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WBZ Cuts
By Michael Page | March 31, 2008
WBZ made staff cuts today. While the station is not saying much about the cuts, it seems around 30 jobs at the station were lost. The exact positions which were cut are unknown, but at this point they seem to be newsroom cuts, not on-air cuts. Similar cuts have been made at other CBS O & O’s around the nation over the past few weeks.
Topics: WBZ (Channel 4) | 17 Comments »
April 1st, 2008 at 12:33 am
blame it on the economy
April 1st, 2008 at 6:19 am
at least no on air talent has been cut as of yet
April 1st, 2008 at 7:28 am
They’re no different than any other company.
April 1st, 2008 at 9:50 am
I wonder whether it causes friction within the WBZ ‘community’ when all the cuts are behind the camera rather than in front of it?
April 1st, 2008 at 12:13 pm
Rich,
“[A]t least…” – you make that sound as if it’s the worst thing that could possibly happen! Believe me when I tell you… it isn’t. Most of the on-air types are making 8-10x more than those who got the chop.
And while Chris will be shocked… I would advocate cutting loose Scott Wahle. Unlike Chris, I don’t have an abiding hatred for Scott, but as the sole anchor of a show whose daily figures barely justify its existence, cutting out his salary and doing away with a completely useless broadcast could have spared three or four of his colleagues the axe – and while I bear Scott absolutely no ill will, that might have been a decidely more sensible solution to at least some of their financial woes.
April 1st, 2008 at 12:34 pm
What galls me is, according to newspaper reports, some of those who were laid off were hustled out the door by security. Give these poor people some shread of dignity. Do you think they were going to set fire to Human Resources or steal a camera?
April 1st, 2008 at 12:46 pm
I agree with you, Al; but this is the standard operating procedure of most corporations. It must be something that human resources people are taught in school: “As soon as you fire an employee, make them leave the premises immediately.”
April 1st, 2008 at 1:49 pm
I am suprised that WBZ-TV has made 30 cuts. I know Sara Underwood was let go early March but are they going to replace her. I also know that Dawn Hasbrouck has gone on maternity leave for a couple of months and I want to make you aware of that. I also noticed a couple of cuts/changes at WBZ’s sister radio station Oldies 103.3 FM Radio over the past few months. First Pete Falconi the Program Director was let go and replaced by New Program Director Jay Beau Jones. Second Patrick Callahan was let go from his 6-9PM DJ shift moving JJ Wright from his 1AM-5:30AM shift to take the 6-9PM slot vacated by Patrick Callahan. Any word on who will be working the 1AM-5:30AM shift on Oldies 103.3?
April 1st, 2008 at 1:58 pm
I don’t harbor any ‘ill will’ toward Wahle, but I’ve always felt he was horribly miscast as a news anchor. Aside from Ed Harding (and he’s up for debate, too), the whole sports-anchor-to-news-anchor paradigm is a failed one. Wahle did latch onto a few of the more grating irritants of a news anchor. One was his reliance on the chuckling ‘yuk-yuk’ anchor banter; another was his shuffling stacks of paper in front of him as if with some great purpose; a third was his collapse at being able to read the teleprompter (hence his on again-off again try at glasses). If he was host of the new Community Auditions, I’d probably watch to hear him sing a tune.
April 1st, 2008 at 3:24 pm
Shaun…just a quck question. Are you from Whitman?
April 1st, 2008 at 5:10 pm
WBZ has eliminated Sara’s position and has no plans to replace her.
April 1st, 2008 at 6:49 pm
Someone on the TV Spy Watercooler says Paula Ebben’s contract is not being renewed.
April 1st, 2008 at 7:34 pm
That was rumored a while ago as well, but I have not really heard anything of substance about it.
HOWEVER, there are rumblings of BIG shake ups at BZ in terms of on-air personalities…I cannot post details quite yet, but please do stay tuned.
April 1st, 2008 at 10:00 pm
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April 2nd, 2008 at 6:56 am
This by no means leaves WBZ with nothing but ‘Grade A’ talent. Steve Burton and David Robichaud are two others who must have pocket-fulls of shamrocks. The former is irritating; the latter is just plain goofy…and seemingly proud of it.
April 2nd, 2008 at 1:16 pm
To Answer Mike’s Question I lived in Whitman from 1980-1983 and again from 2000-2001. I grew up in Cohasset from 1986-1999.
April 4th, 2008 at 1:14 pm
Oh….I know there is a Shawn Galvin that is in high school in Whitman. I didnt know if you were him or not!!! Sorry!