcj wrote:
Mon Nov 16, 2020 4:26 pm
This station will have a very tight relationship with WXYZ in Detroit, Jessie is well liked and respected in that news room and has well earned reputation as a smart and hard worker. I see her doing very well in this new endeavor and I expect her to get a fair amount of help from Scripps. Every news director has to start somewhere. A small market startup like WSYM in Lansing is as good a place as any.
Also will have a very tight relationship with WXMI Fox17 as well. It will be an uphill battle for WSYM when they do the news I just don't see them being a major player in Lansing when it comes to news.


Go Pistons, Let's Go Redwings.

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