Haunting Reality
Posted on: October 6, 2008No comments yet
Fresno, CA-Just in time for Halloween, the haunting reality of television rears its head. If there’s any doubt change is imminent in broadcast TV, just look to recent television news developments. Two of the most respected and community-minded news anchors are shown the exit.
- News Icons Out
John Wallace departed KGPE TV, the CBS affiliate and Rich Rodriguez out at KSEE TV, the NBC affiliate. Both stations had other plans and the two were not included.
All television stations are making other plans these days. The expensive digital conversion looms in 2009 and recent sales figues at many television stations are changing. A nice way to say, they’re down. When sales slip, news rooms become ultra expensive. Or at least that is what some would have you believe.
There was enough concern about costs to shuffle the deck at NBC and CBS locally; two dedicated news anchors are cut. These sudden departures come with some dark contrasts. Here’s the ebony and irony. For Wallace, KGPE 47 lured him out of TV retirement only to (tele)cast him back. For Rodriguez, KSEE 24 let him go on the day he became a grandfather for the first time.
Here’s the substance of Rodriguez… hours after the dismissal, he was master of ceremonies at two separate events. One at a high school homecoming, the other at an elementary school fundraiser. He represented his former place of employment with grace. Another example of the character missing from the airwaves now.
