Sun Sentinel TV critic Tom Jicha did a rather scathing, and very true, analysis of NBC’s decision to get rid of WTVJ.
In it Jicha says after NBC bought WTVJ in 1987 they’ve mismanaged it at the local and national level over the years and made it an almost irrelevant station. He assails the network’s decision to give up WTVJ’s original Channel 4 position for a lesser quality signal.
Jicha also criticized NBC’s network and station brass cost cutting decision to take Tony Segretto out of most newscasts and let Jackie Nespral to lead the news by herself.
He also notes WSVN continually beating the Today show locally and calls NBC a “try anything that’s cheap and appeals to the lowest common denominator” network for filling their schedule with trashy reality games and shows.
Read his take – NBC sinks Channel 6, then tries to sell it
Not only did NBC management in New York, people like Jeff Zucker, kill WTVJ, but local managers did as well. WTVJ is full of inexperienced managers who are in a fight for power and nothing else. NBC6 doesn’t have the managers Channel 4 used to have. Today, Channel 6 has an incompetent assistant news director, several incompetent executive producers and most of all, a news director that is overwhelmed by an incompetent general manager and, unfortunately, she is unable to hire good people below her since NBC is so CHEAP. The need to fire several people at NBC6, starting with the GM.
It’s their fault that their station has “sunk” as it has. Even though the reports are that they’re trying to keep NBC on the station, the tides may turn. (Not sure if that clears anything up. I live up in the West Palm market but I hear a lot about the Miami TV stations, including from here)
Just thought of something…suppose Fox does buy 6, and leaves 7 to re-affiliate with NBC. But when everything goes digital next February, what would happen if, say, 7 carries NBC prime-time programming on 7-1 and the 10 o’clock news on 7-2? Could they? Would they?
NBC’s problems are far bigger than WTVJ. WTVJ is expendable to them, it’s small potatoes. The Sentinel had it right. If the people at the top are driving the network into the ground than it should come as no surprise that lower level local managers would be just as bad if not worse. This station needs an owner who cares. It needs a smaller broadcast chain that can shore it up. It doesn’t need to be put in the middle of another network ownership battle.
Points well taken.
Jicha made an excellent point when he stated that NBC bought 6 when it was high in this market. Now, it is selling it as almost the lowest. Regardless of NBC\or local or combo, management issues are what killed that station. Since their move to Miramar, and all the $$ which went into it– they have declined. One must also look at NBC and their ratings since as well.
IMO – FOX should buy 6, tell SVN chiao, and make 6 a contender again. SVN could then have nbc back (same as in Boston). They could share even more crap between the stations as they now do.
What do you think>?