KMID | KPEJ

A wonderful starter station- amazing people work here & it is run by very knowledgeable management. It is a station I will forever look back on with a smile. KMID is the best run station in Midland/Odessa & there is huge potential there.

KMID/KPEJ has a lot to offer new MMJs, Anchors, and Producers, and working with Terry and Mark would be a wise career decision. Not only do they know many people in the business, but their jobs complement the news station. They have a wealth of knowledge to pull from and are a joy to work with.

All I want to mention before Terry and Mark arrived was that the newsroom was dysfunctional. The previous leaders were not leaders, and a select few in the newsroom stepped up and helped the skeleton crew survive, especially during the pandemic. There are individuals in the newsroom that I will be forever grateful for in helping us get through one of the most challenging news years. I highly respect our digital producer for helping our newsroom stay afloat. He always put the team first and would help anytime, anywhere. I am honored to have worked with him.
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Mark Garcia arrived first, and I was highly impressed by his knowledge. I am confused at the comments made regarding both Mark and Terry. When new management comes onboard, change is bound to happen. Sometimes it's business, and you can't take it personally. Mark saved our station from drowning. When you ask him for help, he does everything he can to assist the team.

Mark is one of the most intelligent people I know, and if you sit down with him and make an effort to learn, you would be amazed. He is very savvy when it comes to marketing, sales, viewership, the list goes on. Mark Garcia has been nothing but supportive and respects those who work hard.

I know the changes were a bit rocky with schedules initially, but when Terry was hired, his news experience made everything come together. There is a solid management team in place at the station who can be stern but highly supportive in the way they do business.

Terry is incredible! He has been in the news industry his whole life and worked in so many markets that he has combined what he learned in some of the top markets like LA to help Midland/Odessa 'play like the big boys.' He continues to impress me with his knowledge and has been in several news situations. It gave the team security in knowing we have someone so skilled that we can rely on and trust, who is fair and honest.

Having worked with some incredible news directors in the past, I can tell that Terry has the chops and determination to continue to grow KMID/KPEJ and make it a great station. The station has already improved significantly. I learned a tremendous amount from Terry in a very short amount of time, and I am a better journalist because of it.

For the first time working at KMID/KPEJ, I felt like I had managers I could rely on. Terry is open to working through any concerns or news questions; he works with you to create the best product. He never yells and has a very straight-forward but nurturing approach to his management style. Terry is also very detailed oriented, which is what you want in a News Director. Since he started, he focused his full attention on the newsroom watching all the shows, and he wants nothing but the best for the team and newscast.

I have been fortunate to work with Mark and Terry, who have been available at any time of the day for help. They both saved our station, and I stand by that statement, having witnessed management in the beginning. This station would be an excellent opportunity. Both Terry and Mark bring the best out of you; if you are willing to work and learn, you can be ready for anything after this experience.

An Overall Toxic Work Environment

Management just has absolutely no idea how reporting works. Having reported and now anchored, they take advantage of reporters.

I think some of the other reviews recently have been overexaggerated. Don't get it wrong, they're correct in some ways. They will take advantage of you as a reporter and will take advantage of your hard work. I'm writing this on my 11th hour of work, after anchoring 3 hours and still turning a pack for evenings. Producers are incompetent, unqualified, and resistant to change. An unprofessional environment in many cases, and they reward some anchor's laziness while overworking myself and others. Give this station some time before you come here, things are getting better but very slowly, There were lot's of problems to fix after previous management. College kids, there's better places to live than Midland, Texas. Trust me.

Racial Discrimination, An Overall Toxic Work Environment

A lot of racist people in positions of power. That in turn created the most toxic environment I have ever worked in, including when I worked retail. Anchors do not carry their weight. Producers are ignorant and under educated.

Producers are mediocre at best. Most have no formal education. Anchors are down right incompetent. The General manager micromanages every aspect of the news room and talks down to you while it happens. Mark Garcia, the GM, is one of the worst men I have ever worked for. No understanding of the business. Rewards those who don't deserve it while punishing anyone who has ever worked hard. Just the absolute worst place to work.

An Overall Toxic Work Environment

As I nightside MMJ I was harassed and even grabbed once while live out alone. I brought my concerns to management GM, ND and my GM said there was no excuse and I had to be live everyday. On another occasion I went live for 5,6 newscast for an event that ended around 8. I went to he station to edit my pkg and my producer said I could go live in studio. around 9 I got a call from my GM that I was a "disappointment" and there was no excuse for not being live. I ended up being demoted from primetime to dayside. My GM had no news experience and my ND was a pushover. They talk to MMJ's like we are dumb when in my case I had more schooling/experience than the producers. Anchors talked down to MMJ's and producers talked down to MMJ's when neither of them had good news judgement. A lot of big personalities with no skill to back them up created a toxic work environment. I made it out to a much better, functional newsroom all on my own. The photographer and the Digital manager were the only helpful people. Management often changed peoples roles like it was nothing. There was no respect in that newsroom.

Management has no regard for the wellbeing of MMJ's and little news judgement. As a "digital first newsroom" we often put that on the back burner and didn't put resources where they should be.

They catered to bad anchors who didn't pull their weight and overworked MMJ's & Digital who were the smartest ones in the room. They were disrespectful and honestly verbally abusive. Do not work at KMID in West Texas.