Poor News Directors--HELP

I'm trying hard to deal with, answer to and respect a news director that is horrible. This person is in their job specifically because they do not threaten the GM. They have single-handedly run our news department in the ground--morale is low, rating have dropped significantly over the last couple of years and they bark at people for no reason. My guess is they bark to keep people away from the fact they suck.

How do you move forward and love your job when everyone around you has zero respect for a ND that does not lead, inspire or succeed?

Thank you.

[Pro]

You do your job as best you can. You make respectful suggestions at approriate times (and places). You don't gripe and moan. Once descision have been made, you don't argue with them. You DO make and update your demo reel and send it out for other positions (unless you're under a conrtact with no outs).

A good ND can help make your job inetersting and one where you want to do your best, but the bottom line is that it is up to YOU to do that for yourself.

When you first see that news director Monday morning, give him a startled glance and say, "God, are you all right?" When he says, "Yeah, why?" respond with, "Um, nothing, never mind." Then refuse to make eye contact with him the rest of the day.

Originally posted by Pro:
You do your job as best you can. You DO make and update your demo reel and send it out for other positions (unless you're under a conrtact with no outs).

Take this advice and apply it with all deliberate speed.

[s'news]

Do your job. Get your tape. If necessary, move on.

There are all manner of boobs along the way.

Originally posted by ZooMallen:
I'm trying hard to deal with, answer to and respect a news director that is horrible. This person is in their job specifically because they do not threaten the GM. They have single-handedly run our news department in the ground--morale is low, rating have dropped significantly over the last couple of years and they bark at people for no reason. My guess is they bark to keep people away from the fact they suck.

How do you move forward and love your job when everyone around you has zero respect for a ND that does not lead, inspire or succeed?

Thank you.

This is stupid. you are a grown adult. What you do is you dont turn to the internet on what you should do. You should have the balls to go to the GM and tell them that the news director sucks and let all of what you said here known. God people, stop being such cowards.

[WalMartNation]

If this isn't the first moron ND you've worked for... it probably won't be the last either.
Do your job, keep your mouth shut, try to move on. Make a tape under the cover of after hours in the newsroom and don't blab to co-workers about where you're sending the tapes. (see; keep your mouth shut) Good luck in your escape.

Originally posted by mikewjordan2:
</font><blockquote>quote:</font><hr />Originally posted by ZooMallen:
I'm trying hard to deal with, answer to and respect a news director that is horrible. This person is in their job specifically because they do not threaten the GM. They have single-handedly run our news department in the ground--morale is low, rating have dropped significantly over the last couple of years and they bark at people for no reason. My guess is they bark to keep people away from the fact they suck.

How do you move forward and love your job when everyone around you has zero respect for a ND that does not lead, inspire or succeed?

Thank you.

This is stupid. you are a grown adult. What you do is you dont turn to the internet on what you should do. You should have the balls to go to the GM and tell them that the news director sucks and let all of what you said here known. God people, stop being such cowards.</font>[/QUOTE]Except the GM is the heart of this problem. As satisfying as the high road is, it doesn't pay the bills.

Get a tape and move on. If it's been years in the making, it isn't getting better until you get a new GM and ND.

Originally posted by mikewjordan2:
This is stupid. you are a grown adult. What you do is you dont turn to the internet on what you should do. You should have the balls to go to the GM and tell them that the news director sucks and let all of what you said here known. God people, stop being such cowards.

Oh, yes -- I can see that conversation.
There's a very good chance the GM will say, " Well, thank you for your concern. If the problem is such a burden for you to work under -- perhaps you should find some other place that is more to your liking. et cetera, et cetera."

Translation: "You're fired!"

If the GM is keeping the ND on because he/she is no threat to him -- why would he then fire that person? Far more likely is that the complainer will lose THEIR job. Unless they happen to be in the inner circle with the GM.

This has nothing to do with cowardice. It's more like suicide -- the odds against success are too high. Especially in light of the fact that there are other options.

Put together a tape -- and escape.

[ October 09, 2005, 06:36 AM: Message edited by: Ryder13 ]

[seer]

Originally posted by ZooMallen:


How do you move forward and love your job when everyone around you has zero respect for a ND that does not lead, inspire or succeed?

Thank you.

Your priority is YOU. The situation at your present station is clear. Even to you. It's a losing situation with no solution in sight.

YOU have the choice. Move or stay. It's not their fault anymore if your life and career are a dead end. It's YOURS!

Go somewhere else. Otherwise you are no better than the loser ND and GM.

[PalJoey]

Originally posted by ZooMallen:
I'm trying hard to deal with, answer to and respect a news director that is horrible. This person is in their job specifically because they do not threaten the GM. They have single-handedly run our news department in the ground--morale is low, rating have dropped significantly over the last couple of years and they bark at people for no reason. My guess is they bark to keep people away from the fact they suck.

How do you move forward and love your job when everyone around you has zero respect for a ND that does not lead, inspire or succeed?

Thank you.

You work for KENS in San Antonio?

Thanks for the advice....except for the idiot that said go the GM. I'll pass on that suicidal tidbit.

Our GM is wonderful, but weak. Our ND is hateful, bitter, mean and weaker.

No, I don't work in San Antonio. I'm sure my issues are at many stations. With so much emphasis placed on journalistic credibility, I'm shocked at how many of my colleagues and reporter/anchor friends across the country work for dumb, weak idiots. HOW DO THESE IMPORTANT JOBS GET FILLED WITH SUCH LOSERS?

Another point has not been said--make sure you're not making a mountain out of a molehill and over-thinking what is really a normal situation.

Either way, it's not your job to solve the problems of anyone but yourself unless your job title requires it. It is best to do your job the best you can and then make the decision for yourself if it's time to tough it out or run away.
Remember, the next job you have will have it's own set of equally frustrating problems within 90 days of your arriving.

It's best to deal with adversity and adapt and be as content as possible, but it's your call.

[ October 10, 2005, 06:20 PM: Message edited by: SuperDuperAnchorMan ]

The simple answers:
Do what you can to help, give up to what you cannot control, and mind your own business.

[Sir Dropham Pants]

Originally posted by ZooMallen:
HOW DO THESE IMPORTANT JOBS GET FILLED WITH SUCH LOSERS?

I worked at a particularly bad station some years ago where the news director was hired because he was the first person to interview. An inexperienced GM didn't think he could do better and offered him the job. He took it and set the news department's growth back years. One of his implied duties was to keep "newsroom issues" out of the GM's office. He did fine at that. When the newscasts went from crappy to sh1tty, and the experienced people started leaving, the front office took notice. They couldn't wait to dump him when his contract came up.

As usual, upandown hits the nail on the head.

The problems you describe all fall into the category of inside baseball, and therefore don't matter. You're talking like someone whose entire life and future revolves around this newsroom and its personalities. Take the long view. It doesn't matter. Put together a tape. In the meantime, do your job. Do it well. Then do it again and again until you leave.

In another thread -- I mentioned that this business is as much about WHO you know as WHAT you know.
The problem is that can cut both ways. And you end up with unqualified people in positions of responsibility.
And, more often that not, that person is also a textbook example of "The Peter Principle".
When that happens -- unless said person commits a fatal error -- they will be there until they either (a) decide to leave OR (b) new upper management comes in and decides to make a change.

How can you tell if such a person is in your organization? Observe what happens when that person ISN'T there. If you don't have to struggle to get things done -- i.e. the absence makes no difference -- then it's probably a textbook case of this.

Now, the ND may or may not fall into this category -- but this test won't work all that well -- if he/she isn't a real 'hands-on' type. And if they aren't, that doesn't necessarily mean that person is a bad ND.

Was the News Director hired after you got there? Or did he suddenly become a bad News Director? Or has he been that way from the beginning?

Is this your first job?

Do you have a go-to-hell fund? (Everyone should have a go-to-hell fund that would allow them to walk away from a job for a few months if necessary. I know it's not always doable, but it's certainly a good idea.)

There will be bad bosses all over this business. All you can do is make the most of your opportunity and move on. More importantly, I don't think people take as much care as they should in selecting where they should work. Often a little research helps reveal problems before they have to learn about them on the job.