What do you guys think of this? My friend and former boss Stan Melton lost his job in this mess. Sad. The even scarier part comes in the second paragraph.
DC station swings the Budget axe
Sources say that WJLA in DC has swung the budget axe. Word is that the station eliminated 5 positions from their promo/graphics department on Thursday, two from promotions (Larry Lane and Dominique Verdieu), two from graphics (Mike Batista and Isam Daho) and the Director of Creative Services (Stan Melton).
News Director Bill Lord will now run the much smaller department, with the promo manager and art director reporting to him. They also do promos and graphics for Newschannel 8, and some stuff for Politico, so what was already a very busy department is gonna be even more overburdened.
8 comments:
Wow. I've met Stan before and he's one of the best. I'm shocked.
It's a mistake...ND's rarely get it when it comes to marketing. Look for lots of chest thumping proofs.
Frightening.
If this happens to me, I'm screwed.
local tv is being managed into oblivion.
I hope GMs and corporations around the country pay attention to this move, and the downsizing of all creative departments.
What they don't seem to realize is that no one wins when every station is the same. What they also don't seem to realize is that much of the differentiation that a station hangs their hat on is developed and maintained by the Creative dept. News Directors should focus on storytelling.. not marketing.
I couldn't be sorrier for the people that lost their jobs.. and won't enjoy watching WJLA fade as a result. This is bad for everyone.
A company that earns revenue through advertising trashes its own advertising department.
Godspeed to those who lost their jobs.
The budget axe? Like they're actually paying graphic artists...
Sadly this is not the first instance of news taking over promos. WGRZ in Buffalo did the same thing, although I think that was more of a power trip by their former ND than a cost cutting move.
Heaven help us all if this does become a trend. I agree with Drew. Such a move can only hurt a station's identity.
i guess i won't be working at WJLA any time soon.
Post a Comment