Peoria Pundit

News and Media from River City

Media: Barrington’s WHOI still providing local news? Depends on your definition

Posted in Uncategorized with tags , , , on March 18, 2009 by Billy Dennis

Barrington Broadcasting (owner of Creve Coeur-based WHOI) has released its 4th quarter and year end financial statements. Radio and Business Report says this:

Pilot Group LP, the sole shareholder of Barrington Broadcasting, injected $16 million of new capital into the TV group owner last month. Meanwhile, Barrington reports that Q4 net revenues increased 7.2%, or 4.3% on a same station basis. Like so many others, Barrington has been cutting costs, although CEO Jim Yager notes that not a minute of local news has been dropped.

Oh sure. The company fired it’s local news staffs (the wonderful severance package was four weeks worth of pay, from what I hear)  and outsourced the “local news” to former competitors (in Peoria’s case, WEEK). This means that the same news reports are now running on two stations in the same market. But they didn’t “drop” news. They just deprived viewers in their market of one source of information.

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Media: WHOI owner lays off 10 in Michigan

Posted in On the Media with tags , , on January 31, 2009 by Billy Dennis

Via the Record Eagle:

TRAVERSE CITY — Ten staff members were let go at TV 7&4 as its parent company reported an “extremely challenging” business climate due to the economic downturn.

Nine full-time staffers, including some on-air positions, and one part-time job were eliminated by the local NBC affiliate this week, station president and CEO Jill Saarela said Friday. The station is owned by Barrington Broadcasting Group LLC based in Hoffman Estates, Ill.

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Media: WHOI owner stages surprise layoffs for 10 in Texas

Posted in Mommy (and Daddy) Bloggers with tags , , , on January 28, 2009 by Billy Dennis

Via The Monitor:

KGBT-TV, the Valley’s CBS affiliate, quietly laid off 10 staffers Tuesday and finalized plans to cut the noon newscast starting Monday. It was the third round of cuts for the station which in 2008 saw then-reporter Janine Reyes and longtime weatherman and Valley fixture Larry James join the swelling ranks of the unemployed.

“‘It’s part of what is going on around the country, and we’re having to cut you just like them,’” [weatherman Romeo] Cantu recalled being told when he was let go minutes after finishing a 9 a.m. news segment. “The only thing I really regret is I didn’t get the opportunity to say goodbye to the Valley.”

Cantu was told moments after he wrapped up morning news, denying him the opportunity to say goodbye to viewers. Stations go to make it seem like their personnel are part of viewers’ families. That’s a pretty crappy to treat family.

KGBT is owned by Barrington Broadcasting, owner of Creve Coeur-based WHOI.

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