KSTP-TV St. Paul, MN Lowers The Ax Again

[Brookstone]

KSTP-TV to lay off 18 in newsroom
By Neal Justin, Star Tribune

December 4, 2008

The local media's holiday season just got a little bluer. KSTP-TV, the Twin Cities' ABC affiliate, is expected to announce major cuts Friday morning during an all-station meeting. Insiders project at least 18 of those layoffs will come from the newsroom. The casualties confirmed Thursday include producer Dana Benson, who recently filled in as news director, and investigative reporter Kristi Piehl, who has won two Emmys during her three years at the station.

"I was told that my news director and other people went to bat for me, but that this was a decision made by Rob Hubbard," said Piehl, referring to the independently-owned station's general manager. "I do owe him and his family a lot. They gave me the opportunity. I'm not angry, just surprised." Piehl will best be remembered for her series on the "Smiley Face Killers," which landed her a guest appearance on "Good Morning, America."

Hubbard and current news director Lindsay Radford did not return phone calls Thursday.

Others that were given their walking papers include photojournalists, producers and technicians.

The news came on the heels of layoffs of at least seven people at WCCO-AM radio, including sports reporter Dan Terhaar and part-time reporter Roshini Rajkumar, and word from Star Tribune owners that the organization would have to shed $30 million as part of a plan to avoid court-ordered restructuring.

On the national front, Viacom, which owns several cable channels, shed 850 jobs (about 7 percent of its workforce) and NBC Universal is expected to eliminate 500 positions.

While almost all media outlets are adjusting to a rough economy and changing audience patterns, at least one expert believes that local TV news stations face the most challenges.

"At newspapers, the total audience in many cases is growing because of their websites, even though they're not making much money," said Tom Rosenstiel, director for the Project For Excellence in Journalism, a non-partisan, Washington-based group that analyzes the media landscape. "Local TV does not have the same situation. Their websites aren't as robust and they don't have big enough newsrooms to provide the same content."

Rosenstiel said that local stations also didn't get the windfall they might have expected from the presidential candidates this past political season.

"Because Barack Obama had so much money, he actually bought network time rather than going local, and John McCain followed," he said. "Obama did it from a position of strength and McCain did it out of desperation."

KSTP's announcement comes exactly eight months after CBS-owned WCCO-TV announced major cuts that triggered the departure of weatherman Paul Douglas and weekend anchor John Reger. KARE may face some tightening of its own in the coming months. The NBC affiliate is owned by Gannett, which is in the midst of the largest layoffs in newspaper history with more than 2,000 jobs expected to be eliminated.

[Sigonfile]

18 out of how many? Is this a "trim the fat" or a regular full blown slaughter house?

[Sparky]

Any word yet?

[PSUWx]

I thought it was funny that the one guy explains that the tv stations 'don't have the newsroom' size to keep up with print media's web efforts, and yet they're getting rid of more staffers.

I suppose when faced with a competition in which increasing and investing is the only way to stay in the race, a smoother option is to punt, reduce and cut-back, and proclaim profitability that transcends actual success.

Seems a bit adverserial when management gets to look good to the owner/shareholders because they're firing/laying off folks. I guess that's what happens when the chief month-to-month overhead of the business is salaries.

[Randy Steinman]

Gonna move this one over to the J-Forum, gang.

Anyone providing more updates/insight into this story would be appreciated.

All the best to the KSTP staffers today.

[ewink]

Originally Posted by Sigonfile

18 out of how many? Is this a "trim the fat" or a regular full blown slaughter house?

Well, we lost 18 in June and we're market 60 and we're still managing 7 hours of news a day. I have to imagine market 15 having at least 3X as many people... So while it will probably be a sting, I doubt it will be a slaughter.

[Roy Hobbs]

Murray Slaughter?

[Gil]

Originally Posted by PSUWx

Seems a bit adverserial when management gets to look good to the owner/shareholders because they're firing/laying off folks. I guess that's what happens when the chief month-to-month overhead of the business is salaries.

Well, in this case the management is also the owners, I believe. They are not worrying about "looking good" to the shareholders - they are the shareholders.

[s'news]

And slowly the product dies.

[Brookstone]

According to "inside sources" the total 18 were from news only, with one more on-air person from AM, Mischke, gone.

[thebrain]

Originally Posted by Brookstone

with one more on-air person from AM, Mischke, gone.

NOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!

Mischke was on the best people they had...Just turn off your transmitters Hubbard...

[Brookstone]

Shocker: KSTP-AM fires Tommy Mischke

By David Brauer | Published Sat, Dec 6 2008 10:20 am

This seems like spitting on the flag; KSTP-AM fired beloved radio yarn-spinner T. D. Mischke Friday.

I called Mischke Saturday morning and he was gracious, diplomatic and cautious. "I want to be able to talk about it, but I need a little time before I can," he said.

Expect a torrent of outrage; for 17 years, Mischke has been a genuine, funny, decent presence in a commercial-radio landscape filled with haters and bloviators. [Update: Mischke said a brief goodbye to his fans on AM1500's website. Hopefully, management leave the discussion up.]

He began as Don Vogel's sidekick in 1992, and has done the noon to 2 p.m. show after working late nights for years. His talent was vast enough to be recognized nationally; for example, in this excellent Atlantic Monthly profile (PDF).

Even though the TV side laid off 18 people Thursday, word was the rest of the Hubbard empire went untouched.

A discussion about Mischke's removal has erupted at the radio site http://www.redandnater.com. One anonymous commentator says KSTP management axed Mischke a day after the release party for his CD "That Kind of Day" — an event KSTP program director Steve Konrad attended.

Just a month ago, Konrad talked up Mischke in a lengthy City Pages profile of the host. I'll try to get station management's explanation this weekend.

[Conflict of interest note; Konrad hired me at KSTP in the mid-'90s; he was a very supportive boss. Tommy was a very supportive colleague.]

David Brauer reports on the local media for MinnPost.

http://www.minnpost.com/braublog/200..._tommy_mischke

[Brookstone]

Anne Hutchinson out at KSTP-TV

By David Brauer | Published Fri, Dec 5 2008 2:57 pm

There are a few more recognizable names among KSTP-TV's layoffs — chief among them sportscaster Anne Hutchinson. The writing was on the wall for Hutchinson a week ago, when her "High School Sports Wrap" was canceled for low revenues.

Most viewers won't recognize another name: executive producer Danielle Prenevost. Ironically, Prenevost was all over the news last month after she fired an intern, who allegedly went berserk, screaming profanities and busting out windows.

KSTP insiders stress that the incident had nothing to do with Prenevost's departure. Neither Hutchinson nor Prenevost returned a call for comment.

Hutchinson's show wasn't the only one eliminated; Jason Davis' stand-alone "On the Road" was also canceled, though Davis remains at KSTP.

I talked this morning with general manager Rob Hubbard, who would not confirm personnel or even layoff numbers. (The Strib's Neal Justin reports it was "up to 18.")

Hubbard insisted the station is not losing money. "We're not going broke," he said. "We're not in that position."

However, he said the cuts were made in accordance with a 2009 budget that is "significantly down." The biggest factor: the evaporation of automotive ads — "by far our largest category."

There's always a bit of feistiness to the Hubbard males (I worked for Rob's sister Ginny at KSTP-AM a decade ago), and Rob is no exception.

He contends KSTP's layoffs are getting more attention because they're the market's only local owners — though I seem to remember a bit of publicity about that Paul Douglas thing at WCCO — and because they were done en mass, compared to other stations dribbling out their bad news.

Hubbard argues KSTP's headcount remains high, compared with other stations, insists no other shoe is about to drop: "We're not making any promises, but there's nothing we're planning, no second sheet of paper."

[wx or not]

It's been said before...reduced ad revenues from lack of politicking is only the beginning of this mess.

[ewink]

I never really got Mischke. Then again, at the time I was an avid listener to Jason Lewis and thought Garage Logic was the greatest thing since sliced bread.

I wish all at Hubbard well in their future endeavors.