KEZI

An Overall Toxic Work Environment

There's absolutely no organization and it's an overall hostile environment. People don't even get along anymore.

This station has gone way downhill since I first started. The assistant news director and assignment manager leaving was a huge loss for the newsroom. But since they have left, Allen Media has apparently implemented some sort of hiring freeze. This leaves all the lower paid employees to pick up the slack. The general manager constantly tells us to do more and more, but in reality we're already doing way more than other stations could even imagine. When I tell other news directors, reporters make 3 packages a day at our station, they all say the same thing: that's insane and ridiculous. We're also put in ridiculously unsafe situations. We do solo live shots and often in very shady areas. One time they sent me to the middle of a forest with no cell phone reception by myself when an attempted murderer was on the loose. Oh, and did I mention, they don't supply a work cell phone? Eugene is also ridiculously expensive to live in but we're told inflation is "not their fault." They recently gave all full-time hourly employees a 16 to 18 dollar per hour wage and were told this was a "monumental step" in showing they care about us. In reality, all of us have to get parental support just to get by. In this day and age, there are options for reporters and producers with the way the industry is going. If you have an option, there is no reason to settle at KEZI.

An Overall Toxic Work Environment

Matt Templeman has the potential to be a good news director but I think that shipped sailed a long time ago. He does not stand up for his employees and just acts as an arm of Allen Media's COO Andy Fischer. He tried to act like a "dad" in the newsroom but fails at his "fatherly" roles. He's a good salesman in terms of lying about what the actual product is like. KEZI is a train that has derailed but he convinces you that working at the station is like buying a first-class ticket to the market of your dreams. Working under Matt is like working for an ex-frat star who doesn't know how to manage and take the steps necessary to foster a positive environment for his reporters to grow. Instead, he'd rather be sitting in his hot tub drinking.

The station prides itself on being #1 in the market but Matt, General Manager Mike Boing, and COO Andy Fisher run the employees into the ground for very little pay. During big news events, program specials, and other "all hands on deck" weeks, Matt will deny everyone PTO but then take a week off to go to Mexico. The station doesn't see the reporters as people, just expenses that could be replaced with the snap of their fingers. People try to quit because of their deteriorating mental health, but Matt and Mike will scare the reporters with lawsuits to keep them working. The only thing that makes KEZI worth it is the other reporters. They all bond over the trauma, frustration, and abuse they get from higher-ups. It's not bad to hold yourself and your workplace to a higher standard. But when it involves Matt sitting at the anchor desk, complaining and making fun of his reporters while their work airs, then not actually working with them to make it better, it becomes toxic. Matt would rather sit at his computer and watch YouTube videos, making fun of other reporter reels than actually help guide his newsroom away from catastrophe. I would avoid this station at all costs. If you accept an offer, you have to fight for yourself because no one else will.

DO NOT come work here unless you have a trust fund. This station will ruin you financially and they do not care. The cost of living is equivalent to a big city but you’re in a small market. Upper management turns a blind eye to the struggles of employees who have had to donate plasma to make ends meet. There are no bonuses or incentives to work hard. So understaffed that there is no teaching from the uppers. Not a good place, your mental health will go to shit.

Racial Discrimination, An Overall Toxic Work Environment

I started out loving working here and while I love being a journalist, I absolutely hate this station and don't recommend it. The true colors of the station come out every single day you work here. First off, they hold unrealistic expectations for their reporters. You're expected to do 3 packages per day or a live shot for the 4,5 and a 6 pm package. Plus, you're rarely given a photographer even when you're in a dangerous situation. One time I was sent to the middle of the woods where an attempted murder suspect was on the loose. Not even police were there but they never once asked "do you feel safe?" Funny because Matt tells your family he prioritizes safety when you first get hired here. Secondly, they practice blatant favoritism and discrimination. For example, Matt had sent out schedules of our one-on-one times with our MAGID consultant probably a month ahead of time. He had also posted this all over the station and told us to "be prepared." I canceled my plans for this stupid meeting but literally five minutes before my one-on-one, he switched my time with someone else. If that person had been one of the anchors or someone who's been at KEZI for a while, I honestly wouldn't have cared as much. But he switched my time with someone who came six months after me. Clearly, because he FAVORS that person. This station also micromanages from the top down like crazy. The general manager is always up in the alley, constantly caring about what the reporters are doing. Even to get hired here, you have to do an awkward Zoom interview with him where you basically have to promise you won't break your contract. Now I know why, they make you do that Zoom. So many people have broke their contracts here because they don't respect you unless you're one of their "favorites." During the interview, Matt acts like he'll give consistent feedback and coach you at KEZI when really he just talks crap on the anchor desk (then all the producers end up telling us) and then never tells you to your face what he thinks because he hates confrontation. Avoid if you can. You've been warned.

An Overall Toxic Work Environment

They pay u burger king wages and act like you should be greatful. Even Sinclair pays better, has better benefits and has less workload. There is no upside to working here.

My experience is apparently a rare one, but I have very positive memories at KEZI. The best way I could describe KEZI is that it is a big market station operating in a small town market. Their anchor set is beautiful and huge. They invest in a consulting firm that really polished and prepped me for getting my next job in a Top 30 market. I definitely wouldn't have thrived and excelled in my next gig if it wasn't for all the valuable skills I learned while I was here. One thing to note is that I work well on my own, meaning I don't need much feedback or to be micromanaged. Management trusted me to get things done, and I did. So the work flow I had here worked well.