According to Altice, consumers are responding positively to the new News 12. As with the hiring of Gruber who one source calls the most condescending woman Ive ever encountered sources say there were further problems with the hiring of Amy Waldman, who became the Long Island branchs assistant news director in February 2020, a few months prior to Natzs hiring. Sources close to the situation, who tried to convey to management that leveraging Veseys reporting experience also put employees at greater risk, say the memo communicated to them that worker safety was not of top priority at News 12. Upon graduation from NYU, Lawson earned the James Fenimore Cooper Memorial Prize, which is presented annually to the most outstanding undergraduate student of journalism. She went on to thank her audience for supporting her work with KSAT. In 1995 they decided to take what we were doing on a daily basis, one show, two shows a day, and put it into a 24-hour news format that could really serve the neighborhoods with news thats important to most people. Elizabeth Hashagen is a well-known reporter for News 12 in Long Island, New York. If that were the case, they say, departed staffers would have left the trade altogether. Due to flooding, Gov. JR: Ill be honest with you, I think they have a larger responsibility, because there are so many facts and figures coming in every day that they have to sift through, and I also think there is its unfair, but so many deadlines are imposed on people, and theres this belief that you have to be the first one to report something, and I think journalists have gotten into trouble rushing to get a story to air or rushing to get a story on their website or rushing to get on Facebook. Brenda Teele is an Emmy Award-winning journalist, news-anchor, host, and media coach, who officially joined the . Initially, management responded with an email to News 12 staffers, obtained by TVNewsCheck, instructing employees not to engage with hecklers on social media and to alert Altice security if they felt physically threatened. If you have that love, you have to pursue it. Sources say at News 12, Waldman has also mimicked her behavior toward Evseroff from her days at WPIX. Instead of hyperlocal news, consumers of News 12 today see, as a former staffer describes it, fluff. Theyre watching more entertainment than news, sources say, and consumers often take to social media to vent their frustration with the brand. Ana Orsini. KTLA. Emmy-winning anchor and political correspondent Janine Rose is back doing what she does best this time on WVOX 1460 radio. These are people who truly know the communities they cover. I endured abuse for a very long time.. . And of course we started with the news of the day, which was the terror attack in New York City. Join Rick Holmes, Annalisa Klebers, Lauren Fabrizi, Don Smith, Justin Godynick, and Geoff Bansen for the latest headlines, business news, traffic and weather . (News Director Pauline Chiou had taken a leave of absence a week or so earlier. Described in an Altice press release as a "longtime veteran journalist, digital and media strategist," Natz was put in charge of "the entire News 12 organization, including editorial and business operations." He was tasked with growing the digital imprint of the group, boosting . You can correct it, but then when you correct it, youre giving fuel to the fire that journalists arent fair or objective, if youre putting out wrong information. There will always be times when things come together. A lot of news agencies are in that position where they have to look at the economics of what theyre doing. Discussing the News 12 programming changes, one anonymous media buyer supports the staffers complaints. Sources also believe the companys upper management purposely includes trumped up charges of poor performance in employee reviews to make cases for their firings, keeping Altice in compliance with the Dolan sales agreement. "Mornings with News 12" is the only place to get the local news that matters to your community. Other employees detail events that felt like personal attacks on co-workers considering a departure from News 12. The ouster came 13 years after an accuser . Malibu, CA. Roxanne Evans is an Emmy Award-winning evening news anchor for News 12 Connecticut. "What even is KSAT without Isis Romero?!?" Today, journalism is a lot harder to get into, as you said. It was just people tearing [us] apart.. After investigating the allegations of employee mistreatment outlined in the article, Altice fired the station group's general manager, Jacques Natz.However, a bigger picture of network-wide malfeasance, which has not only inspired dozens more departures, but compromised News 12's hyperlocal value proposition in markets with no shortage of impactful stories has emerged. 673,057 people like this. One former Long Island employee says, We were told [by upper-level managers] several times, Look, were the only product on Long Island; people are gonna watch us no matter what.. At editorial meetings, every reporter was told that stories need to be thought of in terms of how to monetize them versus impact on the community, says one source. Jackie Lukas has left the News 12, as her 16-year long journey came to an end on January 2022. That story was spread internationally so we could capitalize on it.. A year later that half-hour newscast morphed into the nation's first 24-hour local news channel, News 12 Long Island. So Cablevision saw the opportunity to reach out into the suburbs and provide the local news that everyone wanted. But people care about their childrens education, they care about their taxes, they care about local crime, and that was actually not the focus of the New York City news stations. They added that it was unclear why Romero's contract wasn't renewed. Jason Hahn. Getty Images. This act and others meant that Altice had failed to maintain the legacy and quality of News 12, according to the Dolan complaint. In a comment next to a recent Facebook post of a story by former News 12 reporter Eileen Lehpamer, whos moved to WPIX in New York, one user also called News 12 stories fluff., Underneath another recent Facebook post from News 12 Long Island, which reported that police were searching for a woman who stole from a supermarket, users skewered the station for shaming someone they believed in desperate need of food. Why was she let go/fired? They worry that their credibility as meteorologists is on the line; however, sources say nothing has changed. Annette [Stellato] did everything she could to help her staff, the source continues, which included many young reporters and photographers on the most terrifying night of their lives. Ed Henry has had a long career in television news. Mix comfort and convenience at Comfort Inn. Well, Rose is back and smelling as sweet as ever, this time as the host of her own radio show WVOX. A professor in the Morehouse college, he joined Fox News in 2007 and he appeared often on the O'Reilly Show where he discussed with O'Reilly on socio-political issues. The Emmy-award winning journalist was there for some of Long Island's most historic and memorable events including the crash of Avianca Flight 52 in Cove Neck, the LIRR shooting massacre, the TWA Flight 800 tragedy, the September 11th terror attacks and Superstorm Sandy. The response to Veseys scenario told our viewing audience we accepted the confrontation. Multiple sources say that comments like these are rampant on social media and have been for the past few years since the Altice takeover. 728,429 people follow this. When the news segment ended she was caught spacing out whi. I will be forever grateful.". In the bluntest dismissal of a South Florida anchor team in recent memory, WPEC-Ch. In his story, Vesey first describes the scene at the rally and the protesters motivations for being there. They dont exist, and sources say this fact underscores the station groups forced efforts to air branded content and overhype weather events. New hires were not provided sufficient training, sources say, which forced more experienced staffers to pick up the slack. I dont see it as a dying profession at all? The recruiter, who spoke anonymously so as not to disrupt prospective career opportunities, says theyve heard about the News 12 hostile work environment and the short tempers, raised voices and banging fists on the table from upper management. Network veterans paint a far more idyllic picture of work life at News 12 under the leadership of Patrick Dolan, who co-founded News 12 and served as its president for 30 years. She announced her termination from the station on July 27, 2021. Mark Mester, a Los Angeles-area news anchor, was fired from CW affiliate KTLA just days after criticizing the station's executives for how they handled his co-anchor's departure. Vic Faust, the Fox 2 news anchor who last week directed a profane tirade at a female co-host on a local radio show, has been fired by the television station. I was very blessed to get into Cablevision early on in my career and to pursue a television career, which I came to love and adore. After Waldman showed up, employee performance review scores of veteran workers plummeted, multiple sources say. The first week, when I started the show, I had George Latimer, state senator George Latimer, on. Part of the companys weather branding, sources say, is another Altice-initiated gimmick: the News 12 forecasting vehicle, Thunderbolt. Multiple sources express dismay over leaderships insistence that meteorologists play up weather events to sound overtly threatening when they are not. Current KSAT Vice President and General ManagerPhil Lane thanked Romerofor her service to the station in an email. 2:47 Feb 21, 2023 The furore at KTLA-TV began last week when the . Other voices outside the company are mixed in their criticism. WEST ALLIS, Wis (CBS 58) -- A 12-year-old boy is dead, and another child is injured after a shooting late Saturday night at a West Allis bar. Among the latest cuts are veteran anchor Jackie Lukas, sports anchor Jamie Stuart, and reporters Christine Insinga, and Shari Einhorn, who took to social media to announce their departures from News 12 over the weekend. News 12 Long Island (TV Series 1986- ) cast and crew credits, including actors, actresses, directors, writers and more. "Okay so what the f*** did Isis Romero do though. 1,869 people checked in here. A news anchor has been fired by a local Los Angeles television station after he apologised to viewers for the sudden departure of his former co-host. He remained a senior network advisor for some months afterward, but was forced to move out of his office in the Long Island newsroom into a tiny corner space located in an administrative wing of the grounds. Janine: Oh, no. One day late last year, a meteorologist commented to another staffer that there was no reason News 12 should announce its in Storm Watch mode. I enjoyed anchoring San Antonio's #1 newscast for the past decade, and I especially took pride in representing my culture and community as the city's most tenured Latina news anchor currently on English-language TV.". Josh Elliot was abruptly fired by CBS News on Monday and escorted out of the building by security. News 12 Long Island, do better and delete this., Another Facebook user wrote: You have nothing serious to report other than a woman who is probably stealing food to feed her kids?! Because, in many cases, news directors have imposed on them so that we not only want you to file a story by 5 oclock today, but we want you to do five Facebook posts, and we want you to go on your Twitter account. So theres this rush to get information out, and I think we have to be very cautious that that information be accurate before we broadcast it to the world or podcast it to the world or type it to the world or put it out on any venue, even a radio station. Lawson is a proud graduate of New York University with a . The business is small is a constant refrain from sources. Her . This, too, is all part of the Altice effort to cut costly staff, sources believe. Some sources observe that there is a place for sponsored content and ads in news broadcasts. Jackie Lukas is a television journalist, anchor, and reporter from the United States. Ratings for the stations have risen, a company spokesperson told TVNewsCheck, including record highs during the pandemic and even more recently as coverage has normalized. While aggregate ratings of comparable broadcast affiliates and 24-hour news channels fell by double digits, the last three years, the rep adds, News 12 ratings have climbed by 8%. Bob Salter, the longtime San Antonio TV anchorman with matinee idol looks, a taste for adventure and a passion for flying, died Friday of what appeared to be natural causes in his home in the . 1 market, but as a result youre getting less experienced folks who arent ready for that type of market, the recruiter says. Reporters were hit especially hard. She was always a professional and her love of our city was always on display. If youre going to be a journalist, dont expect to be a millionaire. At the heart of the issue is the . When [Natz] took over we really became alarmist, says a former News 12 staffer, commenting on the weather reporting. In comments underneath a News 12 Facebook post promoting the story, a platform user posted a link to an article from another Long Island news source about four people who were arrested for illegal gun possession. The number of News 12 distribution channels and brand exposure may have broadened of late, but the integrity of the organizations reported content has been called into question by current and former employees. She co-anchored the newscast at the CBS affiliate in Louisville that received the prestigious Edward R. Murrow Award for best newscast. These sources also say employee safety has been compromised across News 12, and they liken their work experience at the company to that of a traumatic event. The effect of Natzs draconian changes, as one former staffer calls them, made life difficult for News 12 personnel, particularly the old guard who commanded the highest salaries because, sources speculate, Altice harbored a desire to save money on staff salary cuts. She was all alone, without help, when she needed it most for her staff.. And so some weeks its more local than others, some weeks, in light of, again, the news of the day, it becomes more nationally or regionally focused. She enjoys every opportunity she can get to help others understand the lifesaving importance of leading a healthier lifestyle. The network claims it was forced to scramble when Reed McDonough, 27, allegedly quit . During one video conference meeting with personnel, Natz was confronted by an anonymous News 12 worker, who had their webcam turned off and was signed in under a pseudonym. The insider also says, from their perspective, the News 12 brand does not appear to have fallen out of favor in the industry or with viewers. Yearly raises and employee bonuses dependent upon these review scores were not dispensed to those who, according to sources, unjustifiably scored ones and twos. I loved my job, I loved going to work every day, says another former newsroom staffer. I kind of act as the catalyst, asking questions and getting feedback. As former employees note, management clearly did not consult with weather forecasters on its branding because thunderbolts are not meteorological phenomena at all. But the micromanaging and constant criticism directed toward these workers said otherwise, they assert. You guys missed another one as usual. Wrote another: Stop the drama News 12 Long Island.. Isis Romero was one of the most recognizable faces on KSAT 12 San Antonio for over a decade. I dont think its dying. During his time at KSLA, Doug has earned numerous Emmy awards, multiple Reporter of the Year honors from the Louisiana Associated Press and Association of Broadcasters, and won both regional and national Edward R. Murrow awards. Join Carissa Lawson, Kristina Behr, James Gregorio, and Don Smith for the latest headlines, breaking news from overnight, traffic and weather information for all . WM caught up with Rose recently, to see how shes settling into her new gig. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it. And its important, I think, to really look at all these issues nationally, internationally, regionally, and locally. After that, I stopped telling people where I worked and stopped wearing my News 12 gear in public.. We had said [to management] multiple times that we want differentiated branding, says one former News 12 Long Island employee, because there was a day or two where we had legitimate tornadoes in Suffolk County and were using the same branding that we would be if it was raining hard., Weather, in any news station, thats kind of your bread and butter, says another former News 12 staffer. An interview request to Waldman was unanswered. I would have stayed there till I decided to retire and I would have been very happy doing that., Im in a station now where everyone has each others back, says a source who left News 12. Lawson has won an Associated Press Award for feature reporting. The days of news coverage of local stories, studio interviews of politicians and celebrities on morning show couches are long dead. "When I came into the station, our general manager John Seabers told me they were exercising the termination clause in my . In October 2021, while News 12 Long Island was once again in Storm Watch mode, covering what the staff called a Noreaster, dozens of locals took to Facebook and hounded the station with critical comments indicating they were experiencing an ordinary rain event. Jeff is an award winning anchor and reporter who joined the News 12 team in 2023. What Noreaster? wrote one person in a comment. Sources say the low marks were supported by falsehoods and exaggerated tales of what were, at worst, minor infractions. Ive heard the rumor that journalism is dying. So I just want to make that clear. A Fox anchor in Michigan was fired after going into an off-air tirade against his co-anchor. He was let go by the company a few months later, and the lawsuit was settled in 2019. According to a recruiter with ties to the news industry, the companys reputation for worker mistreatment, as well as its propensity for exceptionally low wages for new hires, is having a debilitating effect on Altices ability to attract quality talent to its seven cable channels. But it was clear to the staff that she wasnt being supported by upper management. However, across News 12 platforms emerged the Storm Watcher logo with a lightning bolt piercing through the middle of the team branding, suggesting a major weather event was on the horizon. However, more than one source speaks positively of Waldman, saying they had no issues with her and in some cases that she was kind, generous and supportive of them. Those whove earned the highest salaries at News 12, after accruing lengthy track records of quality work and trust in the markets they serve, have borne the brunt of toxic management in recent years, sources say. Such occurrences have become typical in News 12 newsrooms, according to sources. A disconnect in station leadership was partly to blame, say sources close to the situation. Newsday sat down with former News 12 anchor Stone Grissom to discuss life since leaving News 12 last year and his new role at a TV station in Elmira. Referring to a Long Island neighborhood composed largely of low-income earners, the commenter wrote, This is what people in Roosevelt have to deal with. Employees discussed their safety concerns with management and asked for additional security measures to be put in place for their protection. It promoted two brands in a single spot, and one source says content like that was corny and it delegitimized us. The source thought to themself at the time, Are we journalists or shills?. It's one destination for everything you need to know to start your day. She enjoys traveling in her time off and is also a vegetarian who advocates for healthy living. Singleton, hired from a Lexington TV station in 2015, had his disagreements with WCPO-TV management. But because Altice had already been sued once for large staff layoffs, sources say the company is instead forcing pricey personnel to leave of their own volition through unfair, harsh treatment. Kristin Malaspina was hired by Steinberg as the marketing director and instituted the majority of changes that plague news 12 to this day. Responsible for developing leads, conducting interviews, completing thorough research, and . "@ksatnews What happened to Isis Romero?? And right now, the country is polarized, but I think that will happen for a while, but if you look at history, I always say, todays news is tomorrows history. Here's everything about her whereabouts. Theyre doing a lot of local news. When TVNewsCheck presented Altice with the charges raised against the company in this story, brought forth by the 14 current and former News 12 newsroom sources, a company spokesperson responded with the following statement: Altice USA is very proud of News 12s ongoing achievements and continued success, including growth in ratings and digital viewership as well as the receipt last month of 80 New York Emmy nominations, more than any other network in the tri-state, all of which underscore the high-quality hyperlocal journalism News 12 provides. News 12s communicated compensation levels are drastically low, even for news, the recruiter adds. Ive never seen it like this, says the source, commenting on the industrys labor problems. Sportscaster Jamie Stuart, reporter Christine Insinga . "I want to thank those of you who have supported me with your viewership these past 11 years, and for the incredible love and kindness you have shown me. Airing those segments has meant less time for the kind of impactful, individual market-focused stories that they replaced. "I don't think anybody's happy with the way this has played out," the source told the San Antonio Current. She was the best anchor. A few have, but many have gone on to work at other news outlets. They were upset about the loss of jobs and the detrimental impact such a lack of diverse voices could have on free press and democracy. Altice last October also announced plans to relocate News 12 Connecticut's anchor studio to its News 12 New Jersey facility in Edison, N.J., while keeping a crew of local reporters and video . 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