KDRV

An Overall Toxic Work Environment

When I was employed there, a man named Mark Hatfield was the News Manager. He took over when the News Director who hired me left. His name was Renard Maiuri who passed away recently. Looks like Hatfield is the GM now. He was an absolute nightmare to work for. First off, they hired me as the weekend Sports anchor/reporter and promised me a higher salary when the current Sports Director at the time left. Well, he left and they didn't want to increase my salary like they said they would. I had to threaten to leave if they did not do what they said they would. They finally did, but Hatfield made the job after that difficult on purpose. Because Hatfield isn't the one who hired me, he intentionally made the job difficult for anyone that was there before him so he could bring his own people in. When he did bring his own person in, his name was Ben Becker who was supposed to be the weekend Sports Anchor and my assistant. Becker was terrible and got pages of complaints from listeners. But since he was Hatfield's boy, Hatfield didn't forward there on to his boss. It was so bad, one news reporter wanted to use me as her reference in applying for her new job because she knew Hatfield would blackball her. I know he gave bad references to people he didn't like and I suspect he did that to me as well. I suspect he was a bigot and didn't like women, but I can't prove that. Hatfield was clueless and had no idea how to manage people much less a newsroom.

I'm amazed that people like Mark Hatfield still have a job in the TV industry. It's a crime people like him get promoted to GM. And what's even worse is he still has a job all these years later.

Sexual Discrimination, Racial Discrimination, An Overall Toxic Work Environment

I would love to say there is a certain place to start here, but I can't pinpoint my worst experience because there so many. Each experience was worse than the last. First and foremost, don't expect to do what your contract says your role is. Within weeks, Mark and Jerry will shift you into a different role. They will tell you they are close to hiring and the "cavalry is coming." It never shows up. Even if it does, three of the five people they hire will break their contracts within the first year. After blatantly lying to your face about how long you will have to do a different role, they will be try to put the blame on you for feeling disappointed. "Your contract says we can change your role and title whenever we need." That one is their go to. They have been so understaffed that the station is on the verge of losing shows for years. They won't fix it. They will get bailed out by you being forced to do something you never wanted to do, for as long as they want, which will be the entirety of your contract. The newsroom leadership is as incompetent as it can get. They will ask you to break embargos, report things that you were told off the record, and tarnish relationships in the name of "getting it first" (just to beat the other two stations who have been behind for decades). When the entire newsroom expresses its concerns with this strategy, Jerry will call you all "Junior journalists," taking a dig at the fact that you are new and he has "been in the industry for 30 years." You will never be given a genuine thank you. No matter how many hours you work, how much effort you give, and how much passion and care you put into the job, they will never make you feel like you did a good job. An 18 hour day will be met with "By the way, we need you to be here for tomorrow's meeting. We don't have any reporters left but you." They will never take accountability for their own inability to hire someone. Every time you bring up the staffing issue, they will tell you they aren't hiring because either no one will apply or "no one up to their standards" has applied. Back to the roles thing. Don't expect to do just the one you signed the contract for. "Anchor/reporter?" More like: Produce for 6 months before you make your debut because they don't have enough producers and your voice is too high pitched. But once they run out of anchors, they will ask you to do it and not say thank you when viewers write about how wonderful you are. Then, you will quickly become the workhorse. Your title will be "Anchor/Reporter/Producer/Editor/Digital Manger/Assignment manager." This role will be all day, every day until you either break the contract or run to the end of it. When you finally run yourself to exhaustion and express that you need a two-day vacation, they will approve it. But the night before it, they will send you a text that says you can't go because they need you at work the next day. They are just still understaffed, but don't worry the cavalry is coming. When you get to work the next day, you will find that all of management is on vacation and will be back on Monday. Let's break it down to the big question. Money. Don't think you are going to make any here. Even if you do eight roles, you are paid for one. There are no bonuses. There no raises. Southern Oregon is one of the most expensive places to live in the country. So naturally, they will pay $800 a check, and tell you that low pay is "part of paying your dues in the industry." When you vent to them that you have to choose between feeding yourself or rent, they will listen without talking back, and then send you back out to the newsroom. They have no remorse. They have no mercy. They have no compassion. They have no human element to their thinking. It all boils down to this "We can change your role whenever we want. It does not matter what your contract says your title is." I watched some of the best in the business quit journalism all together because of this station. I watched female reporters cry because of harsh criticism of their hair, voice, make-up, you name it. I watched people flee their contracts after just a couple months. Then I was asked to be angry at my friends for choosing different lives. I was told I should be mad at them because they put me in the situation I am in by not keeping their commitments to their contracts. As much as I would love to say this all covered a large portion of the problems there, it didn't cover even five percent. I didn't even touch on the time they let the air conditioning unit go bad for years before it finally failed during a heat wave. The anchors had to stay on air in 100+ temps in their full suits, for weeks. I have since gone elsewhere and found that the practices of this station are not normal. Which has fueled more anger at this place. I am begging you, stay away from this place. Stay far away. You will find something better, even if it takes a couple more weeks. This is not the place for you. It is not the place for anyone. Jerry's mantra is "Care so much it shows." He is oblivious to the fact that the management here cares so LITTLE that it shows.

Sexual Discrimination, An Overall Toxic Work Environment

Very toxic work environment in the newsroom. No one is happy and they are SEVERELY understaffed.

Sexual Discrimination, An Overall Toxic Work Environment

I wish this station would close down. It is the worst newsroom in the country. Until Mark Hatfield leaves, STAY AWAY! he is sexist, racist, and a misogynist. I am so disappointed I ever worked at this station. Please for your sanity, find another job. They complain people break their word by breaking their contract but everything they tell you in the interview is a lie. There is a group of us looking to sue for harassment, bullying, and more.

If you are interested in Medford, look at the other two stations. This group doesn’t deserve you. I learned the hard way.

Sexual Discrimination, An Overall Toxic Work Environment

For a majority of my time at KDRV, I worked under Ashley Hall. She was horrible and created the most toxic work environment for everyone. When Jerry started, everyone was hopeful things would change. However, they did not! He pretty much was gaslighting the entire staff when he first started. He promised all these changes and did not follow through with any of them. The station has been understaffed by 10+ people for more than a year now. You could plan a vacation MONTHS in advance and at the last minute, Jerry will deny it and force you to cancel it. Him and Mark do not value their team and constantly put their employees in unsafe situations. When an employee comes to them with how unsafe they feel, they do not care and claim "that is a part of the job". When an employee comes to them with genuine concern for their own mental health that has deteriorated because of the job itself, they don't care. Every MMJ is forced to cover multiple stories by themselves daily, which is fine at any other station that actually values you and gives you time for a lunch break. Imagine covering two separate stories early in the morning and then being sent to a wildfire and working a 15 hour day with NO lunch break... then management yells at you for going into overtime and REFUSES TO PAY YOU for that overtime, even though they are the ones that made you go into overtime by overworking you. THAT is what a day in the life is like at KDRV. You are underpaid, overworked, put into unsafe situations and nobody values you.

I feel bad for everyone still working at KDRV. Every single person is burnt out and unhappy. They are all looking for ways to get out of their contracts, but do not have the money to break their contract because KDRV does not pay their employees hardly anything. Most importantly, a LOT of people have completely left the industry as a direct result of what KDRV put them through. Even as a last resort, do not work here.

This station used to be the most toxic work environment I have ever worked in. That was before our new news director, Jerry took over. Jerry has been a God-send for this station. The previous news director, Ashley Hall, ran the station into the ground. She was degrading, manipulative, toxic and was not a leader in any capacity. While she was news director people were consistently breaking contract in order to get out and save their sanity. Those that stayed through their contract were very honest about their intentions to leave but in her last 6 months at the station she didn’t make one single new hire —that left our station 8 people short. All in on-air positions.

Jerry is now working hard to rebuild the station, essentially from the ground up. Jerry has been a life-saver. He is kind, considerate, a leader and very knowledgeable. He has tough road ahead of him but he is doing everything he can to rebuild the station and the people that were completely degraded by Ashley. Jerry’s motto is “care so much it shows” and it does show. He brings a positive attitude to the newsroom every day and is encouraging and uplifting. Under Jerry’s leadership this newsroom is transforming into a place that supports their employees and understands the pressures this job brings.

I worked under Ashley for two years and was ready to leave but because she announced she was leaving I decided to stay and give Jerry a chance — I’m so glad I did. I absolutely love working under Jerry. He is a breath of fresh air for a newsroom that has been gasping.