According to reports on FTVLive.com, layoffs may soon be on their way to all NBC O&O’s, including WTVJ. According to sources, NBC O&O’s are being asked to pay in excess of 10 million dollars together to help cover the reported nearly $40 million dollars being given to Conan O’Brien and his staffers as a severance payment. The alleged problem is there is simply no way to raise the money without layoffs. FTVLive says that in other words, more layoffs are expected to hit the owned and operated stations.
“The only way the O&O’s will be able to raise the money will be through layoffs.” A source tells FTVLive’s Scott Jones.
So what’s next to go at WTVJ? Better yet, what exactly can go at WTVJ? The once glorious station is running a skin and bones operation as it is; already dissolving it’s weekend morning news and sports. What more can they get rid of? What (or who) do you think is next to go?
Maybe they can sell all their HD stuff to WFOR and go back to SD. At the rate they’re going, they should be shutting down for good anyway.
On another note, they could probably come up with their part of Conan’s buyout with one big swoop of the axe, but they’d never do it. They love her too much.
I sense that this is bull. WTVJ may have layoffs, but i doubt thats the reason. Even today, it has been reported that Conans intellectual property rights are going to cost him, and that aside…they are already paying him a salary near the size of his buyout…why would more money be needed. I think FTV is wrong.
It is not my fault Conan failed it is his, now all of NBC must pay for my…..I mean his downfall.
One rumor site using another rumor site as a source? Yeah, that’s the ticket!
I heard WTVJ found a dog that likes peanut butter. You hear that Ted Turner?
In sports terms, dumping Jackie Nespral and Conan O’Brien to keep Jay Leno looks like a deal where all sides lose. I can’t see where else they can cut, so they may as well go for the big cut. Sorry Jackie. I heard Tisha left SFL.
It’s gonna be Kevin Corke…you watch. What they really need to do is assess WNBC in New York. NBC refuses to do ANYTHING to change that station yet its ratings suck. Chuck and Sue alone cost NBC nearly $10 Million, which is unheard of considering they have even at times fallen behind My9 news there. Yet, NBC keeps pickin on old little NBC Miami.
They were planning on announcing the layoffs at 10 PM, but unfortunately it got bumped over to 11:30… Nothing we can do to stop that…
Layoffs? At WTVJ? It’s Comcastic!
Frankly, anyone who is paid six figures, and says “Tuck-son” instead of Tucson, isn’t worth it.
There are college kids who will do the job for a fraction of the price.
Throw another one overboard. Who cares.
Julia Roberts nailed it:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bsu1rBAa-rw
I wish everyone who does get laid off all the best and hope the report is not true for there sakes
I think that’s not the reason. I really hope they don’t get rid of any one else as they are already running on skeleton crew.
I’d rather see Jackie Nespral go. Based on what I’m reading, I have nothing to say.
They could always just sell the building and move to Hialeah. How’s that for stirring the pot on another rumor?
I think you’re right Pablo. It would be silly, but so consistent with the pattern of mismanagement.
They are in the process of selling that building and moving to Hialeah. What happened to the nearly Half billion NBC made on selling downtown Miami land in 1999 to the US Govt for that courthouse???
Although if they do sell the bldg and move operations to Hialeah, it will make things more difficult if they have to sell the station later on. Unless PNS steps back up to buy it.
the PNS deal will never happen again. Also…NBC is not selling WTVJ…
Never say never. Everything has a price and times change. Also, who knows what roadblocks DOJ, FTC and FCC put up on the Comcastic deal. I don’t know, but I’m sure that you do, GB. You seem to know everything about everything.
I’d rather get laid than laid off – but working at WTVJ these days is forcing me to reconsider.
GB…where do you come up this this crap, moving to Hialeah ? Your stories are getting old and factless!
Go to WTVJ and look inside…see for yourself.
GB – for the sake of the argument on all sides, lets just not bring it up… After all, (and after years of having connections in the industry)I’ve heard nothing about this so called move. When I hear the slightest bit of information, I’ll pass it along. 🙂
I offered you proof long ago, and you didn’t want to take it.
No, you offered me a story. You never presented any 100% factual evidence to me. I even asked around to a few of my sources about the sale. While there is a property in Hialeah, the probability of a move what-so-ever is very unlikely; even more so with the station being for sale. (And don’t think the station isn’t for sale, it most certainly is. If a buyer came along and offered NBC a good price, don’t think they wouldn’t sell WTVJ in a heartbeat.)BTW – I don’t think they got the property for free. I believe that the city offered them financial incentives for the move, but free? I remember hearing different.
Tell me what proof they are moving to the hell hole called Hialeah and that no newspaper has picked that up? And don’t tell me to go there, unless they have a sign in their station saying “moving to Hialeah”…….
Well they havent sold the property they got for free in 1998 yet. Once that happens and its all initiated, then they will move.
The only move to Hialeah that was ever considered was when T-51 was going to move back there after the sale. There were plans being drawn up, and acted upon. NOTHING like that is going on now, I promise. You don’t just throw your crap into some boxes and move a TV station. This wouldn’t be a very well kept secret, sorry to break it to you. They just re-carpeted the entire friggin station and are in the process of rearranging all the desks and chairs in the newsroom. (blah, blah, insert deck chairs on the Titanic reference here, blah blah).
GB, you’re wrong.
Alex, most of your sources are full of crap and giving you patently false information, but it is always good for a laugh. You’re on my bookmarks bar, right between the onion and TMZ.
Oh good they replaced the carpet…does it have little peacocks on it now like some NBC offices?????
I’m actually more sure about the station not being for sale than I am about the move to hialeah. However I think what you said about the right amount of money could be said for any of it’s o&os right now. I told you someone high up at NBC in new York had said that they are no longer looking to sell wtvj…which still lines up with what you are saying. If they were offered say…a billion $$$ for any of their stations and assets they would sign that away immedietly…including wtvj.
Move to Hialeah is iminent, you’ll see. And a story was not the source I was talkin about…
Also you Alex brought up nbc6 moving to Hialeah on this site before I ever did!
I think it is obvious that anything you read anywhere should be taken with a grain of salt. I admire the webmasters of this site; it is a fun place where frustrated amateur programmers like myself can vent, and those in the biz have an outlet where they can expel their annoyances under cloak of privacy. We don’t know until we know. That is the problem across the media today. Sometimes it’s best to wait and let things sort out. In the interim, we can come to places like this and guess (some are educated guesses and others not so much). Look at football. How many idiots are telling you who WILL win? They can hypothesize but there is no way to know. By Sunday night, we’ll know. Let’s lighten up and sing “|Kumbaya,” shall we. Again, great work to Alex and the crew.
GB, They havent sold some piece of property and that your proof???? Well….maybe, they are waiting for values to go up again or maybe Telemundo which is part of the same company has plans for it…..So much for your proof….lol
GB…The station very likely may be for sale, that I wont argue, but moving to Hialeah, I’d bet Chick’s left nut that that aren’t….lol
Station’s not for sale….other stations around the country (and in Florida) are selling soo….economy that would no longer be a valid excuse. Therefore if NBC were shopping the station around, they surely would have sold it or had interest by now.
Meant…Chuck…..type 0……
You might want to make a smaller bet Mitch…got witnesses! I thought for sure that TVJ would sell their building to SVN, which does need to get out of N Bay Village–but funny thing is, TVJ is very, very close to Comcast’s South Florida HQ in Miramar. I can’t wait to see what happens there.
If Ed did buy that building he wouldnt move WSVN there. I met Ed and I can tell you that 7s home is North Bay Village and always will be. They’re quite passionate about that space. If anything he would move more of the business side of sunbeam and do other things with a Miramar facility.
Chuck, I spoke to a long time WTVJ employee and he said that deal was nixed a while back. Nothing gonna happen, he feels very sure about it.
Of course not. It was just ONE strategy someone came up with at 30 Rock for NBC to make extra cash. That strategy didnt work out, and therefore that idea has been put to bed. They arent seeking to sell the station or shop it around or anything…or any of its O&Os for that matter…They even have room to legally buy one more large market station. But as I said, if they were offered enough i think they would pretty much be willing to sell any of their stations.
For once GB is right, Ch 7 is not going anywhere. It all started since Ed owned some other property in Miramar. Very casual talk, I’m told. That was it.
Chuck, you said I should make a smaller bet, you dont really want me to comment on that, do you? Lol
I also said I have witnesses. That meant they can testify that what you originally wagered was far too substantial a bet! I think we are doing a wonderful job tiptoeing around this. Don’t wake Diego up.
I’ll be quiet……I promise………………….
what is wtvj?
Ask Ruth, she’ll explain it.
Its a place where this tall guy with a booming voice used to do the news from the 50s – 70s. You never heard of him Ralph
Ruth, the long time trusted woman who worked there for so many years.