On April 27th, Joel Connable was dismissed from WTVJ with a sea of controversy and questions following soon behind him. After much persistence, I had the chance to speak with Mr. Connable and ask him some questions about what happened at WTVJ, and what he’s doing now.
The big news is a lawsuit has been filed against NBC. Gina Cadogan of Schnall and Cadogan is representing him in this case, currently filed in Florida state court. NBC claims Mr. Connable violated NBC policy by accepting a trip free of charge, in exchange for taping a story featuring the Ritz Carlton in St. Thomas. When we asked Connable about the allegations, he said this.
“I did not solicit favors from anybody… and I am truly hurt by the allegations” Connable said.
The lawsuit claims a producer at NBC6 suggested Connable and another NBC employee shoot a story for his travel segment, called “The Departure Lounge,” while they were on the trip. The lawsuit says Connable never agreed to shoot a story and they were all going on a personal trip and not taking any NBC equipment.
According to Connable, he first heard about the allegations from several NBC6 employees who said they were being discussed in the newsroom. That’s when Joel says he went to speak with his news director about the rumors and she explained how shooting a segment on one’s personal time could fall in a gray area.
“After meeting with my news director and listening to her advice, the trip was cancelled because we, obviously, wouldn’t want to do anything that didn’t follow NBC guidelines.”
The lawsuit claims Connable never requested anything for free. It goes on to say that when the public relations director sent Connable’s producer an email offering to cover the cost of flights and rooms, Connable replied that he could not accept anything for free.
Despite this, WTVJ management ultimately made the decision to let him go. Connable’s contract was terminated April 27th, 2009 and a lawsuit was filed soon after for breach of contract. NBC was served this Monday, June 8th. Apparently, there is a special clause in Mr. Connable’s contract that states the following:
“[…] Company may terminate this agreement in the event of artist (Joel Connable) breach of any material representation warranty term or condition of this agreement, provided however, that prior to any termination NBC will provide artist with written notice and give artist opportunity to cure breech, if such cure is timely and possible.“
According to the lawsuit, Connable was never given written notice, nor was he given an opportunity to cure his alleged breach.
Insiders close to the investigation tell SFLTV.com that NBC threatened Connable not to pursue the lawsuit, or “he would never work in broadcasting again.” That same anonymous source gives us this opinion:
“I think it was a shock to the NBC6 viewers. To suddenly take your main male anchor, who was promoted to a position formally held by a Miami news legend (Tony Segreto), and just make him vanish… is not only disrespectful to the viewers who care about who they’re watching, but I think it also cuts off more oxygen to a station that desperately needs to be revived.”
Another source at WTVJ, who insisted on remaining anonymous, says that Connable was due a substantial raise in August. Our source also claims NBC was locked into that contract until the latter part of 2010. It may be possible that NBC was looking for a way to eliminate a high paying contract during these tough economic times.
According to Connable’s attorney, NBC isn’t the only one being sued. A lawsuit has also been filed against NBC6 Executive Producer Tammy Delgado for defamation of character. She’s accused of making slanderous and libelous statements to her subordinates regarding Connable’s alleged wrongdoing.
There is no set amount that’s being sued for in the case, but Connable says
“All I want is for my contract to be honored.”
According to Connable, NBC still has the opportunity to settle the case, or it may go to a court ordered mediation. Both parties have 20 days to respond.
I asked Joel what he’s been doing with his free time, and what he’s planning on doing career wise.
“I have been overwhelmed by the support of my former coworkers and friends and the offers I have received. I have been spending a lot of time doing the things I didn’t have time to do when I was working the so-called 9-5 schedule.”
When asked if he wants to go back into local news:
“I love working in television. It’s all I have been doing for more than a decade in South Carolina, Los Angeles and Miami. I don’t know if there will be a job for me out there in this economy. Right now, I am just like millions of other Americans who are unemployed.”
Finally, I asked Mr. Connable what his bottom line message was.
“The bottom line is we never went on the trip and I always honored my contract with NBC. I still hold the network in the highest regard and wish them nothing but continued success.”
And on that note, our interview was over. We tried to contact NBC and received this statement from Barbara Alfonso, at WTVJ:
“The station disputes these claims, which are completely meritless. We are confident in the actions taken, yet due to the pending litigation we are unable to comment further.”
We also tried to contact Ms. Delgado, yet received no responce. Our thanks to Joel Connable.
Note:Full copies of the lawsuit will be available exclusively on SFLTV.com by the end of the week.
68 COMMENTS
NBC was wrong in terminating Joel. It seems like they were trying to find a reason to dump him and his hefty contract so they can find someone cheaper.
Ask Paul Moyer of LA, George Michael of DC, or Tony Segreto in Miami.
NBC can’t seem to hold on to anyone the viewers like to see. Have we resorted to Sharon Lawon and Kelly Craig? Nice people but could we please try to maintain some integrity and keep the knowledgeable not just news readers. What a shame for Joel Connable-he deserves so much better. For sure I will be looking at another network in the mornings and at night. Thanks for making the decision easier. I will be sure and let all of my neighbors know too.
Kudos to Joel! He was not deserving of his sudden dismissal by the management at NBC6/WTVJ.
I have been a loyal viewer of NBC6/WTVJ for decades and have stood by them throughout all of their mismanagement and loss of great on the air talent, but once they dropped Joel Connable…I DROPPED THEM!
I wish Joel all the best with his lawsuit and hope that he takes NBC6/WTVJ to the cleaners along with Tammy Delgado. I am confident he will make a rebound in his news career and hopefully South Florida will have the pleasure of having him on our TV screens soon.
He didn’t go on the trip? What he hell? I know people at NBC who have been caught using drus int he parking lot, using their coprporate credit cards at strip clubs and, I know may people there who actually have taken things for free. That whole 11am show is a payto play newscast. The sales department decides who’s on it. Joel, you got canned because they were threatened by you. Hoepfully, you will pop up on Fox or Channel 10 where they will appreciate your skills. I will never watch NBC6.
This is all such a shame and an ugly, ugly situation. I don’t know if any of these allegations are true and, frankly, I don’t care. I certainly don’t believe they warranted his termination. Regardless, I truly feel obligated to report this as I do know this to be absolutely true because I saw it with my own eyes and heard it with my own ears. Tammy Delgado was indeed running around the newsroom like a giddy, little school girl telling anybody who would listen (myself included) about what she “discovered” about Joel and what she accused him of doing. I remember thinking at the time that this behavior is so grossly inappropriate for a manager. Anyway, I did lose a lot of respect for her on that day.
This economy is causing companies to do all kinds of nasty things to people just to save their own asses. I think it’s clear who’s in the right here. I also think the company will do everything in it’s power (speaking from experience) to make their allegations stand. I suggest Mark fight hard, fight loud and make a statement for those of us the “economy” is claiming unfairly. If there’s not an email or any correspondence that shows Mark DID have a role in pay for play (whether he did it or not), then the company’s got him. But if that’s not around, then this is 100% Mark in the right. There are hundreds of thousands, if not millions, out there standing behind them. I recommend NO ONE watch this crappy newscast again! I sure won’t!
I am so pissed reading this interview. NBC was wrong for firing him. I beleive that Joel followed the rules. NBC needs to terminate Tammy and Ardy the GM. Joel was the one that kept the ratings up. I’m tired of seeing Jackie and Julia on every evening newscasts. Jackie needs to be demoted bring back Jennifer Valoopi, Jose Diaz-Balart and even Joel Connable.I know Jennifer Valoopi left because of station management. When Jennifer Valoppi was taken off the desk I saw on her facial expression she was pissed when she use to do stand ups in the newsroom for the 5pm show. Does any1 think Dwight will come out of his retirement? I sure do miss him on Local 10. Back to NBC6, they need to hire and find a male anchor. To many woman, less men. Is that sexist? I think so. It will be nice if NBC communicates to Joel and say “It was a mistake, we want you back.” Do u think that will happened? HELL NAW!! NBC is all about money and they don’t give a damn about WTVJ. The viewers in this market wants WTVJ back to number 1.
I quit watching NBC6. I was sick of the poor news delivery, all the flubs, the lack of profesionalism and just a bad experience. I liked Joel Connable and went to a travel show in miami Beach and had a good time, had a chance to meet him and liked watching him on the weekends and so on, but I stopped watching the network because of what I stated above. Watch WSVN because you get all the news with the entertainment factor.
I truly believe WTVJ and NBC acted very wrongly in firing Joel. This could very well be the last nail in NBC’s coufin… I hope Joel makes NBC pay dearly.
As for Joel’s future in the news business… he’s deserves better. I don’t know about the rest of you… I could WGCL (CBS) in Atlanta pulling another Danielle Knox, and hiring Joel on as their new evening news co-anchor.
Did anyone hear how all this went down? Rumors in the business are that that girl Tammy looked at emails in another employee’s mailbox. I don’t think that employee knew tha she was accessing their email. Isn’t that a federal crime?
Well, WTVJ has been becoming known as a station who is prone to doing things wrong. They are getting rid of the good talent one by one and replacing them with talent that appears to be found at The Dollar Store on the clearance isle.
While I agree that WTVJ is a shadow of its former self, I am curious as to what everyone’s watching instead? To me 6 and 10 are the only two reputable English language broadcasts in this market, and I think even that is debatable. Neither one is great (but they once were) – and ALL of our local stations seem to be rife with major management issues. Sadly there isn’t a great choice out there right now – but I do wonder where the 6 viewers are going.
I think we also need to remember that there are two sides to every story, and there may be many factors we don’t know.
Peeking at other people’s work e-mails? Ever heard of Larry Mendte? His house arrest is almost up. But one thing–putting Sharon Lawson and Kelly Craig together is cheap and stupid. Kelly has been here and done it all and still out-anchors the cheap fluff leftovers in this market every day. Bob Mayer and Kelly Craig-or Pam Giganti, for that matter–have more cred than anyone else left in this market.
I know a talent at one of the stations and know for a 100% fact that their station emails are being monitored and he is very careful on what he says in them. Legal or not, its being done!
I think in this case, the girl mentioned in the lawsuit went in another employee’s emails without that employee’s permission. Infact, I believe he ws laid off the week before and she looked at the emails the following week. I don’t know how she did it. Is that still email fraud or illegal?
One other thing….The bottom line is, it is always bad to get rid of an anchor or reporter that viewers like. NBC ratngs at 6 and 7 were doing well and Joel was creating a buzz. Unless he brought a gun to a school, or drove while under the influence, or hit someone while he was driving home from a party and then went home to have a few drinks before returning to the scene, why would you fire someone over this?
Who’s responsibility is it to review employee contracts? What happened to the HR Department in all this mess? If Connable’s lawsuit is found to have merit, someone’s head has to roll.
I think someone didn’t read his contract befre they did this. If it is a psecial clause, then maybeNBC thought they had no reason to review it. Dumb people.
I don’t have a dog in this fight, & I’m not familiar with the facts of the case, other than what is in the interview, but I seem to recall that Joel left his job in LA after some issue with magt. Again, I don’t know the circumstaces around his leaving there, & I could be wrong, but it may not be the best idea to be pushing the envelope for perks in today’s ecconomy, especially if you had a run in @ your last job.
Also, we should all remember that when you use the company’s computer @ work, your supervisor (as oppossed to your co-worker) can access “your” computer & read your e-mails, & see what websites you’ve gone to. So if you want to send personal e-mails, use your Palm Pilot (not the one that you get from your employer)
Just The News,
Like you said, you don’t know the facts and therefore should keep your mouth shut. Joel was very respected at KCAL in LA and left for what was supposed to be a step-up in his career with upward mobility with NBC. Seems the only one with integrity here was Joel.
It would be shocking if anyone at NBC fired someone when they did not feel that there was a contractual violation. Let’s get real folks. There had to be a thought process involving upper management and legal counsel. Without seeing the contract none of us can know the real deal, but don’t be so sure that they just tossed Joel haphazardly.
As for Joel, I hope he does have some grounds because as we have seen with fired anchors filing lawsuits in this market, some get saddled with huge legal bills when it’s all over. NBC has the $$ to sit on this for months and years…and wait Joel out. (Happens all the time)
Also, when you are talking about them unloading his big dollar contract, once again get real. NBC has not been writing lucrative local contracts for years. Whatever you think he was making, cut it in half. That’s reality. He is not the second coming of Tom Brokaw…so try to keep the scale of this on a believable level.
The real bottom line is…it sucks to be out of work right now and I feel bad for him right now. Even if they payout his contract it will only sustain him for a few months. Joel needs to be working on plan B.
You would be surprised at the screw ups that GE and its affiliates have done and later paid for. Go back and read about the Kidder Peabody fiasco or the government contracting mess in the aircraft division. Just because they are a large conglomerate doesn’t mean that someone at a lower level in Miami doesn’t screw up and not follow proper protocol. If NBC finds that they screwed up and violated his contract, they will pay off to make it go away and not further tarnish NBC’s reputation.
No, based on the crap NBC has been producing at the local and network level for years, we can assume they don’t know what they are doing. NBC will probably be the first network to go all infomercial at this rate. Amara Sohn did some horrible “report” about some fat-burning drink made in Delray this morning. So? The whole thing reeked of promotion. A disgrace. Good luck Joel. I hope you stick it to Zucker & Co. REAL good!
The degredation of TV news has been going on for years Chuck, so spare us the incredulity. Your take is a common complaint.
Joel’s situation is Joel’s situation, not another sign of the end of TV news the way we knew it. That world is long gone. Local TV and Network news was transformed in to infomercials years ago. Joel’s issue won’t get close to Zuckers desk…it’s small potatoes. Sorry Chuck. I’ve been in Zuck’s office and his focus is on entertainment programming, then network news entertainment programming, then what’s for lunch, then maybe he’ll think about local news.
Thanks for the pontifical decree, Rickie. The “degradation” is due to hacks like “Zuck” who are more interested in bottom-lining for the short term instead of long term commitment. The treatment of Joel is symptomatic of mismanagement throughout the industry. I’ll sum it up like this: why is Jackie Nespral still WTVJ’s #1 anchor when the ratings have steadily declined since she’s been there? Zuck and his ilk look at programming of all kinds as the stuff between the ads. Lack of proper focus is why TV sucks now.
The reason why Jackie is still the lead anchor is answered in one word “minorities”…..Look who they hire, black and latin….they don’t have one single full time white female reporter. NBC tells them what and how to do everything. If that teleprompter ever breaks, Jackie is finished !!! I like when a seriuos news story is reported Jackie gets a serious frown on her face, like she is a real journalist, don’t make me laugh !!!
Mitch and Chuck….your comments make it clear that you have no experience in the business, if you did it was short lived. You only repeat typical blogger garbage which is “say outrageous things and sound like you know what you’re talking about”. Do you test your commentaries in the mirror? Give it a rest…and let’s have a “real” discussion.
Asfar as Joel’s salry – who cares. That si his business. Trustme, people don’t give up jobs making great money in Los Angeles for less here. I am sure Joel was making some good money. I would guess high 200’s or maybe over 300. He was the main guy.
Rick(Sanchez, lol)….Once again your wrong. I did work in the business and have friends ( including one long time anchor , which upon his wishes I won’t name). When we talk , the one thing he says more then anything “I aggree with you 100% “. So if you think Jackie is a good anchor “watch her”. One thing you can be sure of , you will be in a very small minority. Minority, one word NBC uses alot.
Terrible shame about Joel, he was the evening’s best and they made a big mistake, I like Julia but the rest are just not that good. The current morning crew has more credibility than the evening crew. (However, I have to say Roxanne makes me cringe.
I worked with a colleague who was terminated for a trip he was offered but never took. He sued and won. It cost the company some money and the sad part was the executives who approved the termination were never dismissed or even disciplined for their stupidity.
I hope that’s not the case here. Instead of paying Joel’s salary and retaining a respected talent they will pay more … a settlement and loss of viewers.
Managment at TVJ is, I’m sorry, a bad joke throughout the industry. It’s a shame to see how far a great, respected, celebrated station has fallen. Viewer apathy is at an all time high…so are the on-air mistakes. A station that once could boast the likes of Ralph Renick, Tony Segreto, Nick Bogert, David Bloom, Rob Pierce, Kip Whitlock – I could go on – now has the likes of Roxanne Vargas, Joe Carter, Ardyth Dierks and Tammy Delgado – I could go on. The station isn’t even a shadow of its former, respected self — now, it’s just a puddle of mismanaged, journalistic goo. Watch where you step, kids! The shows are a mess, but, shocker, they’re produced by practically teenagers. Also, do they even have editorial meetings anymore? Did you catch the lead at 6pm the other night? INEXCUSABLE! TVJ, do you realize that the other stations are laughing at you? LAUGHING! I’m sorry… but the station deserves a mulligan (a do over.) Note to GE: Sell it cheap and sell it FAST. Other stations can salvage the good parts like Hank, Ari, Diana, Bob and then the rest of South Florida can hit delete. Ardy? A rational GM? Are you kidding?!?!? Joel Connable was a solid and respected anchor at that station and they just dumped him over an alleged free trip that he didn’t even go on without as much as a warning??? Ok, who’s the mental midget that came up with that bright idea. Gee, let me take a wild stab at that one. The whole thing smells like a contract dump to me. DUH! Everybody sees that. Good luck TVJ. South Florida misses the old you — the days before you tried to become what you are not, Channel 7.
Thank you to the Colonel & Jessica’s desk for backing up my comments. Rick, I forgot to mention , I have 2 degrees, one in Journalism and the other other in Radio- TV Broadcast Technology. Two of my classmates were Gary Franklin (Don Franklin’s son, former long time WTVJ weatherman) and Jim Duffy. former longtime cameraman for WTVJ. I know the business ! If anyone thinks Tony Segreto retired on his own doing, your dreaming…he was pushed out. They do monitor the emails at WTVJ, I know that for a 100% fact! I have been warned by one of their long time employees to watch what i say in them. Hank Tester “may” be the next pro to be pushed out. Nick Bogart is leaving too. If Joel stayed and worked with Julia, the ratings would have been up quite a bit after several years as the ratings for them started to improve after only a short time together. Right now, Bob Mayer and Julia are the only “real” anchors that WTVJ has left. What a shame !
By the way, Arlene Bornstein the part time reporter who can barely speak clearly is really a copy writer at WTVJ who they decided to put on the air cause she is Latin, female and cheap! How did I know that Rick? Well…Like I said, I have friends at WTVJ !
“This Just In” John Gerald( the most experienced weather person in South Florida) is now the early weekend weather person at WTVJ and it looks like they are putting Trina Robinson on as the evening weekend weather person. Why……Like I said before, black and female!! Can you spell “Titanic”?
mitch, Tammy D is not a bad person she just wants her title to be official, it was never made official by any one, When they moved her to the overnight EP position I was on my way out to New York, I heard from remaining friends there, that she’s a very lonely person there, she doesnt know who to trust, she stopped being friends with tons of people there.
To NBC6 Fan….Not only was Dwight forced out , but so was Don Nole and Jimmy Ceffalo. Both were long time employees and very well paid. I believe Jimmy was making in excess of $350,000 a year. Something tells me that they are paying Will Manso about half that. You do the math. Micheal Putney another top journalist who is one of the top paid people there could be next. Micheal is a premier journalist and it would be a shame to see him go. Its very sad situation as I grew up watching many of these people. I think Bob Mayer (been there over 40 years) is the long time on air talent left. I hear his contract has a little over a year left on it. And what a surprise, they add Joe Cater to the show and seem to be using him more and more. If its true that Joe’s there to replace Bob Mayer. I have only one thing to say to Bob “Will you please turn the lights out when you leave”.
Nobody’s saying Tammy Delgado’s a bad person… no, no, no. She’s a dedicated mother… and uh, uh…hmmm… oh yeah… a former cheerleader and a voice talent for voice123.com. Okay, let’s forget for a moment that she went WAY out of her way to campaign to get Joel Connable fired — she’s just, putting it simply, NOT a news person. She’s (and forgive me for being brutally honest) a poor writer (spelling, YIKES,) a poor manager (ask ANY co-worker off the record) and a horrific producer. I’m sure she’s a great, sweet, tee-hee person – she’s just in the wrong business. She’s, as her fellow managers say, in way over her head. FACT. What do you call those people that hand out perfume samples in department stores? Their title escapes me – but, c’mon, Tammy would be great at that, I’m being serious… you know? Look, she doesn’t have friends at the station because she never had them… she has stabbed way too many people in the back — and she’s made it very clear to everyone that she would rather spend her time using the station gym (what? ewww!), online shopping and accepting payola (free kitchen, anybody?) then concentrating on the task at hand — and that’s making the shows that are under her supervision… uh….BETTER! Tammy, (and we all know that you obsessively read this blog) do you even notice that YOUR shows are in dead, LAST place. Don’t you think a little more effort on your part could help our cause?!? Do you even care??? Or do you just realize that you are incapable of nothing more and know that it’s just a matter of time before they call you upstairs. Oh, how it haunts you… that feeling that you know that call is coming. Well, I’ll give you this… you do have female intuition. Everybody… pick up your pom-poms and repeat after me… two, four, six, eight — who do we appreciate? Tammy, Tammy… hurray Tammy. No, but seriously preceding blogger, she’s not a bad person and yes, she is lonely.
BTW … Both Kelly and Pam in the morning at WTVJ are “part time” employees where they recieve none of the benefits of those which the full timers get. More cost cutting by WTVJ.
“Mitch,” Pam wanted to be part-time for family reasons. Kelly, well, not part-time by her choice. “Anne Kemp,” you are right on about Tammy Delgado. I’ve worked with her for years and although I feel your words are a bit harsh> I must agree> I do NOT respect her and she is, by far, the WORST manager I’ve ever worked under. I, like may of my co-workers, can’t wait for her to be replaced by someone we can look up to and learn from.
Mitch and Firewriter your both wrong. I work at TVJ. I remember Kelly asked to go part-time ten years ago after she had a kid and Pam was hired as a part-timer like seven years ago for the same reason. This is not new cost cutting if its their choice. There are plenty of other cubacks here going on though
FighterWriter….Since you work there, would you aggree that your company emails are being monitored and that Joe Carter is being groomed to replace Bob in the morning?
“Mitch,” company emails are being monitored> absolutely!!! We are all very well aware of that. But no, Joe Carter is NOT being groomed to replace Bob Mayer. Joe’s not even in Bob’s league. Joe will be here a few more weeks> months maybe> and then he will go the way of the TV antenna. By the way, next time you see Joe – ask him how many interns he’s> you know. And word is> it’s a mini package.
Well….I’ve been told by WTVJ employees to watch what i say and was given personal emails and told to use them when referring to personal matters.I aggree Bob’s a class journalist, but also a long time employee who very well paid because of his 40 plus years at the station. When has it stopped a station from replacing a quality anchor with a “newsreader”? How many anchors on the air have been here for over 10 years and are still at the same station? Enough said!
Irritablebowl, yes, she had a child and yes, it’s an ego saving move for one to say they decided to semi-retire and sacrifice their benefits for the sake of a child – how noble – but in reality, that’s not what went down behind the scenes. There are many people who have children who are working fulltime at TVJ – but not many who say – please take me out of primetime, cut my pay and stick me on a show that nobody watches. C’mon, really?
Typical doings of a big corporation who in tough times will use what unscrupulous ways to rid themselves of an obligation. I experienced a similar situation after 26 years with Delta Air Lines.
LEAVE TAMMY ALONE, just kidding!! I was told she’s on vacation also looking for jobs in PA, how is that possible, her Fiance just bought her a new home in weston.
I must admit that I find it hilarious seeing all this NBC news room dirt. It’s also funny to see the feeble outrage for loosing journalism standards these days. You all must be joking, right. I just happened to watch the 1976 film “Network” and if you never watched it you should view it and realize that the prostitution of American journalism has been going on for a long time now. There has not been anyone in South Florida of any note that can claim great journalism standards so to say that Kelly Craig and Bob Mayer have “cred” and it will be sad to loose them is wrong. In fact anybody with so called “cred” needs to go because it give credibility to the garbage that is being put in the air. Besides all this discussion about credibility and outrage over the firing of an anchor over payola is tawdry and an oxymoron anyway. As for all the hate for Rick Sanchez I must say it is ridiculous. Af all the south florida news people he is not only the most successful but in this climate he is the only one that occasionally dares to stray into territory that none of these local clowns even come close. Granted I think he should do more and be even more daring but then again he would not be allowed anyway.
Magnificent points altogether, you just received a logo new reader. What could you recommend about your submit that you just made a few days ago? Any positive?
NBC was wrong in terminating Joel. It seems like they were trying to find a reason to dump him and his hefty contract so they can find someone cheaper.
Ask Paul Moyer of LA, George Michael of DC, or Tony Segreto in Miami.
NBC can’t seem to hold on to anyone the viewers like to see. Have we resorted to Sharon Lawon and Kelly Craig? Nice people but could we please try to maintain some integrity and keep the knowledgeable not just news readers. What a shame for Joel Connable-he deserves so much better. For sure I will be looking at another network in the mornings and at night. Thanks for making the decision easier. I will be sure and let all of my neighbors know too.
Kelly Craig just a “news reader”??? Are you smoking crack?!
Amen, Kelly is the best thing left in that building
And now Kelly’s gone too!
Kudos to Joel! He was not deserving of his sudden dismissal by the management at NBC6/WTVJ.
I have been a loyal viewer of NBC6/WTVJ for decades and have stood by them throughout all of their mismanagement and loss of great on the air talent, but once they dropped Joel Connable…I DROPPED THEM!
I wish Joel all the best with his lawsuit and hope that he takes NBC6/WTVJ to the cleaners along with Tammy Delgado. I am confident he will make a rebound in his news career and hopefully South Florida will have the pleasure of having him on our TV screens soon.
Sayonara NBC6/WTVJ!
He didn’t go on the trip? What he hell? I know people at NBC who have been caught using drus int he parking lot, using their coprporate credit cards at strip clubs and, I know may people there who actually have taken things for free. That whole 11am show is a payto play newscast. The sales department decides who’s on it. Joel, you got canned because they were threatened by you. Hoepfully, you will pop up on Fox or Channel 10 where they will appreciate your skills. I will never watch NBC6.
This is all such a shame and an ugly, ugly situation. I don’t know if any of these allegations are true and, frankly, I don’t care. I certainly don’t believe they warranted his termination. Regardless, I truly feel obligated to report this as I do know this to be absolutely true because I saw it with my own eyes and heard it with my own ears. Tammy Delgado was indeed running around the newsroom like a giddy, little school girl telling anybody who would listen (myself included) about what she “discovered” about Joel and what she accused him of doing. I remember thinking at the time that this behavior is so grossly inappropriate for a manager. Anyway, I did lose a lot of respect for her on that day.
This economy is causing companies to do all kinds of nasty things to people just to save their own asses. I think it’s clear who’s in the right here. I also think the company will do everything in it’s power (speaking from experience) to make their allegations stand. I suggest Mark fight hard, fight loud and make a statement for those of us the “economy” is claiming unfairly. If there’s not an email or any correspondence that shows Mark DID have a role in pay for play (whether he did it or not), then the company’s got him. But if that’s not around, then this is 100% Mark in the right. There are hundreds of thousands, if not millions, out there standing behind them. I recommend NO ONE watch this crappy newscast again! I sure won’t!
I am so pissed reading this interview. NBC was wrong for firing him. I beleive that Joel followed the rules. NBC needs to terminate Tammy and Ardy the GM. Joel was the one that kept the ratings up. I’m tired of seeing Jackie and Julia on every evening newscasts. Jackie needs to be demoted bring back Jennifer Valoopi, Jose Diaz-Balart and even Joel Connable.I know Jennifer Valoopi left because of station management. When Jennifer Valoppi was taken off the desk I saw on her facial expression she was pissed when she use to do stand ups in the newsroom for the 5pm show. Does any1 think Dwight will come out of his retirement? I sure do miss him on Local 10. Back to NBC6, they need to hire and find a male anchor. To many woman, less men. Is that sexist? I think so. It will be nice if NBC communicates to Joel and say “It was a mistake, we want you back.” Do u think that will happened? HELL NAW!! NBC is all about money and they don’t give a damn about WTVJ. The viewers in this market wants WTVJ back to number 1.
I quit watching NBC6. I was sick of the poor news delivery, all the flubs, the lack of profesionalism and just a bad experience. I liked Joel Connable and went to a travel show in miami Beach and had a good time, had a chance to meet him and liked watching him on the weekends and so on, but I stopped watching the network because of what I stated above. Watch WSVN because you get all the news with the entertainment factor.
I truly believe WTVJ and NBC acted very wrongly in firing Joel. This could very well be the last nail in NBC’s coufin… I hope Joel makes NBC pay dearly.
As for Joel’s future in the news business… he’s deserves better. I don’t know about the rest of you… I could WGCL (CBS) in Atlanta pulling another Danielle Knox, and hiring Joel on as their new evening news co-anchor.
He wouldn’t be working for anyone better
Did anyone hear how all this went down? Rumors in the business are that that girl Tammy looked at emails in another employee’s mailbox. I don’t think that employee knew tha she was accessing their email. Isn’t that a federal crime?
Well, WTVJ has been becoming known as a station who is prone to doing things wrong. They are getting rid of the good talent one by one and replacing them with talent that appears to be found at The Dollar Store on the clearance isle.
While I agree that WTVJ is a shadow of its former self, I am curious as to what everyone’s watching instead? To me 6 and 10 are the only two reputable English language broadcasts in this market, and I think even that is debatable. Neither one is great (but they once were) – and ALL of our local stations seem to be rife with major management issues. Sadly there isn’t a great choice out there right now – but I do wonder where the 6 viewers are going.
I think we also need to remember that there are two sides to every story, and there may be many factors we don’t know.
Peeking at other people’s work e-mails? Ever heard of Larry Mendte? His house arrest is almost up. But one thing–putting Sharon Lawson and Kelly Craig together is cheap and stupid. Kelly has been here and done it all and still out-anchors the cheap fluff leftovers in this market every day. Bob Mayer and Kelly Craig-or Pam Giganti, for that matter–have more cred than anyone else left in this market.
I know a talent at one of the stations and know for a 100% fact that their station emails are being monitored and he is very careful on what he says in them. Legal or not, its being done!
I think in this case, the girl mentioned in the lawsuit went in another employee’s emails without that employee’s permission. Infact, I believe he ws laid off the week before and she looked at the emails the following week. I don’t know how she did it. Is that still email fraud or illegal?
One other thing….The bottom line is, it is always bad to get rid of an anchor or reporter that viewers like. NBC ratngs at 6 and 7 were doing well and Joel was creating a buzz. Unless he brought a gun to a school, or drove while under the influence, or hit someone while he was driving home from a party and then went home to have a few drinks before returning to the scene, why would you fire someone over this?
Who’s responsibility is it to review employee contracts? What happened to the HR Department in all this mess? If Connable’s lawsuit is found to have merit, someone’s head has to roll.
I think someone didn’t read his contract befre they did this. If it is a psecial clause, then maybeNBC thought they had no reason to review it. Dumb people.
I don’t have a dog in this fight, & I’m not familiar with the facts of the case, other than what is in the interview, but I seem to recall that Joel left his job in LA after some issue with magt. Again, I don’t know the circumstaces around his leaving there, & I could be wrong, but it may not be the best idea to be pushing the envelope for perks in today’s ecconomy, especially if you had a run in @ your last job.
Also, we should all remember that when you use the company’s computer @ work, your supervisor (as oppossed to your co-worker) can access “your” computer & read your e-mails, & see what websites you’ve gone to. So if you want to send personal e-mails, use your Palm Pilot (not the one that you get from your employer)
Just The News,
Like you said, you don’t know the facts and therefore should keep your mouth shut. Joel was very respected at KCAL in LA and left for what was supposed to be a step-up in his career with upward mobility with NBC. Seems the only one with integrity here was Joel.
It would be shocking if anyone at NBC fired someone when they did not feel that there was a contractual violation. Let’s get real folks. There had to be a thought process involving upper management and legal counsel. Without seeing the contract none of us can know the real deal, but don’t be so sure that they just tossed Joel haphazardly.
As for Joel, I hope he does have some grounds because as we have seen with fired anchors filing lawsuits in this market, some get saddled with huge legal bills when it’s all over. NBC has the $$ to sit on this for months and years…and wait Joel out. (Happens all the time)
Also, when you are talking about them unloading his big dollar contract, once again get real. NBC has not been writing lucrative local contracts for years. Whatever you think he was making, cut it in half. That’s reality. He is not the second coming of Tom Brokaw…so try to keep the scale of this on a believable level.
The real bottom line is…it sucks to be out of work right now and I feel bad for him right now. Even if they payout his contract it will only sustain him for a few months. Joel needs to be working on plan B.
You would be surprised at the screw ups that GE and its affiliates have done and later paid for. Go back and read about the Kidder Peabody fiasco or the government contracting mess in the aircraft division. Just because they are a large conglomerate doesn’t mean that someone at a lower level in Miami doesn’t screw up and not follow proper protocol. If NBC finds that they screwed up and violated his contract, they will pay off to make it go away and not further tarnish NBC’s reputation.
No, based on the crap NBC has been producing at the local and network level for years, we can assume they don’t know what they are doing. NBC will probably be the first network to go all infomercial at this rate. Amara Sohn did some horrible “report” about some fat-burning drink made in Delray this morning. So? The whole thing reeked of promotion. A disgrace. Good luck Joel. I hope you stick it to Zucker & Co. REAL good!
The degredation of TV news has been going on for years Chuck, so spare us the incredulity. Your take is a common complaint.
Joel’s situation is Joel’s situation, not another sign of the end of TV news the way we knew it. That world is long gone. Local TV and Network news was transformed in to infomercials years ago. Joel’s issue won’t get close to Zuckers desk…it’s small potatoes. Sorry Chuck. I’ve been in Zuck’s office and his focus is on entertainment programming, then network news entertainment programming, then what’s for lunch, then maybe he’ll think about local news.
Thanks for the pontifical decree, Rickie. The “degradation” is due to hacks like “Zuck” who are more interested in bottom-lining for the short term instead of long term commitment. The treatment of Joel is symptomatic of mismanagement throughout the industry. I’ll sum it up like this: why is Jackie Nespral still WTVJ’s #1 anchor when the ratings have steadily declined since she’s been there? Zuck and his ilk look at programming of all kinds as the stuff between the ads. Lack of proper focus is why TV sucks now.
Wonder why my comment I wrote yesterday is still waiting for moderation….lol
Because it said something along the lines of “Kanye West is on The View…”
It was spam 🙂
It was more or so to show my interest in Joel Connable.
The reason why Jackie is still the lead anchor is answered in one word “minorities”…..Look who they hire, black and latin….they don’t have one single full time white female reporter. NBC tells them what and how to do everything. If that teleprompter ever breaks, Jackie is finished !!! I like when a seriuos news story is reported Jackie gets a serious frown on her face, like she is a real journalist, don’t make me laugh !!!
Mitch and Chuck….your comments make it clear that you have no experience in the business, if you did it was short lived. You only repeat typical blogger garbage which is “say outrageous things and sound like you know what you’re talking about”. Do you test your commentaries in the mirror? Give it a rest…and let’s have a “real” discussion.
Asfar as Joel’s salry – who cares. That si his business. Trustme, people don’t give up jobs making great money in Los Angeles for less here. I am sure Joel was making some good money. I would guess high 200’s or maybe over 300. He was the main guy.
Sorry. I meant salary. Bad typing I am watching TV and not paying attention to ym computer
Rick(Sanchez, lol)….Once again your wrong. I did work in the business and have friends ( including one long time anchor , which upon his wishes I won’t name). When we talk , the one thing he says more then anything “I aggree with you 100% “. So if you think Jackie is a good anchor “watch her”. One thing you can be sure of , you will be in a very small minority. Minority, one word NBC uses alot.
Jackie Nespral is a wonderful person but if that TelePromPter goes out, she is dead in the water.
Terrible shame about Joel, he was the evening’s best and they made a big mistake, I like Julia but the rest are just not that good. The current morning crew has more credibility than the evening crew. (However, I have to say Roxanne makes me cringe.
I worked with a colleague who was terminated for a trip he was offered but never took. He sued and won. It cost the company some money and the sad part was the executives who approved the termination were never dismissed or even disciplined for their stupidity.
I hope that’s not the case here. Instead of paying Joel’s salary and retaining a respected talent they will pay more … a settlement and loss of viewers.
Managment at TVJ is, I’m sorry, a bad joke throughout the industry. It’s a shame to see how far a great, respected, celebrated station has fallen. Viewer apathy is at an all time high…so are the on-air mistakes. A station that once could boast the likes of Ralph Renick, Tony Segreto, Nick Bogert, David Bloom, Rob Pierce, Kip Whitlock – I could go on – now has the likes of Roxanne Vargas, Joe Carter, Ardyth Dierks and Tammy Delgado – I could go on. The station isn’t even a shadow of its former, respected self — now, it’s just a puddle of mismanaged, journalistic goo. Watch where you step, kids! The shows are a mess, but, shocker, they’re produced by practically teenagers. Also, do they even have editorial meetings anymore? Did you catch the lead at 6pm the other night? INEXCUSABLE! TVJ, do you realize that the other stations are laughing at you? LAUGHING! I’m sorry… but the station deserves a mulligan (a do over.) Note to GE: Sell it cheap and sell it FAST. Other stations can salvage the good parts like Hank, Ari, Diana, Bob and then the rest of South Florida can hit delete. Ardy? A rational GM? Are you kidding?!?!? Joel Connable was a solid and respected anchor at that station and they just dumped him over an alleged free trip that he didn’t even go on without as much as a warning??? Ok, who’s the mental midget that came up with that bright idea. Gee, let me take a wild stab at that one. The whole thing smells like a contract dump to me. DUH! Everybody sees that. Good luck TVJ. South Florida misses the old you — the days before you tried to become what you are not, Channel 7.
Paul Deanno, Jennifer Grey and now Joel. Something smells fishy and its not the Dolphins or Marlins!
Jennifer gray was forced out too, shewanted to stay a bit longer after she had resigned, they told her no.
Thank you to the Colonel & Jessica’s desk for backing up my comments. Rick, I forgot to mention , I have 2 degrees, one in Journalism and the other other in Radio- TV Broadcast Technology. Two of my classmates were Gary Franklin (Don Franklin’s son, former long time WTVJ weatherman) and Jim Duffy. former longtime cameraman for WTVJ. I know the business ! If anyone thinks Tony Segreto retired on his own doing, your dreaming…he was pushed out. They do monitor the emails at WTVJ, I know that for a 100% fact! I have been warned by one of their long time employees to watch what i say in them. Hank Tester “may” be the next pro to be pushed out. Nick Bogart is leaving too. If Joel stayed and worked with Julia, the ratings would have been up quite a bit after several years as the ratings for them started to improve after only a short time together. Right now, Bob Mayer and Julia are the only “real” anchors that WTVJ has left. What a shame !
Bogert, not Bogart.
By the way, Arlene Bornstein the part time reporter who can barely speak clearly is really a copy writer at WTVJ who they decided to put on the air cause she is Latin, female and cheap! How did I know that Rick? Well…Like I said, I have friends at WTVJ !
You can’t even spell Borenstein, stick with Tammy Delgado.
“This Just In” John Gerald( the most experienced weather person in South Florida) is now the early weekend weather person at WTVJ and it looks like they are putting Trina Robinson on as the evening weekend weather person. Why……Like I said before, black and female!! Can you spell “Titanic”?
Gerard, not Gerald
Same thing with Dwight Lauderdale, I think he was forced to retire too…
mitch, Tammy D is not a bad person she just wants her title to be official, it was never made official by any one, When they moved her to the overnight EP position I was on my way out to New York, I heard from remaining friends there, that she’s a very lonely person there, she doesnt know who to trust, she stopped being friends with tons of people there.
To NBC6 Fan….Not only was Dwight forced out , but so was Don Nole and Jimmy Ceffalo. Both were long time employees and very well paid. I believe Jimmy was making in excess of $350,000 a year. Something tells me that they are paying Will Manso about half that. You do the math. Micheal Putney another top journalist who is one of the top paid people there could be next. Micheal is a premier journalist and it would be a shame to see him go. Its very sad situation as I grew up watching many of these people. I think Bob Mayer (been there over 40 years) is the long time on air talent left. I hear his contract has a little over a year left on it. And what a surprise, they add Joe Cater to the show and seem to be using him more and more. If its true that Joe’s there to replace Bob Mayer. I have only one thing to say to Bob “Will you please turn the lights out when you leave”.
Noe, not Nole
Nobody’s saying Tammy Delgado’s a bad person… no, no, no. She’s a dedicated mother… and uh, uh…hmmm… oh yeah… a former cheerleader and a voice talent for voice123.com. Okay, let’s forget for a moment that she went WAY out of her way to campaign to get Joel Connable fired — she’s just, putting it simply, NOT a news person. She’s (and forgive me for being brutally honest) a poor writer (spelling, YIKES,) a poor manager (ask ANY co-worker off the record) and a horrific producer. I’m sure she’s a great, sweet, tee-hee person – she’s just in the wrong business. She’s, as her fellow managers say, in way over her head. FACT. What do you call those people that hand out perfume samples in department stores? Their title escapes me – but, c’mon, Tammy would be great at that, I’m being serious… you know? Look, she doesn’t have friends at the station because she never had them… she has stabbed way too many people in the back — and she’s made it very clear to everyone that she would rather spend her time using the station gym (what? ewww!), online shopping and accepting payola (free kitchen, anybody?) then concentrating on the task at hand — and that’s making the shows that are under her supervision… uh….BETTER! Tammy, (and we all know that you obsessively read this blog) do you even notice that YOUR shows are in dead, LAST place. Don’t you think a little more effort on your part could help our cause?!? Do you even care??? Or do you just realize that you are incapable of nothing more and know that it’s just a matter of time before they call you upstairs. Oh, how it haunts you… that feeling that you know that call is coming. Well, I’ll give you this… you do have female intuition. Everybody… pick up your pom-poms and repeat after me… two, four, six, eight — who do we appreciate? Tammy, Tammy… hurray Tammy. No, but seriously preceding blogger, she’s not a bad person and yes, she is lonely.
Spot-on, well done. I personally enjoy reading her tweets. After Joel was let go, there was one about Kharma. Hmmmm.
Tammy, Tammy… hurray Tammy. I’ve seen nice pictures and videos of her cheerleading in temple U in the early 90’s.
BTW … Both Kelly and Pam in the morning at WTVJ are “part time” employees where they recieve none of the benefits of those which the full timers get. More cost cutting by WTVJ.
“Mitch,” Pam wanted to be part-time for family reasons. Kelly, well, not part-time by her choice. “Anne Kemp,” you are right on about Tammy Delgado. I’ve worked with her for years and although I feel your words are a bit harsh> I must agree> I do NOT respect her and she is, by far, the WORST manager I’ve ever worked under. I, like may of my co-workers, can’t wait for her to be replaced by someone we can look up to and learn from.
Mitch and Firewriter your both wrong. I work at TVJ. I remember Kelly asked to go part-time ten years ago after she had a kid and Pam was hired as a part-timer like seven years ago for the same reason. This is not new cost cutting if its their choice. There are plenty of other cubacks here going on though
FighterWriter….Since you work there, would you aggree that your company emails are being monitored and that Joe Carter is being groomed to replace Bob in the morning?
“Mitch,” company emails are being monitored> absolutely!!! We are all very well aware of that. But no, Joe Carter is NOT being groomed to replace Bob Mayer. Joe’s not even in Bob’s league. Joe will be here a few more weeks> months maybe> and then he will go the way of the TV antenna. By the way, next time you see Joe – ask him how many interns he’s> you know. And word is> it’s a mini package.
Well….I’ve been told by WTVJ employees to watch what i say and was given personal emails and told to use them when referring to personal matters.I aggree Bob’s a class journalist, but also a long time employee who very well paid because of his 40 plus years at the station. When has it stopped a station from replacing a quality anchor with a “newsreader”? How many anchors on the air have been here for over 10 years and are still at the same station? Enough said!
Irritablebowl, yes, she had a child and yes, it’s an ego saving move for one to say they decided to semi-retire and sacrifice their benefits for the sake of a child – how noble – but in reality, that’s not what went down behind the scenes. There are many people who have children who are working fulltime at TVJ – but not many who say – please take me out of primetime, cut my pay and stick me on a show that nobody watches. C’mon, really?
Typical doings of a big corporation who in tough times will use what unscrupulous ways to rid themselves of an obligation. I experienced a similar situation after 26 years with Delta Air Lines.
LEAVE TAMMY ALONE, just kidding!! I was told she’s on vacation also looking for jobs in PA, how is that possible, her Fiance just bought her a new home in weston.
your source is guiding you wrong TL, she’s back to work happier than ever.
I must admit that I find it hilarious seeing all this NBC news room dirt. It’s also funny to see the feeble outrage for loosing journalism standards these days. You all must be joking, right. I just happened to watch the 1976 film “Network” and if you never watched it you should view it and realize that the prostitution of American journalism has been going on for a long time now. There has not been anyone in South Florida of any note that can claim great journalism standards so to say that Kelly Craig and Bob Mayer have “cred” and it will be sad to loose them is wrong. In fact anybody with so called “cred” needs to go because it give credibility to the garbage that is being put in the air. Besides all this discussion about credibility and outrage over the firing of an anchor over payola is tawdry and an oxymoron anyway. As for all the hate for Rick Sanchez I must say it is ridiculous. Af all the south florida news people he is not only the most successful but in this climate he is the only one that occasionally dares to stray into territory that none of these local clowns even come close. Granted I think he should do more and be even more daring but then again he would not be allowed anyway.
George Michael is also a great singer and was quite famous in the 80’s era.~`:
Magnificent points altogether, you just received a logo new reader. What could you recommend about your submit that you just made a few days ago? Any positive?