Station's Ratings
News Dirctors
MMJ (OMB) Job details
Yearly salary24000
Contract3
Paired with a photogN/A
Station market rank#1
Longstanding news director Jacque Harms seemed to manage the station better than her successors. Melanie was unprofessional and poorly educated on best practices for news, and was eventually fired.
KNOP is part of a network of Gray stations across Nebraska, with much of its management based in Lincoln, which is more than three hours from North Platte. This physical and organizational distance often results in management appearing out of touch and disengaged from the day-to-day needs of KNOP employees.
In recent years, several positions at the station have been eliminated, increasing the workload for those who remain. Management tends to take advantage of employees’ willingness to step up, offering little recognition or support for their expanded responsibilities. Communication from leadership is frequently delayed, inconsistent, and at times feels disingenuous.
Based on my experience at a Gray-owned station, I would advise potential candidates to approach opportunities with caution. A short-term contract can be a good way to gain experience and get your foot in the door, but long-term growth and support are limited. Success at KNOP often depends on your own initiative. While the independence can be appealing to some, it can also be isolating, especially for those still learning the ropes or unfamiliar with the station’s technology and best practices.
MMJ (OMB) Job details
Yearly salary
Contract2 years
Paired with a photogN/A
Station market rankOnly station
Melanie Standiford
When Jacque was there, KNOP was awesome. Once she left, they put an anchor (Melanie) in her place because no one wanted to move to North Platte for what they were offering and the others there with seniority didn't want it because they saw how awful it is. Melanie is so not qualified for the position, the community doesn’t respect her, and CONSTANTLY fights with viewers online and in the comments section of articles as the KNOP page and then deletes her comments or any comments that she doesn't agree with. There are several reasons why there are always openings there and it's a revolving door of talent- some has to do with it’s in the middle of Satan’s buttcrack and the embarssing pay, but it’s also because of horrendous management. Gray barely acknowledges the station since it’s the 2nd to smallest TV market in America and the funds are bread crumbs.
An Overall Toxic Work Environment
It’s not run like a regular newsroom so the things you learn barely transfer, many leave the business altogether after this one experience in news, the city has a ton of drugs and no social life, but the area can be what you make of it, the pay is awful, the viewers are nice, a lot of what they do it the laughing stock and comes in 2nd to the newspaper, which is more of a serious and legitimate publication.
I get that some people want to gain experience, but it is 100% not worth it because the ‘experience’ you get there does not translate or carry over to another station, even a handful of markets up due to the way they run. 0/10 stars. Just ask any former employees or even some of the viewers how downhill it’s gone after Jacque’s departure. DO NOT DO IT.
MMJ (OMB) Job details
Yearly salary
Contract2 years
Paired with a photogN/A
Station market rank1
Melanie Standiford
Awful. She was hired with only about of year of TV news experience. She has no clue what she’s doing and has absolutely no idea how to train. She has a really hard time admitting she’s wrong about anything when she’s wrong.
An Overall Toxic Work Environment
I would definitely do some research or contact former employees before committing to this station.
